CA registration

Anybody know how to get an un-certified car registered in California? I'm looking at a car that has not been certified in California, but am considering registering it in Oregon, then bringing it into CA as a used car. Anyone done that?

You bring it to CA, you have to pass CA smog! I don't think there's any way around it unless it's a 74 or older

By un-certified, do you mean just not registered or smogged? Or do you mean a gray-market car that's not entirely kosher with EPA and DOT regs?

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T (3.6) sunroof coupe

Well, Kurt and Jack, not exactly. I have been talking to Ruf and they tell me their cars were never "certified" in CA. Its not a grey market car and I am sure it will pass smog, but officially, the car is not "certified". It would cost Ruf $100K to do that, so they decided that for 25 cars a year, it was not worth it.

BTW, in CA its 73 and older that are smog exempt for now. The 74s are not exempt until they are 30 years old. Then its anything that is 30 or older.

CA DMV has a mileage requirement for used cars. Something like 7500 miles or such. As to uncertified....well it depends on the VIN#, if the car has a special VIN# that differentiates it from other models you will have a problem. If not, then you might be able to slide. Try taking it to AAA as opposed to DMV, they are a little more lenient.

As to smog testing. New CA laws exempt newer cars from testing until something like the 4th or 5th model year now....
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/smogweb/

Go here and see the facts section for particulars....

I thought it was 73 or older as well, until I ran into a guy who had just found out his 74 would not be needing smog. Maybe he was somehow wrong. In any case, it seems as though they're simply going to leave it at 74 forever. They had considered 30 years or something like that for all cars, but they're also going to institute a deadline year of 74--which sucks. My 75 914 can now live out the rest of its life without hope.

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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

[This message has been edited by Kurt B (edited 01-03-2001).]

Kurt, the law is still in effect. A couple of pieces of legislation were introduced to repeal the upcoming 30 rolling exemption, but all have been killed.

So as of now, your 84 cab will be exempt from smog inspection for the 2014 year and your 75 914, in 2005.....

Mike Z
Air Pollution Investigator
83 euro cab



[This message has been edited by mikez (edited 01-03-2001).]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

We've been sleeping with the enemy!
HA!

So, a pre-74 911 can have ANY engine in it and will be exempt? And a 20 year old car becomes exempt?

Thanks....I'm a County Investigator, not employed by the State (CARB) and a Porsche owner, hardly an enemy....I would consider myself an ally with insider information...8^)

As to newer motors in older cars....I can only quote CA regs, but other states have been adopting CA regs, so they may be pertinent.

The newer engines, "technically" must remain as manufactured to be smog legal. But as all of us have seen, the '23 Ford p/u trucks never came with a Chyrsler Hemi engine with a supercharger....

So...unless your vehicle is subjected to a State inspection, there should be no problem with a "modified" motor.

Now...here's the catch....some States are using a device called the "smog dog". They are placed on freeway on ramps and measure exhaust emmissions under load. They are looking for "gross emitters".

Now I ran my 914/6 3.0 with headers, no air pump and 964 cams past the test device at our office one year....it did not register as a gross emitter. So, unless your vehicle is way out of tune, that won't be a problem either...

Hope that helps....

Mike Z
'83 euro cab...slightly modified but smog legal...

As a Californian, smog laws played a big role in choosing my (1973) 911. Aside from the technical legality, though, I've always assumed that a 1993 stock engine (even if it were to occasionally run with a test pipe in place of the cat) is probably a lot kinder to the environment than the carbed 1970 2.2 liter engine that used to sit back there.

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T (3.6) sunroof coupe

Glad you're on our side Mike.
Jack - you are running a cat on your 3.6? Could you put carbs on the motor if you wanted to?
I'm asking these questions because I am considering relocating, and ,this is no lie, smog rules are a factor I will consider. California is the worst offender when it comes to giving up hotrodding rights. But if they exempt old cars, I can live with that. I have often wondered about all those cars featured in "Hotrod" type magazines. Most are outragious blown monstrosities, all from California. Are these just for show, or legal for street use?

in calif., as long as your chassis is a '73 or older, you don't need the bi-annual smog check, and you also don't need to have a smog check to transfer title. So, essentially you don't need to worry about it, and can run anything you want in your '73 or older chassis, as a practical matter.
(it is still technically illegal to remove emissions equipment from any car of any age, but without smog checks, there is little chance of getting caught).

To answer RarelyL8, you can not take off the FI and convert to carbs either. FI is considered part of the emissions package. UNLESS, the manufacturer bothered to CARB certify a model with carbs.

But that is doubtful as carbs were replaced with FI on cars due to the fact carbed engines could NOT pass Federal tail pipe requirements....