Differences between 81 & 87

[Roper]

I have a 81 with a GM LM1 crate motor in it. I also have a stock 87TBI. Both are 350s.
Im worried about the enviromental wacko movement up here in Canada.Worrried about possible smog testing in the future.
The 81 has absolutely no smog gear and no chance of passing any type of test if they come out with one. How hard would it be if necessary to take the fuel injection and smog gear off the 87 and put it on the 81? Example I guess the brains are in the cab on the 87. Would I have to swap the cylinder heads to get the headers to bolt on?
See the 81 is a 1 ton 4x4. The 87 is 2 wheel drive. Everything is new or rebuilt on the 81 except for the body. The 87 is low mileage(80,000) and in excellent condition in every possible way.
I want to finish the 81 but im scared of dumping another $8000 in it to do the body. My luck they would come out with smog testing or the price of gas will double again. I already have $20,000 in this truck.
Wondering what my options are with these two trucks?
Example put my 4x4 running gear under the 87. Then I would have a finished truck thats fuel injected and has all the polution junk on it.
Problem with that is i would be throwing away the new crate motor thats in my 81
Put the body of the 87 on my 81. Then I would have a nice truck that couldnt pass emisions testing if they come out with that in the future unless I transfered all the electronic, emmisions junk on to the 81. This would be way more work I think than just doing what I said before, example just put my 4x4 running gear on the 87.
Another option might be to just take the front clip,doors and box off of the 87 and put on the 81. Then take it somewhere to get painted.
Worry about the enviromental crap when and if it happens.
Oppinions?

[MylilBowTie]

The emission laws for a one ton should not be that bad. Is the crate engine stock? I would guess the only thing for emissions. On a one ton would probably be egr, pcv, maybe a catalytic convertor.

But I don't know anything about Canadian laws.

[Roper]

The truck isnt truly a one ton. It was a half ton that I put one ton running gear under. Currently its registered as a 1/2 ton.
Canadian smog laws 101
Currently we dont have any except in British Columbia. People there beat the air care by registering as antique/ uping the registered weight of the truck or by getting farm plates. Right now in BC they are doing away with the current Air Care and coming out with some kind of new Super Air Care that will be much worse.BC is kind of like a Canadian version of California in more ways than one.
In the rest of the country every night on TV all you hear about is global warming this, global warming that. Scares me because im wondering who the politicians are going to go after. Seems like more and more young people up here want to destroy the economy, have everybody living in public housing in urban ghettos,etc.
Anyway the 81 crate motor is stock except for an edelbrock off road carb and intake manifold. Motor has no smog pump or any kind of polution gear like vapor canisters on it what so ever. No cats, no nothing. Motor does not smoke but im thinking there is no way a fellow could gear it up at a reasonable cost to suit the Al gore types.
See it all depends on how or if the politicians try to go about this enviromental crap. A reasonable aproach would be to regulate new cars that are being manufactured and leave the old ones alone. Build better highways so you have less stop and go traffic. Since people pollute then stop letting more and more people immagrate here.
But you just dont know what stupid crap they will come up with. Example some towns have passed laws so you cant idle a vehicle for more than 3 minutes. Some towns you cant even smoke a cigerette outside anywhere within town limits. Some places if you heat your house with a wood stove you have to have a cataletic converter on your chimney.
You know im thinking that these communist dictator countries that we hear about, well the people living there probable have more freedom than we do.

[James McClure]

Roper: I'm from upstate NY and don't know much of the law where you are, but the way it works here is any vehicle has to pass inspection for the year the vehicle was built and doesen't have to pass an inspection with current standards. Expecting my 84 to pass 07 standards would be absurd. All it has to pass is the 84 standards. Canadian law just might take vehicle age into account just as they do here. I would check it out with your motor vehicle department. Jim

[Roper]

So say on your 84 gasser, if it had the emmisions junk taken off of it. Could you add an aftermarket fuel injection system to make it clean enough to pass in NY?
Anyway I think im just going to not worry about it until it happens. There is no telling what they might do up here. Fellow could drive himself crazy thinking about it.
Worse comes to worse a fellow could swap in a more modern motor when and if the time comes.
That 87 of mine is to good to junk anyways, even if it isnt 4 wheel drive.
I just want to get my 4x4 finished. Was watching the news on TV and they got me all panicky. Gosh you know if the looney left isnt going after a fellows guns or trying to force us to quite smokeing then they are going after our trucks.