Someday I'm going to park my truck and do a swap, but I live in CA.

Looking for input from anyone currently driving a CA smog legal swap.
I am familiar with the basics, but when you went to the referee, what was your experience.

Example: If your donor car had dual exhaust (factory) with 2 cats and you did a 2 to 1 exhaust with 1 cat, would the ref consider that good?

I know refs are different as well as every swap, I'm just curious.

I can't make up my mind on a swap!

1uz, sbf, sbc, 4.3, 7mge....etc.

Looking to go from manual to auto, more merging power and the ability to pull a small boat. I'm tired of shifting, just want to cruise and get around 20mpg like I am now.

 

1UZ! 1UZ! 1UZ! Super Duper reliable and tough and smooth...and auto...and sounds a beast with open exhaust (or try "ITB 1UZ" OMG BRB) and if auto is your preference you can go VVT-i 1UZ, but nonVVT-i is a bit cheaper.

 

Yes, I am aware of how cool a 1uz is and sounds, haha.

It wont be cool, if CA says I can't drive my truck though!

Just looking for some insight from people who have already jumped through the hoops...

Yotarips thread is very inspirational ...

 

From what ive read i think you can only swap between engines if it was available for whatever model you have. Or a newer version of it. Plus i doubt theyl allow a big a$$ V8 in a truck that only needs one sled dog to move it. Lol

 

Swapping engines in California has become a real convoluted PITA. There are a whole bunch of rules that you should read up on, on the DMV website. Some weird restrictions I remember:

1. The new engine must come from the same kind of vehicle that the engine is going into. So a truck can only get an engine that was available in another truck. So a 2JZ swap will not be legal, ever.

2. You have to install ALL of the engine management and smog control equipment exactly like it was in the original. So, for your example, no, you cannot go from dual cats to a single cat.

3. You have to install the engine management equipment from the newer of the donor or recipient vehicle.

Again, these and a bunch of others are the rules if you want a strictly smog legal swap that you can drive into any smog check and pass without cheating...

 

Unless the smog laws have changed??

In Ca...You can drop a 5.0 into a 1991 miata.

The engine has to be from a donor car/truck 1991+

The engine has to be from a vehicle in the same class (based on gvw= gross vehicle weight). So, passenger vehicle to passenger vehicle is fine. A commercial engine in your passenger vehicle is a no go...

All emissions components/systems intact, etc.

Etc.

Etc.

 

OR.....Swap in a diesel and never have to smog it again....

 

I wish!

If you have a diesel and don't have to smog, you can go to gas and not have to smog.....But not the other way around

 

Couldve sworn you could swap in a diesel and wouldnt have to go through emissions testing any more. Therefore you can swap in what ever you want after and call it done.

 

California wants to keep smogable vehicles smogging. There is no way they would go for that!

The only way to NOT have to smog a smoggable vehicle in CA is to move to a county that DOESN'T require smog....Or register your truck at a friends house in that county