In message Wed, 14 Aug 1996 21:10:07 -0400,
markt@ep.cursci.com (Mark Tricca) writes:
Sorry to bomb the list with this but something is wrong with "Mark's"
address and this message will not go through directly. brent
> I just read a post that you put on the Triumph list about going in for the
> "dreaded" california emissions test. I'm going to be moving to San
> Francisco at the end of September and am currently trying to decide if
> it's worth the expense of towing my car clear across the country. One of
> my main concerns is the emissions testing that the car will have to go
> through. I have a '78 Spitfire - but it has an engine from 1974 Spit. On
> top of that the PO removed the original ZS carb and replaced it w/dual
> SU's. Thus there are absolutely no emission controls. No cat, no air
> pump, no charcoal filters, ...nothing. And there's no way to add anything
> since the SUs don't have any of the vacuum line hook-ups for that stuff.
> I could buy another ZS carb and/or a catalytic converter but either
> option is a lot of money. I think that the 1978 Federal Spitfires had
> cats, air pumps, and all sorts of vacuum lines and such so I'd assume
> that the mechanics would be looking for that stuff if I brought the car
> in for testing. Needless to say I'm thinking that the mechanic who tests
> my car will have a good laugh if I try to get it thru emissions. Can you
> tell me a little about the process?
The first step is a visual check for all the emmission stuff that the '78
came with. Without it present and the impression that it functions, you can
not be tested and you can not register the car. period.
> Do you think I'd have any chance of
> passing?
All that stuff must be replaced. Then a tailpipe test is done, using
standards that were appropriate for that year. The general guideline is that
if tuned to run like crap, these cars bearly passed when new. So they can be
quite difficult to get to pass 20 years down the road. For those of us
currently here, there is a new law that at 1st test, if your are
significantly bad (were're NOT talking blowing smoke) you get immediately
branded "a gross polluter", the state is notified, you must go down to the
DVM to an arbitrator, there is no cost limit for repairing the car, you
must be retested every year for the following 5 years, etc. etc.
> I'd hate to get out there and have to spend $$$$ trying to get
> the emissions down to California levels; but I'd hate it almost as much
> if I had to leave my Spit behind.
There's even more. Any car brought into the state that was not originally
made for the CA market is levied a CA emmissions charge. It is in the $3-400
dollar range. This is regardless of the quality of the emissions!
As much as you love your car, I would not recommend bringing it here. The
good news is that CA cars last forever so you can pick up a nice one for
cheap (name the price, you can find the car for that price).
brent
> Thanks in advance for your help.
> MarkT in Boston.
>
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