i've been thinkin bout doin a s-10 ls1 (after i finish my 1st gen swap of course) and right now im exiled to the midwest. here i can get around the smog laws (diff countys etc), but when i go home to mass (in 08) i wouldnt be able to pass inspection. long story short...... i saw a jag in the for sae on ebay that had a conversion sticker(lt1) issued from the state of california!!! does anyone know anything about these "legal conversions"? i was told it would cost over 100k to inspect a vehicle that had a v8 that the factory never offered one in (an s-10 for example). reason being that the smog inspection process only covers a portion of parameters of the vehicles performance, and compares this with the full test data that manufacturers must put there vehicles through, and this testing is the cause of the expense. i dought this guy with the jag spent 100k to swap in an lt1. so there must be some legal way to circumvent this?

 

Basically the motor must be from model year or newer. So a 2001 ls1 in a 2001 s10 or older is legal even in california as long as it has all emission equipment and can pass for what it was manufactured to pass.

Marc

 

Yeah, but it's not nearly that simple.

The Republik of Kalifornia has their own rules about what you can and can't do. A '02 LS1 motor into an '00 S-10 would seem like a great swap, but they may or may not allow you to do it.

Whether its a good thing or not, every state plays by their own rulebook. So, you really need to check out what MA's rules are (or any other state you want to live in). That will let you figure out what you can or can't get away with.

For my home state, Maryland, there are 4 different levels of emissions requirements.
1.) Pre 78 cars are emissions exempt.
2.) 78 to 83 vehicles have to pass a fast idle tailpipe test (pretty easy with cats and a decent tuneup (and not ridiculous camshaft).
3.) 84 to 95 vehicles have to pass the IM240 Dynamometer treadmill test. Test requires you to accelerate, decel, cruise, idle, basically the full range, while basically running on a lightly loaded chassis dyno.
4.) 96 and up vehicles have to pass an OBDII test, where the station plugs into your PCM at the dash connector. Checks for system ready and codes and such.

Beauty is that there is no visual inspection (unlike some other states) so unless your engine is sticking through the hood, they'd never notice or care what you've got under the hood. Big block, small block, gas turbine, small nuclear reactor, they wouldn't know or care.

So, I'm swapping a '04 LQ4 6.0 into a 1999 Bravada. I've got to pass the OBDII test, but that shouldn't be that big a deal. Guess I'll find out in another year when it comes time to test.

'JustDreamin'

 

ive been in the midwest for th last four years, so i'll hae to check with my brother to see if he knows what we do now. but the obdII idea sounds good as long as we do that. last i remember even obdII were doiung the treadmill route in mass. thanks for the info. does anyone know about mass????


hey dreamin, isnt the vin in the pcm ? iof so would that show up during the tests? i know when they use to put my 95 camaro on the treadmill they had to type in the vin to the computer.

 

Yeah, it probably will. And it may cause me trouble. If it does, my first course of action will be to try and play it off as a replacement PCM, and see if the goons that run the station (MD stations are state run) buy that and let it pass. If not, then I'll have to see if I can get somebody to correct the VIN number in the PCM to match the vehicle. Harness & PCM reprogram are from Current Performance, and I know he can't change the VIN because I asked (his software won't let him). But I know other folks can set the VIN.

My truck isn't running just yet, but I've got about 16 months before my next emissions inspection. I just got to wait and see.


As far as emissions requirements in MA, check the web. You'd be suprised as the the quantity of information that they make available.

'JustDreamin'

 

You really need to check with your state regarding the laws. Each state is different and sets up its own laws.

here in CA, the only LS based engines that would be legal for your S-10 are ones from the trucks. An LS1 from a camaro or vette would be ILLEGAL in CA.

I know this becauseI spoke with a referee regarding what is and is not acceptable.

In CA- they have 4 laws they mandate for an engine swap

1- must be same year or newer engine. can not be older engine than car.

2- A car engine can only go in a car, a truck engine can only go in a truck. You can't legally put a truck engine in a car or vise versa. (hence why the corvette/ camaro ls1 would be illegal for an S-10)

3- If the car is a "50 state" emissions car, the engine must also be a 50 state emissions engine.

4- you must retain all smog equipment, etc. You must retain the data link connector, too (if your car or engine had one) as they need to plug it in for OBD2...

But, these are only California's rules. These may not apply in your state. This is why it's critical you find out what is required in your state before you attempt a swap in the hopes of making it legal to drive/ register.

After I get my car back from the A/C shop, I'll be taking it in for the certification process. I'll let you know if I did it right or screwed it up.

I hope this is helpful.

-BV

 

There have been numerous LS1 conversions into RX7s, various years from 86-94 that have been done in California and are legal. Maybe a couple of those guys will chime in.

Andrew

 

baaaaaaaaaaahaha stupid california... i love living in a state that isnt run by a bunch of communists

 

unfortunately mass is commie also , sometimes i dont want to go back. but i checked with my brother and yes obd2 is just a plug in computer test.

 

Ought to verify that there isn't a visual inspection.

'JustDreamin'

 

They could not tell a 4.8 from a 6.0 if they had to without reading number and knowing a hell of a lot about the lsx engine family. Move to texas and call it through.

 

They may not be able to tell a 4.8 from a 6.0, but I bet most of them could tell a 4.3L V6 from an LSx platform V8. I think they'd notice the extra cylinder on each side.

'JustDreamin'