Ray,
>I suppose VT, or at least my part of it, will eventually have smog
>testing, and I will have to worry about stuff like this. If you put a
>different, later engine in your Alpine, what do you do when it comes time
>to have it smogged? Does it come under the rules for when the Alpine was
>manufactured, or those when the engine was?
In Ca it seems to be kind of a gray area... You are not supposed to put a
newer eng in an older car, engines from different manufacturer are
questionable, you're not supposed to put an older eng in a newer car
(though most new Cobra replicas have old engs and are smogged as the year
of the eng), etc. A kit car mag had an article a while back, they hit
the nail on the head when they said it depends alot on the girl you happen
to get at the DMV... most don't speak or read english very well and if you
are nice (and sly) you can explain the meaning of the law in their book
(if you can look over their shoulder to read it)... its a real game (of
luck and skill)!
I got my Alpine (5.0 Mustang power without smog controls) smogged by
telling them it was a Tiger and it came with a V8. The eng is obviously
a late model (serpentine belt etc) but they said OK. Fortunately a few
years ago, Ca dropped the number of cylinders off our titles! Its also
good that Tiger emblems plug right into alpine holes!
>If I were going to put in a different power plant, I would have to hear
>some powerful arguments before I'd choose a Pinto engine. I once bought
Yeah, me too.. I've never heard anything good about a Pinto.. Maybe the
earlier 1600 is the same as a Cortina motor used in Formula Ford? Just
about any Japanese motor/trans would go in mine before a Pinto..
Gary
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