California dreaming

[Vbjunker]

Guys,

Need some help here. I am relocating to Los Angeles later this month. A friend of mine in Arizona found a '81 square body with a straight six (250 I guess). He says condition is great, runs well and his pics look good.

Has anyone on this site brought a similar vintage vehicle into Cali? What hurdles do I face with DMV and smog? Ready to pull the trigger on this, just don't want to end up with a paperweight.

[mattcrp1]

You will definitely need to smog it, have it verified, and possibly have a weight certificate if it is an out of state vehicle. Check with the DMV web site. There are title services that can handle this for you as well.

[Malo83]

This might help
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/dmv...13&submit.y=10

[Vbjunker]

Thanks guys. Looks manageable but 100 times more challenging than Virginia.
Now what are the odds of a 34 year old straight six passing smog?

[greg64]

My straight six will pass emissions (in BC) because the carb is tuned correctly and I have a working catalytic converter. Without the CC, it's tough to pass. But our testing is only concerned with the results, not how you get them. So I have no EGR, for example, but my truck originally would have.

California seems really draconian to me...

[RastaRobb]

This probably won't be very helpful, but is meant to be:

Best way to not worry about the Chev in California is to not go to California.

[Vbjunker]

Ha, that's what I hear...
Got an elderly Dad out there with no safety net and a dream job with literally a ten minute commute, so LA it is. Still miss my '87 Stepper and this looked so promising. My friend and his shop mechanic were impressed with the condition.
I'll sleep on it I suppose.

[RastaRobb]

Well, guys that drive ol' Chevy's are usually pretty good at figuring things out. Best of luck!

[lindstromjd]

Originally Posted by RastaRobb

This probably won't be very helpful, but is meant to be:

Best way to not worry about the Chev in California is to not go to California.

I've heard that some guys skirt the rules and have everything based out of Nevada instead of 'Cali. But that's kind of frowned upon and slightly illegal since you'll be a 'Cali resident.

[Vbjunker]

Now the '80s vehicles are tested to a different standard than your average Prius, right?

[Titomars]

Yes you can register a vehicle outside the state bypassing the laws. But Calif. also has laws pertaining to that and you can get into a pickle that way too.

In California vehicles are tested to the year model emission specs. So a 73 is tested to 73 standards and an 88 is tested to 88 standards. The 73 will pass with higher emissions levels than an 88 simple because the 73 had higher standards. No 70's vehicle could hope to pass a Prius emission standard.

An out of state vehicle is required to pass federal standards for the model year of production.
Any missing emissions equipment is considered an instant failure and subject to the gross polluter tag and required to be re-certified by a state referee. So if you bring an out of state vehicle in you had better be sure all of the originally installed equipment is on the vehicle and functioning before you attempt to register it here.

To register a truck here you will need a valid title and the last registration slip (preferred is a current one) a smog a weight certificate and a verification of VIN.

[Eyegore]

Put a water tank in the bed and fill then tell them your coming to help with the water crisis and see if they give a break!

[1979-square-body]

Originally Posted by Eyegore

Put a water tank in the bed and fill then tell them your coming to help with the water crisis and see if they give a break!

Lmfao!!

[Malo83]

Originally Posted by Eyegore

Put a water tank in the bed and fill then tell them your coming to help with the water crisis and see if they give a break!

Tooo Cold!
Familys on the east side of town could use it, wells are drying up.

[Vbjunker]

I'll do my part and not wash my vehicle for a few years.

[77 C-20 Scottsdale]

If the truck has all the factory installed emissions parts, and they are functional, it will pass the emissions test in California. Registering in Nevada is worse, because they have to be checked every year, where as California only tests every two years. Arizona smog tests cars and trucks back to, I believe 1969 or thereabouts, so if that truck is currently registered, it should be fine.

[Vbjunker]

Thanks Scottsdale. Good to hear from the AZ side of things. In my perfect world I'd prefer to keep the six under the hood for a couple of years without having to rush a 350 transplant. Tempting.

[Titomars]

Originally Posted by 77 C-20 Scottsdale

If the truck has all the factory installed emissions parts, and they are functional, it will pass the emissions test in California. Registering in Nevada is worse, because they have to be checked every year, where as California only tests every two years. Arizona smog tests cars and trucks back to, I believe 1969 or thereabouts, so if that truck is currently registered, it should be fine.

First off I can't speak for AZ. A blanket statement like that first sentence is not true. California is pretty anal about smog here if the truck is in a great state of tune and no internal issues in the engine it will pass. If it burns oil, has a burnt/dead valve or the carb is having issues it will fail. Even the timing can't be off more than 2 degrees from stock. Nevada does test annually but it is not nearly as stringent as California. Also I have seen California fail Nevada vehicles coming in all the time.

Engine swaps are a hairball here. They require a referee inspection to be approved. In the most simple terms the smog equipment required goes to the newest part of the swap. So for you an 81 the inline 6 comes out and say you have a 75 350 to go in. You will need all 81 350 smog components. likewise if you did an LS swap all components would be required of that LS.

[MikeB]

Does the 250 six have the integral head/intake manifold and the PAIR system? (Pulse Air Injector Reactor-- the two large chambers on top of the valve cover). Some info here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=282381

My 82 C10 had the integral 250 when I bought it. Below are my notes from the service manual on the various emissions systems. My point is there are tons of items to t-shoot and spend money on if you don't pass an emissions test. And heck, the truck may not have even met California standards when it was brand new!

TVS: Thermal Vacuum Delay Switch (coolant)
Page 6E-13
Delay switch opens as coolant temp rises, permitting the ported vacuum signal to reach the EGR valve. (Is this used with EFE?)

There may also be an Oil Temp TVS. In fact this may be what the 250 six uses to control EFE. Page 6E-16
Also, the Thermac Air Cleaner TVS senses air temp.

EFE: Early Fuel Evaporation
Page 6E-2 and 6E-15-6E-16
Supplies a source of rapid heat to the induction system during cold “driveaway”. Should “turn off” after engine warm-up.

The Vacuum Servo type uses a valve and vacuum actuator which increases the exhaust gas flow under the intake manifold during cold engine operation. The valve is located in the exhaust and is vacuum operated. It is controlled by a Thermal Vacuum Switch (TVS), or an EFE solenoid controlled by the ECM. When vacuum is applied, the valve closes, causing the intake to heat up.

Watch the actuator arm when the engine is started. The valve should close when the engine is started cold; the actuator link will be pulled into the diaphragm housing.

Also see http://www.autozone.com/autozone/rep...00c15280055ca7

PAIR: Pulse Air Injector Reactor System
Page 6E-4, 6E-21 to 23
Controlled by Pulse Air Valve

Deceleration Valve
Page 6E-23

TRC: Throttle Return Control System
Page 6E-27

TVS: Trapped Vacuum Spark
Page 6E-28
A TVS (sensor) senses coolant temp. When engine temp is BELOW a specified value (???) manifold vacuum signal is routed through a check valve to distributor, and ports on TVS are blocked. This allows full vacuum to distributor during acceleration. Small bleed valve allows vacuum to escape when engine is shut off.

When coolant temp is ABOVE specified value, manifold vacuum is applied to distributor, but check valve is open, so vacuum to dist varies under load.


On another note, does California give any emissions systems breaks to older vehicles? Here in Texas, vehicles older than 25 years don't require emissions tests, because there are so few of them as to make virtually no contribution to emissions.

[Titomars]

Yes, 1975 and older.

[1979-square-body]

Originally Posted by 77 C-20 Scottsdale

Arizona smog tests cars and trucks back to, I believe 1969 or thereabouts, so if that truck is currently registered, it should be fine.

Actually this is not true. 1966 and newer require emissions unless you carry classic insurance and the vehicle is over 30 years of age. My 1979 has classic coverage and no emissions needed.

[mattcrp1]

Originally Posted by 1979-square-body

Actually this is not true. 1966 and newer require emissions unless you carry classic insurance and the vehicle is over 30 years of age. My 1979 has classic coverage and no emissions needed.

That is interesting, what are the limitations of the classic insurance?

[Laser145]

Additionally, in AZ you only have to pass emissions if you live in the Phoenix or Tucson metro areas... at least that was the law as of my last living there, 6 years ago.

Originally Posted by 1979-square-body

Actually this is not true. 1966 and newer require emissions unless you carry classic insurance and the vehicle is over 30 years of age. My 1979 has classic coverage and no emissions needed.

[Eyegore]

Originally Posted by mattcrp1

That is interesting, what are the limitations of the classic insurance?

There is also a miles per year limit, not sure of what is with classic plates

[1979-square-body]

My insurance doesnt state a mileage limitation. Just required to be parked in a garage. But that also is based on what you pay per year and what your coverage is.
And yeah emissions only required in Phoenix and Tucson. Though if you get caught with another town and actually live and drive in either of those cities, it's a huge fine.