i'm pretty sure that if you do not have an emission diagram under the hood, they would have no way of knowing/verifying what is supposed to be there anyway. This only applies on older cars (like ours) of course.
_________________
MJ
75 2002
76 2002
71 F250 camper special

So I'm wondering, since a lot of these smog techs are younger than our cars, what would they be basing a visual inspection on? Does Weber = no pass? Is there a picture book on what a visual is supposed to look like?
_________________
Bob
BMWCCA #4844

1974 2002 Sahara, MM 2400 Rally engine, MM 5 speed and conversion
1976 2002A Anthracite parts car
1991 525i Alpine
2002 330ci Alpine
2007 530xiT Titanium Silver

the computer comes back with all the equipment to look for. EGR, charcoal canister, thermostatically controlled air cleaner, vacuum advance distributor, ignition timing settings, air pump etc.
I know people who have gutted their air pump and plugged the hoses. The purpose is to reduce the drag on the pump. You could just remove the belt. Charcoal canisters do not cause any performance loss and should be kept. EGR systems can be plugged too but some techs will actually inspect the EGR valve for proper operation by applying vacuum and checking for diaphram movement.
Basically, 76s are a pain in California.
But you could apply for historic plates. I think (but am not sure) they are smog exempt.
_________________
Pierre
69 2002 (track/canyon carver)
74 2002 tii (toy)
74 2002 (for sale)
74 2002 (project)
76 530i (continuous running project)
79 323i (toy)
97 M3 4-door (wife)
89 325i (DD)
91 318is (DD)
O==00==O
And Chris Culpen still owes me $950.

Here in Arizona Historic Vehicles are exempt...you must carry collector car insurance however to qualify.

Collector car insurance in cali is hard to get if you plan to drive the car much. The max is something like 3000 miles a year or something, you also need to get the car looked at or appraised or something, and have it pass some sort of rudimentary verification that it is in "Historic condition.