yurtle
03-15-2002, 11:29 AM
Just got off the phone with the ARB. Not that I would proceed based on verbal info, but it was interesting.
I'm looking for a motor to put in a 1980 toy truck project, and was thinking about going for the specially constructed vehicle designation to get pre 73 reg for it. Called ARB to ask them how they determined the year of the engine.
For swaps, keeping the 1980 Toy reg: The response was that since block numbers don't always tell the whole story, you need documentation from the source of the engine, or you may have to smog to the LAST YEAR THE ENGINE WAS IN PRODUCTION. Meaning that if you pull a 4.3 from an 85, you better have something to show what the donor was or they can require that you smog it to current standards for a 4.3 liter motor, or at least the last year it was used. They did say that referees would consider photos of the donor vehicle, photos of the emissions tag from the donor, etc.. Might want to take a disposable camera to Pick-n-Pull.
For specially constructed vehicles, you can buy a shortblock SBC and build it to represent , say, a 1972 emission standard. Take it in and the referee will determine yep, it has everything a 1972 engine should have and presto, you have a 1972 vehicle.
more info here (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcns.htm)
Gotta get some documentation on that. This info is worth every penny I paid for it until I get it in writing.
I'm looking for a motor to put in a 1980 toy truck project, and was thinking about going for the specially constructed vehicle designation to get pre 73 reg for it. Called ARB to ask them how they determined the year of the engine.
For swaps, keeping the 1980 Toy reg: The response was that since block numbers don't always tell the whole story, you need documentation from the source of the engine, or you may have to smog to the LAST YEAR THE ENGINE WAS IN PRODUCTION. Meaning that if you pull a 4.3 from an 85, you better have something to show what the donor was or they can require that you smog it to current standards for a 4.3 liter motor, or at least the last year it was used. They did say that referees would consider photos of the donor vehicle, photos of the emissions tag from the donor, etc.. Might want to take a disposable camera to Pick-n-Pull.
For specially constructed vehicles, you can buy a shortblock SBC and build it to represent , say, a 1972 emission standard. Take it in and the referee will determine yep, it has everything a 1972 engine should have and presto, you have a 1972 vehicle.
more info here (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcns.htm)
Gotta get some documentation on that. This info is worth every penny I paid for it until I get it in writing.