Moving to CA- to smog or not to smog

[racer_X]

I am relocating to California at the beginning of the year with a 1977 911 from Boston.
The car has a stock 80's 3.2 (w/computer) with a set of SSis.... I can purchase an original cat exhaust for $2500. Does it make sense to put the exhaust on and try to get it smogged? Realistically, how hard is it to get through smog?

Or is it feasible to keep my MA old license, registration, mailing address and claim residency in another state?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

[Ryan H]

Originally Posted by racer_X

I am relocating to California at the beginning of the year with a 1977 911 from Boston.
The car has a stock 80's 3.2 (w/computer) with a set of SSis.... I can purchase an original cat exhaust for $2500. Does it make sense to put the exhaust on and try to get it smogged? Realistically, how hard is it to get through smog?

Or is it feasible to keep my MA old license, registration, mailing address and claim residency in another state?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

I'd claim residency elsewhere.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

1975 and earlier are the only cars today that are smog test exempt.

@ Cal State Fullerton/ automotive dept. there is a DMV referee that might provide insight.

[1979-930]

Getting it approved would be difficult. Do you have all of the 3.2 emissions equipment including Cat. converters? They you could put it on and go through the approval process.

If you register out of state and get caught the fines are in the thousands.
I don't know anyone that has been busted. It's always the friend of a friend story.

[Trackrash]

You didn't say where you will be living in CA. Believe it or not, not all cars in California are required to be smog checked. Only SF bay area, LA and SD areas require smog checks.

If you live in a rural area they are not required.

That said if you plan on driving your car, you will have to get it registered in CA. They are on the look out for out of state plates that are here in CA for any length of time. The only exception is military personnel.

Sounds like you should invest in that exhaust system.

[speedster911]

Originally Posted by 1979-930

Getting it approved would be difficult. Do you have all of the 3.2 emissions equipment including Cat. converters? They you could put it on and go through the approval process.

If you register out of state and get caught the fines are in the thousands.
I don't know anyone that has been busted. It's always the friend of a friend story.

OK _ I'll step up as BUSTED!!!

The wonderful republic of CA charged me several thousand dollars to back register a car and also nailed me with sales tax on top of that. If your car is an occasional driver you may get away with it. I was a dummy and tried doing it with a daily driver. CHP said they often saw my car on the same roads... I had zero wiggle room.

Regarding smog- certain areas of CA are more lenient than others with the sniff test. As others have stated 75 and older ,no problem, Lots of guys add smog crap to pass physical inspection and smog then remove and repeat process every two years.

[racer_X]

Thank you for the replies!! It has been a while since I have been on the forum

Originally Posted by 1979-930

Getting it approved would be difficult. Do you have all of the 3.2 emissions equipment including Cat. converters? They you could put it on and go through the approval process.

If you register out of state and get caught the fines are in the thousands.
I don't know anyone that has been busted. It's always the friend of a friend story.

I can purchase a low mile exhaust system here, with the CAT., I'll need to add the O2 sensor. Is there anything else?

Originally Posted by Trackrash

You didn't say where you will be living in CA. Believe it or not, not all cars in California are required to be smog checked. Only SF bay area, LA and SD areas require smog checks.

If you live in a rural area they are not required.

That said if you plan on driving your car, you will have to get it registered in CA. They are on the look out for out of state plates that are here in CA for any length of time. The only exception is military personnel.

Sounds like you should invest in that exhaust system.

My job is in Carlsbad, not sure where I will live exactly. Any suggestions?

[Cory M]

Originally Posted by racer_X

Thank you for the replies!! It has been a while since I have been on the forum

I can purchase a low mile exhaust system here, with the CAT., I'll need to add the O2 sensor. Is there anything else?

My job is in Carlsbad, not sure where I will live exactly. Any suggestions?

You will need whatever smog equipment was required new on the 3.2. They do an underhood inspection to verify it's all there, so even if your car blows clean it could fail inspection (stupid I know). You might talk to the shop about doing a test only run, so if your car doesn't pass it isn't flagged in the system.

Carlsbad is nice, you should try to find a place nearby. Of course the closer you are to the water the more expensive it will be. Welcome to SD.

[Koizumi]

I’d get an aftermarket cat instead of OEM.

I have one and it passes with flying colors.

I reinstall every 2 years to pass the visual inspection. My car runs sans Cat and passes emissions no problem but it fails visual (again, stupid laws).

$ave and purchase aftermarket...

[nb6179505]

Right I'm pretty sure it's based on where you live, parts of Carlsbad towards the east if your residence is there, no biennial smog

From a few posts back, yes high traffic areas in SD,SF, la and don't forget Sacramento, thought I'd make it known since that's where I live

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Cajundaddy]

Welcome to CA! Black Forest in SD may be of some help getting you through smog and reg. as they specialize in vintage cars.

Traffic in SD county can be crushing during drive time so my recommendation is to live within 10 mi of work. 5 mi. is even better. Somewhat reasonable RE can be found in San Marcos, Oceanside, and Vista. We have a condo near the water in Oceanside that is a rental during peak season. It is a nice area with some of the best weather on earth. Enjoy!

[McLovin]

If it had a 78 or 79 SC engine in it, you might be able to just show up to a smog station and get it smogged, since it would have the same smog stuff the '77 had.

But because it's a completely different system (no smog pump, EGR, etc.) you won't be able to do that. You'll have to try and get it inspected and passed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair as an approved engine swap.

Like most things with Govt agencies, that's an unpredictable process. You'll have to have EVERYTHING on the engine and smog system that the 3.2 had on it. That includes the fuel evap system as configured for whatever year your 3.2 is.

You could breeze through or be given hell, impossible to predict.

In your favor, the 3.2 smog system isn't overly complicated, so getting through the equipment/visual part is on the easier side, and the 3.2 is pretty clean running, so the tailpipe test isn't usually a problem.

[McLovin]

The upside is if you can get it past BAR and get the coveted BAR sticker, your car will increase in value since it will be sellable in California, which opens up a huge pool of potential future buyers.

[McLovin]

Also I would not try keeping is registered in Mass after you move here.
That's against the law in California (you have something like 10 or 30 days to register it here after you move here) and Cal law enforcement is very savvy to that game.
If you ever get pulled over for anything, you'd be screwed.

[1979-930]

Personally this is what I would do. The guy at the smog shop will more than likely not have a clue as to what he is looking at. He won't know it's a 3.2.
I have a 4.6 with a big bore kit to 5.1, trick flow heads and cams in a 96 Mustang that passes with the CATs reinstalled every 2 years. You can fool these guys.

I would install the emissions system from a 77. If its a non-smog pump system you will have an easy time. Get a replica "Non-Catalyst" 79 state sticker from CarBone for the door jamb.
Basically install a dummy system that matches 1977 49 State requirements and run a pre-test to see if it will pass.
If it's out of speck then look at adding the CAT to clean it up.

Non Catalyst decal, 911 (1976) – Car-Bone.pl