Does anyone know the exact laws and other DMV bullshit involved in doing an engine swap in California? All I know is anything before 1975 they don't care but after that you have to smog it. Do I need to go through more government bullshit though if I swap engines from different cars?
Does anyone know the exact laws and other DMV bullshit involved in doing an engine swap in California...
Jackson Hill
Caleb Foster
As far as I’m aware, it’s fine as long as It’s the same manufacturer and it passes smog as needed.
Elijah Murphy
So I can't swap a Chevy LS1 into a Ford?
Leo Torres
Naw you can swap across makes but no truck engines into cars.
Other provisos are the engine must be of the same model year as the chassis, or newer and ALL of the emissions equipment that the engine had must also be installed. That includes evaporative emissions equipment. The vehicle must go to a referee station for final inspection and an approval number. Expect to have to do the inspection multiple times before succeeding.
Generally not worth it.
Elijah King
From my understanding there's 2 criteria;
1) Must be a newer year engine
2) It must include ALL of the smog equipment from the new engine year.
I could totally be talking out my ass though.
Michael Richardson
You just don’t report it. If your car is presmog and you swap a new engine into it who is going to know?
Ayden Wright
>must be of the same model year as the chassis
well fuck
Adrian Baker
I could have sworn that part of the engine swap smog bullshit is that the engine you're swapping into a given car needs to be an engine which was an option for that car, and the engine has to be from the same model year or newer.
Mason Sanchez
The California DMV doesn't fuck around, they fucked over Volkswagen and arrested people there over some smog bullshit, a lowly pleb would be fucked in prison
Tyler Long
That's pretty much it.
Noah Russell
OK, the real deal is, newer engine, same vehicle class (car/truck/heavy truck), all smog equipment from said engine is legal to swap into any vehicle. It then has to go to a referee station to be inspected, then smog checked, then reinspected/certified. However, if you're in the particular situation of trying to swap a LS motor into a pre '96 car, GM has you covered with the LS3 and LSA E-Rod crate engine packages. They come with dual cats and a special ECU, and most importantly, an Executive Order number that will greatly streamline getting you through the swap procedure.
William Phillips
IIRC:
-has to have stock electronics and smog, so no aftermarket EFI goodies and computer tunes.
-has to have that year or newer engine, meaning can't put an old engine in a newer car due to smog regs (otherwise people would be swapping pre-smog powerplants in smog era cars).
-any swaps have to be inspected and approved
Those are off the top.
Jordan Jackson
>prison
That's a little much.
Eli Barnes
no the engine must be of the same year or newer
Josiah Watson
I called a california smog ref and they said they do not like foreign imported engines, and it might not pass, suggesting to use a purely USDM engine to ensure it complies with emissions standards.
Grayson Young
They really don't, a Volkswagen executive got sentenced to 7 years of prison rape last month
Leo Moore
Buy old beater car with diesel engine
>Ls swap it and hoon forever
500$and an afternoon my guy
Carter Howard
all It has to do is pass smog. Other than that, they don’t give a shit
Andrew Gutierrez
Wrong.
The engine has to be newer than the car and from the same class , and you have to have the entire set of emissions equipment which would have been attached to the new engine, then get it stickered by BAR.
Nathan Ramirez
here
Read this OP:
bar.ca.gov
t. did a BAR legal engine swap in CA
Lucas Adams
To pass smog you have to prove that you've retained all the OEM smog controls or at least replaced with approved aftermarket replacements.
And you need an inspection sticker that declares your configuration so they don't just blanket fail you for not having the stock emissions setup approved for your specific car.
There's a reason why GMPP sells so many E-Rod crate kits, they make the regulatory hassle essentially nothing.
Jaxson Cruz
I live in California. We dont have any form of inspection for cars that are presmog. As long as nobody knows what’s under the hood they will never get you. A few of my friends have done this without anybody being the wiser. LS swap into an old el Camino with a corvette trans and exhaust. He doesnt smog it and never will have to because he simply didnt tell anybody about it. Never hve I seen a cop pull somebody over for speeding to check under the hood and find an engine swap