I moved to California for work a few months ago and I've been debating what to do with my LS swapped 83' El Camino. I've read several threads, watched youtube videos, etc and it's all still really unclear how realistic getting it legally on the road is.




Some basics:
-It started as a 1983 v6 el camino
-It now has a 5.3l out of a 2001 silverado (it's registered as a truck, so that should be okay)
-I'm in Santa Cruz county
-It has longtubes and a x-pipe
-Aftermarket cold air intake
-otherwise stock

From what i've read, i need the stock intake, stock manifolds, an exhaust system that puts the cat's in the stock location. I'd need to add two more o2 sensors, along with EGR and a stock silverado charcoal canister.
Of course I threw all the stock emissions and manifolds in the trash when I never thought i'd live in California.... so if anyone wants to give me a sweet deal on any of that... I'd be really grateful.

A few questions:
-I currently have a dual exhaust setup. Can I keep that, but just modify that cat location?
-I read somewhere that they're now requiring a certification from a dealership that says your tune is stock. Seems like I'm screwed if that's true. You can't even use the motor without deleting the VATS, so it wouldn't be a stock tune. Any info around that?
-I have no idea how I could install a fuel pressure sensor in my fuel tank. It's a 1987 el camino tank (efi). Is there any info on that? I searched and couldn't find anything.


Sorry for all the questions. I wouldn't be asking them if I wasn't a little hopeful. At this point it'd even be a pain to sell the car since it's registered out of state and wouldn't be able to pass SMOG.
I'm hoping this tuns into a (re)build thread to help some other people out.

 

I'm not 100% savy on the subject, but I would think if you get it to pass CA SMOG you can register it here. Might also be a waiver for cars 30 years old, might be able to get antique tags or something.

 

https://www.dmv.com/ca/california/cu...e-registration

Steps in the California Custom Car Registration Process
Applying for a California custom vehicle registration may be completed at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Drivers who want to register a custom car need to satisfy certain requirements and provide the necessary documentation when visiting a local DMV office in person. When registering custom cars, drivers will be required to complete the following steps:
Complete an Application for Title or Registration.
Submit vehicle verification by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and undergo an emission control inspection (smog check) at a Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) station.
Submit a completed Statement of Construction.
Provide proof of ownership (invoices, bill of sale, certificated of origin from the manufacturer, receipts, or junk receipts for the vehicle parts).
Submit brake and light adjustment certificates or a Statement of Facts from a repair shop.
Submit a weight certificate, for commercial vehicles with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less.
Pay the applicable registration fees.

Steps in the California Historic License Plates Application Process
Drivers who want to apply for CA historic car registration may be required to complete a regular vehicle registration procedure and apply for specialized historic license plates. Applicants will have to submit the required documentation, undergo a smog check and pay the applicable fees. At the end of the registration process, drivers may request classic license plates for their vehicles in lieu of standard plates. However, in order to qualify for such historic plates, drivers need to own motor vehicles that are of historic interest, manufactured after 1922 and at least 25 years old. In addition, motor vehicles with CA historic license plates may be operated for historical exhibitions, parades or historic vehicle club activities.

- so I would take it to the BAR and get a list of things that need to be done. if your unable to comply, sell it in AZ.

 

 

Just to clarify, if I went to a smog station would they tell me that need to go to a referee before they can run emissions testing on it? I guess I never really understood how this series of event works. It passed DEQ in Oregon 100% legally and I still have Oregon registration until 4/2019.

 

Get a PO box an keep it registered there...

If you went to a smog shop. They will take your money, fail you and you won't be able to do anything. Unless you return it to stock or go to a referee to get the swap certified.

Then you will need to get all the stock stuff for the swap to get it certified by the referee.

 

I will have to go through this myself with my LS3 swapped '98 Trans Am, so I will be learning some new bits for sure. That said, I have been asking SMOG station techs and friends who have registered swapped cars about the process, so I do know a little.

The good news is that you put a new engine in an old car, and they like that, since it is cleaner. I would not worry about the cold air intake, just tell them that the factory intake would not fit and this was required for the smaller truck.

I would get shorty headers with CARB numbers and a couple of cats along with the proper O2 sensors and have the engine tuned with those with the intention of passing SMOG (and maybe a little extra power, giggity). I don't know how the fuel tank part would go, but assuming it doesn't pollute worse than the original '83 did (no outgassing issues), than hopefully they would understand that the 2001 Silverado tank won't fit.

I think that once you get it to pass a practice SMOG (you can request this for less money, so that nothing is transmitted to the DMV), then you will wind up visiting with a state REP to sign off on the car. Bring paperwork for the engine if you have it, the headers, the SMOG printout, and your old Oregon paperwork too. Hopefully they will see that you have done your due diligence and that the El Camino is cleaner than it was new, and that will be it. Or at worst, tell you to fix a couple small things and then sign you off after that.

 

A legit smog shop, Ref will fail the car as is period. You would need to have CATS and stock exhaust manifolds, EVAP, etc

A ref is going to stop you mid sentence if you say "this CAI was the only thing that would fit" unless the CIA itself has a CARB # AND sticker AND IS installed on the car model the CAI is made for

If you can find a shop that "takes donations" (read $150-$300) that would be the only way

Keeping the car registered where it is now would work although you would need to go back to get it inspected if that is a requirement to renew the next registration.

 

I think I may put stock f-body manifolds on and some variation of a stock airbox, along with a stock tune. I already have cats, but they're not in the same location as they would be on a stock 5.3l.

Maybe i'll do the manifolds, intake and try talking to a referee from there. The additional o2 sensors and EGR would be substantially more work.

I still own a home in oregon, but the trip to get it inspected is the looming issue. Might make for a fun road trip though...

regarding the airbox: the stock truck airbox is on the passanger side of the engine bay. I'd have to relocate my battery to the drivers side for that to work. Alternatively, I noticed that F150's have a drivers side air box. Any reason I couldn't use one of those?

 

you could get the emission stuff you noted you threw away at a junk yard. The Ford air box could work. Basically you want to make it "appear" as stock in terms of the "visual" part of the test.

You are going to need the EGR to pass visual

Ironically even if the motor showed pure oxygen coming out the tail pipe but you don't pass visual you fail. My opinion is the "tail pipe" emission is what matters, not if you have 100 mice chained together as a motor under the hood....but CARB along with BAR are relentless on enforcing everything

I would avoid a referee at all costs until it comes to that. Those guys are there to enforce every letter of the law, not say "ok" to much of anything

You will even have a hard time getting a muffler shop to "relocate" the CATS so if you have a welder you should do that. They would need to be in a close distance to stock exhaust manifolds. IIRC you are allowed 3" either way from stock CAT position

Its gonna cost time & $ to get your transplant to not only look stock but pass emission, if it even can under emission code. It will be a shorter and cheaper path to find a "cooperative" smog shop for a few hundred $.

What is going on is BAR (Bureau of automotive repair) sends out undercover cars with various emission violations, some even wired in a switch to turn on a CEL, they randomly take into smog shops to see if they fail or pass. If they pass the shop gets a heavy fine and can lose their license so many shops now are scared and don't play like the old days. Shops that have a record of passing older cars get looked at according to a smog guy I just spoke to this weekend at a cruise night

You can try and put the stuff back on and just pull in a smog shop, not a STAR shop, and see if they will test it. You may have to try several shops. They may and it may pass. You then just take that smog test cert and go to DMV and get the registration changed. Don's say anything about the motor transplant to either smog or DMV

I have not been in your situation but do have a 96 OBD2 car with a 383 H/C/Headers (shorty), A4-M6 swap car and I get the full colonic every 2 years. The car has a GM "disabled" air pump with the GM sticker applied saying so. It is completely non functional. I went to smog shop, referee and even the State agency that governs the Ref's to "remove" the GM "disabled" air pump. At every point the answer was no because the written description in the GM TSB was "disable"...not "remove". The reality was GM did not want to pay to "remove" these pumps on 100k of cars, just pull a relay and reflash the PCM to ignore it. The State guy said "if it was up to me I would say OK..."...my reply was..."well at this point it is up to you"...he would not issue me a waiver. He said "try another shop...". I chose not to be the beta car and left it on.

This is how stupid and **** CARB and BAR are on emission compliance