arbitris

Hello California!

My family is gearing up for a move back to my wife's hometown, Orange County, CA. Man I can't wait until I can feel my toes year round! (it's cold right now)

I am familiar with the emissions and engine swap laws where I live in Colorado, although where I live has stopped using them all together. I have been trying to find information on trying to pass emissions in CA and can't seem to find actual rules, only stories of previous people jumping through hoop after hoop.

Anywho, I have a 1986 Jeep Cherokee that originally came with the GM 2.8 V6, Now it has a 350 crate engine in it with edelbrock carb and th350 transmission. This wasn't pulled out of another vehicle, this was a crate engine, so it doesn't have a specific vehicle year tied to it, and I'm guessing that could give me trouble.

Can anybody point me in the right direction?

Am I facing a big enough nightmare that I should just sell my Jeep before I move? Even if it is, it's not the end of the world, I love starting new projects, I just rather like this one and wouldn't mind holding on to it if it isn't going to be too much of a nightmare.

Thanks for any help.

arbitris

If anybody stumbles across this in the future via search, I have spent a couple hours on the phone with plenty of runaround, and quite a few phone calls to find out: there are several different points of contact that like to refer you back and forth between them.

You need to contact "Bar", specifically a referee to get a sticker for your window if you have an engine swap, and with this you can go anywhere to have it tested. You have to qualify to get the sticker, and none of the techs (even at what I believe to be the government office) will say anything about qualifying for a sticker, such as what emissions equipment I would need to have.

Having a catalog engine instead of pulling it out of another car also seems to be a penalty so far.

Right now I have time and resources to add emissions equipment I may need, however after I move I don't know that I would, and without having the information ahead of time, I'm thinking it will be easier to sell the vehicle and start with a year 2000+ vehicle when I get there.

arbitris

I got a hold of the right person. A lot of it is very similar to Colorado engine swap laws.

Given it's a crate engine, I have to pick a vehicle it was a replacement for same years as the vehicle it's currently in or newer. Meaning it's in a 1986 cherokee, I have to list the donor as 1986+ passenger vehicle, truck, blazer, etc. And it has to have all emissions control items that were in the donor vehicle. and the carb, injection, even down to the electronic fuel pressure regulator has to be present and in use.

I was led to believe engine swaps had to be brand exclusive, and I asked if it was okay to have the GM brand engine, and he said yes.
(although the original engine from this jeep was a 2.8L GM V6)

jeeper kyle

I agree on selling and starting over when ya get here.

jeepin4fun

I say you keep it. CARB stuff isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Your on the right track. Just get all the paperwork lined up and that thing will be a blast out in the desert!

Good luck and welcome

PocketsEmpty

I'd say don't move to that disgusting liberal-infested state.

chilly

carb is just as bad or worse than everyone says they are. Most people don't have problems with them, but most people don't have heavily modified drivetrains or engine swaps. The only real option for something like that is usually to find a smog inspector that is not a complete tool and wont fail you on the visual. if you pass codes and the sniffer, the visual is COMPLETELY up to the inspectors, be it the dmv smog station etc. sadly even with all the proper paperwork in ca a smog inspector can fail you or a cop can site you when things don't look factory. ive seen people failed for aftermarket equipment, some even with a carb sticker.... ask me how I know...


if you bring it here and cant get it registered and smogged then most people will avoid it if you try to sell it.


luckily its an 86 so you don't have an obd2 to worry about...


I would say sell it and start fresh in ca.