I have a been thinking of ways to do a engine swap without getting screwed with emissions, here is my idea… I originally have a YJ, but, after doing some thinking, I was considering buying some old, dirt cheap CJ, taking off the front clip, transferring it to the YJ and then pulling off all of the VIN numbers off the CJ and transferring them to the YJ. There for, I now have a CJ, with YJ parts, that has to meet the old emission regulations if any at all. I have a feeling this might be kind of illegal, but the though of being able to run what ever engine I want has me watering at the mouth. I know I should have bought a CJ, but I wasn’t thinking of it at the time, and I already have my YJ set up other then the engine. Anyone have any ideas on this one?

what part about emissions are you worried about? i just did a 350 swap on an 87 in PA. passed emissions no problem. things i needed to keep in mind:

must have all emissions equipment originally on that vehicle...
cats, egr valve, charcoal canister, vacuum stuff, etc.
engine block must be equal to, or newer than original engine

i passed emissions no problem. still running dual exhaust with cats. holley avenger offroad carb. etc.

sorry i dont have any input on your idea, although i kinda like it
:D damn laws.

See, that’s the thing, you still have to have all of that stuff on there, and as much as I will try to keep emissions things on the engine, some times it’s just not feasible. And with that, I have a 94YJ meaning I need to get a 94 or newer engine, that’s a good idea and all, but if I ever wanted to put in a carbed 350 or something of that nature, I am screwed. If I were to get the VIN numbers from a older (real old) CJ I wouldn’t have to meet emissions, it’s a interesting thought, but I wanted to see if anyone had tried it or not.

Goatfish check your PM's i'll help you with this one:flipoff2:

Originally posted by usmcdoc14
Goatfish check your PM's i'll help you with this one:flipoff2:
I tried to PM you back, but it says your box is full…

and aren't you an officer???:D:D:D I like your way of thinking, BTW this has been done quite a few times...most people just buy a title and go from there...

Originally posted by Supergper
and aren't you an officer???:D:D:D I like your way of thinking, BTW this has been done quite a few times...most people just buy a title and go from there...

whos a officer? well, I need a title and some vin numbers...

hold on i'll try again, wtf? i got like 4 messages in there

ok try again

87JeepWrangler

I know a guy here in PA that put a older 305 in a 88YJ. H e said that all he did was change the title. I am putting a 383 in my 92 YJ and am I guess I am going to change the title. I don't know if the other guy kept all the emissions crap on.

Where there is a will there is a way!!!

Drive less than 5000 miles a year and overlook the emission crap.

off the top of my head like stated above the title will have to be changed and that will have to be reflected on your registration sticker. the sticker is what is scanned when the mech pulls into the inspection bay. another thing : there is a sticker under the hood that usually gets scanned. i would assume youd have to do something about that as well. another thing to consider is what year cj? when i did inspections (years ago) i seem to remember it going by that. my point is if you change it to an low 80's cj you will be gaining nothing as far as whats required or not. but dont quote me on that its been awhile since ive done an inspection. hth

Sticker, what sticker? (Scrape sticker off) and the older the vehicle the older engine I can swap into it, (IE on from a 90 Chevy rather then a 94 or newer like I would now) also, once a vehicle is 25 years old it can be registered as a historical vehicle, meaning tires width, mud flaps, bumper height, bla bla bla, no longer apply to it. Get the point? Who says I didn’t build the vehicle from hand over the winter using miss matched part?

Originally posted by rls270

Drive less than 5000 miles a year and overlook the emission crap.

yes, less than 5000 miles you dont need to pass the emissions test... but you still need to pass the visual inspection, which means having cats, egr, charcoal canister, street legal carb, etc.

You could buy a P.O. box in an area that dosen't require emissions testing and register your Jeep to the P.O. box. Thats what I did!

Title swaps are some waht common, especially here in Kalifornia. I am waiting for my new title as we speak (type:rolleyes: ). I plan to install a flat dash to help the issue, and just tell anybody interested, that I put a late model front clip on it.

For the record, here in Kalifornia, it is a felony.

Everything in California is a Felony.

just out of curisosity, why would you WANT to swap an engine in made before 1994?

Originally posted by Sundowner

just out of curisosity, why would you WANT to swap an engine in made before 1994?

Cheaper, easier to find at PnPs. Also gives you a bigger variety of engines to chose from. No headaches about having to set it up just right to get some government asshole to pass it.

I don't know if this will help, but here in Texas we are able to register them as a "home built" This lets you use pretty much anything you want and not worry about emissions. There is a little more to it but you might look into that in your state. Hope this helps.

Without knowing the inspection rules in new york, it is hard to say what your best option is.

here in NC, i still had to have all of the stock emissions systems hooked up on my 83 cj-7. Actually they don't have to be hooked up but just LOOK like they are. A wire going from the O2 sensor that disappears into the wire loom and isnt connected to anything satisfies the requirement for having an O2 sensor.

It isnt hard to get a carb'd engine that is tuned properly to pass a tailpipe emissions reading.

And how would the ordinary mechanic know that you swapped to an earlier year engine anyway? Maybe you just need to become friends with an inspector.

sooner or later I will have to get off my ass and check the laws, but if anyone here from NY knows them feel free to fill me in… thanks for all the input so far.

you could sign the title over to me and you can just keep the thing :flipoff2: ...that way, no worries about emissions or nothin, just dont get pulled over...

Originally posted by Robert


For the record, here in Kalifornia, it is a felony.

FYI felony's are a federal offense.
It does not matter what state you are in. It is illegal..

I do realize its not 100% legal, but if I did it I would change a few things on the jeep to make in look like a CJ, probably the front clip and the dash, so I would be sort of “building” a new jeep as far as the law is concerned. I am still not sure if I will even do it, but I am looking at it as an option.

NY DMV: Emissions Inspections for Gas-powered vehicles (http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/vehsafe.htm#einspect)

It looks like the test is a lot easier if you aren't in the NYC metropolitan area.

The Upstate Area test includes a visual inspection of the air pollution control devices and a gas cap check. The test is done annually at the same time as the safety inspection. The emissions inspection test fee is $4, plus $10 for the safety inspection.

If it is ONLY a visual and gas cap check...what are you complaining about? Make it visually look like its all there!

you have to plan for the future, sooner or later it will all be like California’s emission checks, real strict…