Smog Swapper
 

Is it a big job to go from SSIs back to smog legal for the test every 2 years on a post '75 2.7 car? Hooking up the air pump and EGR stuff...

I'm close to finding my 911 and that is the only hangup.

Hey Scott,

I think 75's are now smog exempt in Cali. (the last year for that)


To answer your question, it is a several hour job, but not too bad.


-Chris

I think if you combine it with an oil change and valve adjustment, it isn't bad at all. It also gives you a chance to do oil return tubes with plenty access.

George

I'm considering a newer one now. Still a middle-year car which is what I wanted all along. The only issue with it being newer is the smog thing. A bummer but it's a reality I face here in California.

The '75 Targa had too many 'workarounds' for me especially considering the price. The other 'garaged and forgotten' '75 is still under piles of laundry and I haven't been able to connect with the owner. He's had it for 30 years and is in no big hurry.

Thanks for the encouragement on the smog swaparoo. I think in combo with the valve adjust it should be a workable deal. Good thinking George...

Scott, There's an ice blue SC Targa for sale in the "Trade Express" ( the freebie auto trader type magazine). I think it has 85k on the clock and I think the seller wants $9500 or something like that. I can't remember the year, maybe a 80 or 81.

Thanks for the lead, it sounds like a good one but I'm set on a middle-year car. The wide body laters cars aren't my cup of tea.

Scott

Is there a way to run SSIs with a custom exhaust/aftermarket cat or cats? I'd be up for the SSI upgrade if I didn't have to swap things back and forth every two years. Just looking at the rusty exhaust nuts on the stock heat exchangers gives me pause about trying to remove them without breaking a stud.

It would only fly if the visual inspection is sloppy. What you would have to do is replace the muffler with a cat, or better install a short muffler like a flowmaster or dynomax and have a short kat in front of it. The two would take up the room the banana muffler takes up in the stock configuration. Definitely worth thinking about, however, one decent visual check by a tech that's up to speed and you will fail even if you run clean.

George

Is there a way to run SSIs with a custom exhaust/aftermarket cat or cats?

Yes, if your making a custom set up you can use a small cat and a small muffler set up in place of a normal size muffler.

Then you would have all the parts that are required to pass, however, they would not be the stock parts so your also relying on the inability of the person inspecting the car to tell stock cats and mufflers from non stock cats and mufflers.

I don't know what this would sound like and don't know what it would do to performance but it would be easier to change that custom made item every 2 years then the entire exhaust system.

Hypothetically speaking of course.;)

Since you have to backdate the oil lines to run the SSI's, will the original cat\muffler assembly fit with the old style oil lines?.

Changing the lines as well as the exhaust system would be time consuming, plus I would assume you would have to dump the oil both times to go back to SSI's? I would be curious to know the answer to this one.

Since mine is a '77 I have no catalytic converter or oil line interference. It's just the exhaust stud issue I face. That and a couple of afternoons...