Just got the car running (finally) thanks to Paul, Don, and Kevin... My car in 91RS, swapped from LO3 to L98, and all factory smog junk is there and in use. My question is, do I need to do anything special before I need my smog in March? Will I go get it smogged and they will fail me right away unless I get it inspected by the referee? Or since it is the same motor that would have been found in a 91Z, they will overlook it?

And I can't beleive the difference the L98 makes in the car... I should have done this sooner!!!

Thanks in advance,

-Tim-

 

No problem at all Tim since our cars came with the TPI option. Just go to my guy and they smog it as regular, no referee needed. As long as it is the same or newer motor it's good to go.

I did my Camaro a couple of years ago, passed right thru.

 

Awesome. That is very good news.

BTW, is the chip in my car the stock one or the one Kevin programed?

-Tim-

 

The one I programmed.

That TPI power is great, huh?

 

Like night and day

 

I decided to ditch my TBI after my car passes a test next month and put my polished edelbrock/slp TPI system on my car & polish everything else thats aluminum under my hood ...... So have you passed a visual test as of yet or is it due "march" of next year ....

Is it possible to burn a L-98 chip with vats enable, a little better then stock tune, and keep my upshift light working? I am going to have my TBI harness mod'ed to run TPI though.

 

My registration is up in March 2009, but my next smog isnt until march 2010. But since the install was done so cleanly, you would never know that there was a TBI in there. Visual wont be a problem at all

 

It had nothing to do with the 45 more cubes, bigger cam, better heads, etc

 

Yea, that too

 

how come mine failed a visual then? I had TPI on my 82 and it failed real quik visually but passed the sniffer. TBI passed the visual though.

 

Was TPI an option on an 82? Was TBI?

 

not this kind of tbi ... but what happens when they enter your engine code number and they see throttlebody injection and say whoaaaaa whats this. I mean any smog guy can tell TPI from TBI LOL

 

Thats right, 82 had crossfire... Didn't crossfire look similar enough to TBI?

 

It doesn't matter as long as the tpi was available on a small block Chevy for your year. Tpi did not come out until 1985, so it is not legal in a 1982, but if you convert a car built before 1985 to tpi, you can take it to a referee and have it certified. A lot of times, if the car is a Third Gen, the tech won't even notice if it is the wrong year for tpi as long as all of the required smog equipment is there. The main tip off is if you have stock exhaust manifolds, a carb will have a heat riser coming off the manifold with a tube going to the air cleaner. Tpi does not use a heat riser. If a smog tech fails you on a visual for having tpi when he checked the vin and saw that it was supposed to be a tbi or a carb, go to somebody else who is less **** about it.

 

Not even close:

Cross-fire:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/buglugs/37692546/

TBI:
http://www.taildragger.info/K5/TBI/F...ttle_body2.jpg

 

Did G.M. offer tbi on v8 f-bodies in 1982? I ask because I had a 1982 Citation 4 cyl stick shift with tbi from the factory. Maybe they offered tbi on econo-boxes, but not on performance cars?

 

my car passed visually because it's TBI resembled having a 4 barrel still ... but comeon just cause TPI is optional that doesn't mean you can just change to it and go smog it. Still has to be certified that everything is intact and functioning ...

 

Yes. Both 1982 and 1983 came with Cross-Fire Injection.

 

Cross-Fire TBI yes, but the TBI we're used to that looks like a carb didnt come on f-bodies until 1988. GM was using 4 cyl and 6 cyl TBI earlier than that on other cars as you mentioned. On trucks it was used starting in 1987.

Actually yes it is that simple. If TPI was available on that year f-body, its a direct swap and no referee is needed. The smog requirement goes by the car year. So you could convert an 82-83 cross-fire to LG4 or L69 and not have to go to the referee. And you can convert any 85-92 f-body (carb, TBI, V6) to TPI and not have to go to the referee. Strange but true.