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Wedge Modified TR-8 in California...I need help to pass smog...HELP!!!!

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jlbanky

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I want to buy a a modified 1980 TR-8...I have one in mind that was modified by the Wedge shop....4.6 liter etc etc....the only problem is i live in california and i don't know how to get it to pass the smog test....In California, if it is from 1975 or earlier, it is exempt from getting smogged....Does anyone know how i can legally drive this car in California? Is there any way t get an exemption on a 1980 vehicle....are there any other tricks out there? I am willing to bend a few rules as i am not a lover of all the rules and regulations this state imposes on its citizens.....can someone help me out with this......i really would like to be able to drive this car out here.....I would really appreciate your help....Lets think outsde the box and come up with a solution...you can write or call if you like.....thanks in advance!!!

Jeff 510-910-1591......... JLBANKY@Comcast.net
 
One approach: tell the seller you'd buy it if *he* can get it through the emissions test. If you know it won't pass now, you could be buying a major headache - and a non-drivable car.

Tom
 
I've bought and sold a number of cars in CA. The systems are pretty tight. There are some exemption paths for kit cars, but I don't know of one for a 1975+ car. Here is war I could find on the DMV web site

Title Transfer and Smog Requirements
When you sell a gas engine vehicle that is four or fewer model years old, a smog certificate will not be required in order to transfer the title. The buyer will pay a smog transfer fee of $8. If the vehicle sold is more than four model years old, the seller must provide evidence of a current smog certification except in any of the following situations:


The vehicle transfer occurs between a spouse, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, or grandchild.
The vehicle was registered and biennial smog certification was submitted to the DMV within 90 days before the date the title transfer took place. A vehicle inspection report may be required for proof of certification.
 
" If the vehicle sold is more than four model years old, the seller must provide evidence of a current smog certification"

Aha! Responsibility lies with the seller.

Tom

 
Not sold in the state of Ca. so the seller is off the hook
 
Seller is off the hook in California. But California buyer might not want to buy the car if seller can't get it smog approved.

If seller wants to sell it to this buyer, seller needs to fix the problem. Good luck to buyer if he takes it to California for registration, and they won't register it due to not meeting emissions requirements.

Difficult to advise buyer how to "fix" the problem if we don't know all the car's details - and the buyer doesn't have ownership.

Edit: if it was modified at the Wedge shop, how 'bout asking the Wedge shop how to get it past the emissions test.

Tom
 
jlbanky said:
i am not a lover of all the rules and regulations this state imposes on its citizens...
Click to expand...
Easy solution : Leave !

Even if you manage to get a smog inspection originally, you'll still have to pass the test again every 2 years. There are sometimes shops that will turn a blind eye to illegal modifications, but they tend to get shut down frequently. And on such an old car, you'll probably get flagged "test only", making it even harder to find a shop that will collude with you to break the law.

Best solution IMO would be to make it "49 state" legal. You can bring it in and pass CA smog without necessarily having the CA-spec EFI (IIRC, the 49 state model still had carbs, even in 1980). You'll need to reconnect (or reinstall) the vapor control system (carbon canister etc), PCV, EGR and cat converter systems. They don't care that it is a 4.6 instead of a 3.5; and a good "performance" tuneup should still pass the tailpipe sniffer test (if the cat & EGR are working).

BTW, it is not just CA law that forbids such modifications. It's also a violation of federal law to "tamper" with an emissions-controlled vehicle. They just rely on the states to enforce it, and most states don't.
 
FWIW, I've got a 49 state twin carb TR8 setup gathering dust in my cabinet. There are still a few legal as well as shady ways to get this done. If the car still has all of the original smog equipment still on it, you can always see if it will pass as is. If it just barely fails, you can try stuff like pumping the tires to 60lbs, adding some methanol to the fuel, playing with timing, disable a fuel injector or two, etc. If it's got headers and a holley, that won't fly. Note that if you tell them it's had a motor swap, the car will have to pass emissions for the year the engine was built, not the year of the car. A 1990 engine in a 1980 TR8 means it needs to pass the emissions as if it was a 1990 car. There are a few smile and wink places around but expect your certificate to cost lots. The last time I asked, they started at $500 and went up the more exotic the car. There are a few counties in California that do not require a smog certificate but predictably no one lives there. You'd need to find someone who lives there. The other route is out of state registration but if you get caught with that, they could compel you to register it here and you are back to square one. An option that I think many overlook is to convert it to propane. You'd lose your trunk to the small bomb you'll need to put in there but you get around the smog laws plus I was just noticing yesterday that propane is 2.39/gal in bulk. Your options are few and very limited with a non smog legal beast here in CA.
 
I would run away from this car......The Air Resources Board has taken on many shops which "pass" cars which have been modified. At this time, even if you could get the car smogged by "hook or crook", how are you going to sell it?
This is a case where one should think about the exit stategy prior to purchase. Even if it "passes" some smog test in another state, how do you know that it will pass the CA. smog test?
You could buy the car on the condition that it passes the CA smog test, and put the money in an escrow acount....?
Scott in CA
 
cheseroo said:
An option that I think many overlook is to convert it to propane. You'd lose your trunk to the small bomb you'll need to put in there but you get around the smog laws plus I was just noticing yesterday that propane is 2.39/gal in bulk.
Click to expand...
That's actually a good thought, but the conversion is not going to be cheap. In addition to the tank, you'll need propane carbs and so on.

Also when comparing fuel prices, be sure you're including road taxes. It's illegal to burn heating propane in a road car (tho no doubt some do). Looks like Flying J is getting about $3/gallon in CA for taxed propane at the moment.
https://www.pilotflyingj.com/fuel-prices?start=25
 
The toughest part is that the original smog parts need to be installed or they'll fail you on visual inspection. Since most people remove the AIR pump, because it's a terrible piece of garbage, it will be tough to find a suitable car. I removed the AIR pump on my TR7, because it was causing a backfire. My TR8 didn't have one when I bought it.

The key is to buy a California car that has already beat the test...or license it in some other state. If you have family in a state that has lifetime collector plates (like WA), you can license it once there, then bring it down. Granted, this is technically illegal in California...but so is driving 1mph over the speed limit. You'd also have to work around a car licensed in another state, but insured in CA.
 
Interesting discussion but, since the OP has no other Forum posts beyond his initial query on 7/26, he may have moved on.

Sort of like when I'm under the car talking to my wife, then crawl out to find she left the garage some time ago.
 
sammyb said:
The key is to buy a California car that has already beat the test...or license it in some other state.
Click to expand...
FWIW, there is nothing keeping you from bringing a "49 state" car into CA, as long as it still has its original smog equipment in working order and is more than 7 or so (I forget the exact cutoff) years old. And now that they have the dyno tests, they put a lot less emphasis on the visual inspection. A friend of mine regularly gets his 77 Buick passed, with an aftermarket 4 bbl carb & tubular exhaust manifolds. Of course he does still have (free flow) cats & all the other junk hooked up.

If you do register the car in another state, you'll want insurance from that state as well. Technically you're supposed to register the car here within 2 weeks of bringing it into the state, so you sure don't want to show a card stating that you bought insurance for it here some months ago. CA insurance companies also report your VIN & license number to the state when you buy car insurance. (which is nice because you no longer have to show proof of insurance to register every year, it happens automagically)
 
TR3driver said:
CA insurance companies also report your VIN & license number to the state when you buy car insurance. (which is nice because you no longer have to show proof of insurance to register every year, it happens automagically)
Click to expand...

For my regular cars that works fine but for some reason I have to mail in a copy of my Hagerty card for both the 250 and the Imp.
 
cheseroo said:
For my regular cars that works fine but for some reason I have to mail in a copy of my Hagerty card for both the 250 and the Imp.
Click to expand...
I used to have that problem with my TR3A; turned out the DMV had a different VIN in their records than my insurance company did. No idea how that happened, but it was a lot different not just 1 or 2 digits. After I took the car to the DMV and had them update their records, the problem went away.

I see you figured out how to change your signature :smile:
 
Move out of California!
 
If the car you are thinking about buying is the blue one, forget about ever getting that engine to pass smog a test. It is a very nice car, but the engine has bumped up compression, a performance cam, no cats, and a four barrel. It is fast, but it makes lots of dirty air, as will any modified Rover V8. You may be able to get a stock 4.6 pulled from a Range Rover to pass, but the stock TR8 FI system will probably not work on the bigger engine. Somehow you would have to get the FI and related components from the RR to go along with and work in the TR8. Then you would need to pass the visual test. I'm afraid you are limited to bone stock FI TR8s unless you just want a track car. Or register it out of state.
 
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