Bill etal...
My '80 MGB-LE has not turned a wheel in nearly two years simply because I
cannot get it passed the "It's not visually Stock" attitude. I wanted to
use the "CA Legal" weber set up with an extractor exhaust! This setup
was/is legal through '74. I was even willing to use a cat converter in
the exhaust down stream of the Header but NOT ONLY NO, BUT HELL NO! So
the car sits!
And if you think that's bad. What do you think is going to happen when my
newly acquired Factory Clone of a MGB-GT V8 crosses the state line?
Dick 8>)
Vintage Parts & Products
Camarillo, CA
Have MG will travel
On Tue, 25 Mar 1997 17:16:50 -0800 Bill Harkins <bharkins@tfb.com>
writes:
>I have justg gone through the excercise of getting a new piece of
>paper
>from the smog police to hand to the new buyer of my 67 B/GT. An
>excercise in total idiocy, if there ever was one.
>
>Took the car to the shop the shop that smogged it last year for my
>annual registration for a "test sniff" knowing it wouldn't pass. Sure
>enough, 2000 ppm - off the dial. Operator proudly annouced it a "gross
>polluter" in the "you've just molested my child" tone of voice. I said
>see you later, and headed for the MGB specialist. The following day,
>and
>$261 poorer, I had my certificate to hand to the new owner. (He's not
>on
>the list). Allowable emission, 600ppm, mine 149, emmitting like a
>Honda.
>The B shop explained how it's done. He fusses with the ignition timing
>and carburetion while testing with his own sniffer. Then, with the car
>barely able to move, he goes down the street about 200 yards to the
>smog
>shop. The test is of course, passed with flying colors, since it's
>detuned to do so. The smogger knows perfectly well that it is the same
>car that was yesterday's "gross polluter". The car then limps back to
>the MG shop, first gear all the way of course, and is then retuned so
>it
>runs fine. Of course, if it went back to the smog shop, it would have
>been transformed, like Cinderella. back into a G/P. Is this crazy or
>what?
>
>There's another factor. I'm not sure that the B shop put in any 4 1/2
>hours labor. They don't have to, they have a license to print money.
>If
>you don't go through the detune/tune process, you don't pass. No pass,
>no registration, no selling. Your car is worth zero. $261 to get rid
>of
>the dog is not a bad price.
>
>Incidentally, I have no idea how many B's there are in San Diego north
>county, but there were about 20 of them in the MG shop. It tells you
>something.
>
>I'm still curious how the B's ever passed smog when they were newer,
>like in the 70s. Have the ppm specs been upped over the car's original
>emissions???
>
>I also learned, as recent smogees know, that there is no smog
>"certificate" anymore. The data is modemed out of the analyser
>directly
>to DMV in Sacramento. Thus, if your car does not pass, I presume the
>smog police know it almost before the owner. Is this part of Smog II?
>
>Any other CA post-66 B owners having smog blues?
>
>Bill Harkins
>Fallbrook, CA
>
>
>
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