1978Z Skyline motor smog legal in California?

[happydad1971]

Help please- (Thanks in advance)

In California all car prior to 1975 do not need smog. Can a 1978 280 Z with a Skyline RB25 or RB26 engine swap pass?
Or do I need to select a 1975 or earlier..

Thanks for any thoughts/advice,

Grady

[evildky]

I don't know about Cali requirements but 1975 is when the federal emissions standards started requiring catalectic converters, which is the first year the s30 received a cat. It's my understanding that the rb's didn't come with cats or egr's (this is why they aren’t legal in the US), the cat is easy to add, the egr not so much. If it's a simple matter of passing tail pipe emissions an rb with a cat should have no problem passing at the standards for the 1978 L28E. I believe the federal law says you can only swap engines forward and not backwards, so a pre 78 engine would not be legal as it would have less emissions than a newer engine.

Also the defining line being 75 and newer has the higher emissions requirements, the 74 and older do not, not sure if you misunderstood or simply mistyped

[happydad1971]

Thanks this is very helpful (to be safe I would need to add a Cat and EGR). I am still a little spooked about Cali I have seen with other cars (a friend converted an MR2 to a Japanese motor and had to add the EGR).

I would just hate to get everything completed only to look at the car in the driveway as a result of a missunderstanding of the law. I agree that common sense has the new motor being cleaner than a 1978.

Thanks for your time and expertise,
Grady

from the California DMV;
"Exceptions include:

Vehicles made in 1975 or prior"

[Perrenial Badass]

I've been told that in Cali, if you swap a newer motor into your car you fall under the emissions guidelines for that motor year, not the chassis year. Look up your DOT's website or search for info.

[stprasinz]

my 77 280z 2+2 had no cat... federal not cali if that makes a difference, and I thought it was 76 that it was mandated, but anywya, my 280z (77,000, all original exhaust) didn't have one.

[evildky]

my 77 280z 2+2 had no cat... federal not cali if that makes a difference, and I thought it was 76 that it was mandated, but anywya, my 280z (77,000, all original exhaust) didn't have one.

federal required a car from 75, I suspect your's isn't origional, if it actually has all the factory heatshielding and no cat it might have been swapped fomr a 74

[stprasinz]

No the sheilding fits nice, and its got a glass pack type about 6-12" farther back from where a cat would be excpected to be. ok, well I guess you must be right.. Its just that exhaust looks so correct on it (all flanges, ect) thew sheild fits nice.. I guess I just with the look of it was that it was original...