engine and drivetrain moving to california--impossible to smog?

[Guest Anonymous]

moving to CA in march--my project plans have been foiled?

'75 automatic car--want to install new engine and 5-speed. is this impossible to register in california?? any input welcome. I have heard everything has to be "correct" for '75 but auto to MT would change emissions setup.

TIA

Will in Atlanta

[JonasG]

75 and earlier don't have to smog in CA. Lucky for you, huh? And oh yeah, I should know... I live in San Diego.

[Guest Anonymous]

Right--I knew that '75 and earlier are exempt from annual or bi-annual testing. . .

BUT when registering a '75 and earlier car in CA for the first time, it must be inspected to the extent that all emissions equipment must be present as the car was as new.

that is my understanding. a car that has never left CA would not be a problem--but an import would potentially be--I have always thought it would be easier to buy a car in CA than to import one. just checking if anyone has an experience they can relate--RobH?

[JonasG]

Well here's what happened to me. I happen to be a AAA member, so i just took my car there to have it registered. I bought it in AZ so it too was a car coming in from out of state. Also, its a 74 which came with the mandatory smog equiptment in the US, so once again we are in the same boat... When i took it there, the woman had to come out and make sure that all of the VINs were in tact and such, but never checked the emmisions equiptment. She wouldn't have even known where to start anyway. If you can i would suggest AAA. Its cheap (like 40 bucks a year) and well worth not having to wait in line at the DMV. Plus, you get 4 free tows a year! Anyway, good luck.

Cheers,

Jonas

[Guest]

I dont think your going to have a problem. I brought my 74 Trubo over from the netherlands and they deemed it smog exempt on my temporary registration. I still have to go through the inspection though. I have to get my VIN verified by the CHIPs first.

Where in cali are you moving to?

Jon

[Gordon]

You won't have a problem, you'll have to take it to DMV where they will want to inspect the car, i.e., make sure the VIN's match up to the title paperwork, when they see your car is a 75 or earlier on the title, they will know it will be smog exempt.

Click on the DMV webpage to learn more. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/

Welcome to CA, land of mainly rust free bmw's.

G-Man

[BarryA]

ways.

Far as I'm concerned it's worth the $40 a year just to bybass the always crowded DVM office when it comes to dealing with vehicle registrations and transfers (few things are quite as much fun as cooling your heels for a couple of hours in the DMV's human zoo waiting area). The free maps, free tows, discounts on motels, etc (not to mention good rates on both car and homeowners insurance) are icing on the cake.

Although the folks at the AAA DMV counter have to follow the same regs as the clerks at the state's DMV's counters, they're NOT state employees, and (at least in my experience) are more likely to treat the process like a business transaction than an opportunity to pick your paperwork apart....

[SteveJ]

Plus you get ALL THE FREE MAPS you could ever want.

Any trip we are going to take I get every state, county, and city street map for that area. You should see the collection I have!

Also get the AAA travel guide book and milk every place we go for the AAA discount. A lot of restaurants also give AAA discounts. Save a few bucks here and a few bucks there... it all adds up.

[Russ]

Well here's what happened to me. I happen to be a AAA member, so i just took my car there to have it registered. I bought it in AZ so it too was a car coming in from out of state. Also, its a 74 which came with the mandatory smog equiptment in the US, so once again we are in the same boat... When i took it there, the woman had to come out and make sure that all of the VINs were in tact and such, but never checked the emmisions equiptment.

Same experience registering a WA-plated '74 at the DMV up here in Davis.

[_z_]

My bro moved down to CA from here in Oregon and had a hell of a time with the DMV .. we spent hours in that effing place trying to get anything done. Recently he joined AAA and had all that stuff taken care of at their local office.

Its well worth the fee. He was able to register a 72 VW van with an 80something toyota engine without having insured it yet via AAA -- no inspections no BS -- that would have been a potential nightmare at the DMV.

He was just raving about how much he loves AAA now

well worth it I reckon

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for all the input--I was uncertain of whether I should keep the car. I still need to install the new engine and 5-speed. or might just stick with a 4-speed manual for the meantime.

Will

[InkaSteve]

(nt)

[colorobo2002]

w/ my '71 coming from GA. I showed the inspector VIN at the steering column and popped the hood showing where the other VINs were. The inspector wasn't interested in looking for emissions hookups. You'll be fine.

BTW, got the package from FedEx yesterday, thanks.

Rob