what do i do if i just got the renew registation form in the mail and the DMV tells me i have to see a test only center to smog my car this time. I no it will not pass because it does not have the right engine in it. it has a 350 but it is only supposed to have a 2.8L v6. Usually i would just go to one of my friends to get it smoged. NE suggestions?

 

Need more info....what engine?
Car....year.....etc.

 

its an 86 firebird that is all stock expect the engine.

 

Just in case...

I got one of those 'test only' notices with my pickup this year. I took it to a friend, because it had been throwing a check engine light (I figured it was the EGR, and it was) and he was able to smog it anyway. He said sometimes the computer screws up and he can smog cars that the owner was told was test only, and there were a couple times a car came up as test only that the owner said wasnt.

Yea, the DMV sucks. What else is new. Cant hurt to try to enter the VIN and see if it'll let your friend smog it.

 

If it has all the proper equipiment on the engine, it is ok, because that type of engine was available in that car.
I just passed with my "350" TPI in my RS. (was TBI)

 

actually an 86 transam only came with a 305.

 

An RS did too. To them a SBC is an SBC.

 

whats an SBC?

 

SBC = Small Block Chevy (255 cid-400 cid, not including hybrids).

 

My car stock is an 86 Z28 305 4 barrel carb. It has been converted to a 355cu TPI and passes California smog. It even passed Test Only stations twice. Look at my profile at the bottom. If anything tell them it's a 305 engine to be safe. They are not going to look behind the engine to find out what it really is. There are only a few 350 IROC's built in 86.

 

u know i was think that sbc was small block, but i was reading a post that someone told me that a 383cid was illegal. also, if you were to convert a car from a 2.8L v6 to a 350 can you make it smog legal?

 

Well, technically a 383 is illegal. But I bet Don (as well as a few of us) could help make a SBC 434 (bored/stroked 400) pass the sniffer, without so much as a raised eye brow. :sillylol:

 

well isnt it a bit different if ya put a 350 TPI in a V6 car then putting a TPI in a TBI car? I never thought twice about doing it because I would never pass smog, but i do want a 350 in there.....So the question is could i legally pass smog while doing that without converting a bunch of bs (were talking my v6 and putting in a 350)?

 

Well, Christian, you'd have to use TBI or TPI on your car. Going carb would not be legal, but the 350 would (with either fuel injection from a thirdgen). Then again, it would probably be more/similar cost effective to just buy a V8 equipt thirdgen.

 

so would it be legal to do the conversion from a 6 to an 8 under california smog laws. by the way i could garentee that it would be cheaper to do the conversion because my grandpa is the origional owner of the v6 firebird, but now that i passed my liscence test last week and live 2 blocks from him he sed that hell give me his car and i can drive him when he needs to go somewhere. basically he is giving up driving with and giving me a firebird.

 

Don has an 87 V6 Firebird that he is converting to a 305 TPI as we speak. It will work because that year it was an option to have a 2.8 V6, 305 4 barrel carb, 305 TPI or 350 TPI. Don't worry, if you have all the smog part hook up it will pass.

 

after i do the engine conversion should i take it to a smog referee to make it all legal. I dont want to mess around with this crap, i'd rather everything be legal.

 

Now you have us confused, have you done the conversion yet or not? If you have, is it TPI or TBI or.....?

 

ihae one car with a chevy 350 witha 4 bbl qjetcc. i recieved a test only slip for this car and have to figure out what to do. i bought this car this way because i have friends that can smog it. i dont know neone in the test only bitness.

im getting another thirdgen firebird and wanna know if it is worth the trouble to do the conversion because of the smog laws.

WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT THE CAR THAT ALREADY HAS THE CONVERSION?

 

You haven't said what year it is. To get it passed it will have to have everything required for that year model to get past the visual. Then everything will have to work correctly.

 

npt to be smart but LOOK UP. cmon ppl a 350 didnt come with the car in a 86. the trans am came with a 305 and i think the fireird may have a a 305 as an option. someone sed a SBC is a SBC. however, a 383 is illegal. no you ppl are even confusing me. CMON gimme some pointers.

 

The way I see it is that there are a few ways of looking at this. For starters, If there was a V-8 option in 86 (which we all know there was) Thats the clentcher. Whether its a 305, 350, 383, 400 doesnt matter. They wont be checking that, just the number of cylinders (dont be dumb and say "check out my new bad *** 383").
Next is the smog equipment. You have to have the smog equipment for that year or NEWER cant go older. If there was a carb available in 86, you could get away with it, AS LONG AS ALL THE SMOG EQUIPMENT IS THERE. Smog pump, air injection, etc.

AS for the bore/stroke, that doesnt matter as long as it passes. Granted the stroker motors have proved to be "touchy with the sniffer" many of you have proved that it isnt. Just remember, make sure the car looks the way that it came in 86.

Yes, they will cross reference the vin with the motor, if they see a V-6 code, and see a V-8 under the hood, they are going to check for all the smog equipment. Dyno it and send it on its way pass or fail. If the motor is tuned, timed correctly, and have a "smog chip" in it, it'll pass. Just ask Kevin about his LT4 Hot cam

 

I have been told in the past that there is a $300.00 alteration fee for swapping motors

 

so, what is this about the cross reference with the vin number? Also most good mechanics can easily tell apart a 305 from ne other small block. a 305 USUALLY has a 6 in harmonic balencer. nething bigger, including my 350, has an 8 in. also, what is this smog chip you speak of? sounds interesting considering my family owns 5 cars and two of them are older than 5 years and have to be smoged. DAMN them smog rules. smogging a car is one of the biggest problems with our cars at my high school. also, i know my carb is not tuned to pass. it is a qjetcc. at my friends shop the best we could tune it was 2.2% CO which is way to high. What should i do about that?

by the way thx for the pointers.

 

Nope! Not true! I have done several.

Demon.... Jason has told you like it is. It can't be said any better than that, period.

 

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

run that by me again.

 

wut about the carb prob?

 

Who every tells you "you can tell a 305 from a 350 by the size of the balancer" is a complete and utter moron! The 8" balancers were used in high performance engine back in the 60- early 70s, or trucks. From that time forward (and due to less allowable space) all Chevy engines have used the 6" balancer. The only balancer that is different is the 400, due to it being extrenally balanced. As well as 1-piece RMS engines. Two piece RMS had the same balancer either if it was a 262 or a 350 = 6" Reason being is because all (except the 400 and somewhat late model 305/350) are internally balanced.

 

well that wont help me because i have an 8 in balencer, so they are gunna think a have one hell of an old engine.

 

what years are they counting late model engines?

 

I think you're gonna have to meet us somewhere and talk, because we're not getting thru to you online. Or try going to http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/ and reading the links on the smog check and swapping engines.

 

I am a california smog tech. If I look under your hood and it has all the emission equipment installed on it for a V-8 engine and it is ( like said above ) available in that year then I am gonna run it. If it passes, it passes.. If it fails it fails.. I don't care really what size it actually is.. if asked though, it's a 305.
I had my car smoged at a test only and my car has a 355 with 50 state arb approved headers, early style heads and even a holly throttle body which isn't legal. I know the guy and all and pre warned him of what I had, He said as long as it passed he didn't care. Bottom line again.. it was all there.. a.i.r. system, egr, all components intact. It blew threw the test. so he had no reason to question me. But I also have the ability to pretest it my self which is a plus. But if asked it's a 305, if he asks more tell him you bought it like that and it's been passing smog. You don't know why he thought it should be a diffrent motor or anything, it's always been like that. he'll probley let it fly. your gonna have to try.
Oh in California there are no cost limits in effect for alterations. Sky's the limit so .. 1st of all try it. Second if he fails it on engine the referie should give you an aproved sticker anyway if it's all there and it's clean. we even got my cousins 83 Blazer with a corvette tuned port approved by a ref.

 

Like 90Formula said, the only thing they are truly concerned with is the smog equipment for the year of the vehicle.

What I mean about cross-referencing the VIN with the motor is, In the VIN there is are digits that identify the entire vehicle. Motor size, type of motor, where it was produced, color, etc) When they enter the info on the system, it will produce this info which they will use to make sure that it is truly the vehicle being smogged. (To prevent using an identical car for smog as your own) When they do this, they will see 2.8 MPFI V-6.

As myself and others have said, they dont care about the bore/stroke, year of the block, or if you killed anyone to get it. All they care about are the smog issues. Make sure you have all your smog devices on and you should be fine. You can have a pre 87 block (non-roller) and be fine, just use the proper HB. I doubt the tech wants to take all the time to check it anyways. But make sure you have a good gas cap, they do pressure check it.

If you ask me, smog it with your V-6 and then worry about the V-8 with 2 years to play around, rather than try and throw it all together and maybe forget to connect something and fail. If it fails once, sometimes they are more strict on the second test. I may be wrong, but this is my experience.

 

demonchild,
Does this vehicle have everything on it that it should for an 86 such as the right computer system, A.I.R. pump, egr, cat , timings right for that model year car with a 305 ? If so then stroll into a test only station like its just another day with your 305 camaro that you bought that way and smog away. If it's all there and clean enough yet you fail because the technician fails you because of a engine swap. then go see the ref. I'm sure it depends on if the ref's wife pistol whiped him before work or if she gave him some that morning but I think the ref will pass you.

If you have your car converted over to something like a 4bbl holley and illegal hedders and bo emissions you might as will yank it out now because there is no cost limit

And also if you have friends that are in the california smog buisness there has got to be someone out there that does it right that has connections wiyth a test only outlet. I refer people to this place close to me and sometimes if I have a good customer that failed I'll take there car over for a free retest ( write it up under there name to keep it legal ).

 

Is it every 2 years they require you to SMOG your car? I know I had to when I bought it and changed the title, but I havent done it yet. Will they come after me asking me to SMOG again, or is this something I have to do on my own?

 

Also, are SMOG Tech centers directly dialed into Sacramento when finished with testing? I heard some are, some aren't. If I want to go Carb, I need to find a hookup, yuh know, pass some bills

 

Smog testing is required every two years after you purchase a vehicle. And every two years after that. When it is time to renew your registration, DMV will let you know on your "bill".

Some smog station are tided in to DMV computer, the others are being phased in. As for passing a carb for your car ... you're on your own. :nono:

 

And sometimes those morons at the state screw up the 2 year time frame, so make sure it really needs to be smogged.

The tie in to the DMV computer in Sac is like a bad wire, it rarely works for many places. The DMV still doesnt have good computers. My friend has told me that many times the connection is lost, and all the info just sits there waiting to go. Sometimes it doesnt make it.