CUTTDAWG

I have a 84 cutlass supreme v6 i want to do a 350 swap. I live in california and i was told that my car wouldn't pass smog if i swapped the motor. I was wondering what is need to get the v8 to pass smog in california.

droptopron

Consult w a mechanic but if yoyu do catalytic convertors you should be able to get it to run clean enough.

joe_padavano

The laws in Calif allow you to swap any engine that's the same year or newer, so long as you also swap ALL the emissions equipment that goes with the newer engine. Bottom line is that you can swap a cleaner engine, but not a dirtier one. You also are restricted to engines from the same emissions class. In other words you cannot swap a truck engine into a car since trucks have a less stringent emissions standard than cars. Simply tacking converters onto a random engine will NOT pass Calif emissions. Also, for a non-stock swap, expect to have to go to a referee station to verify the year of the new engine and the appropriate equipment.

455man

So glad I don't live in California!

MDchanic

+1.

- Eric

jerseyjoe

And I thought NJ was bad
I did that swap on my 77 and it passed emissions and got better fuel economy. The 350 was out of a 74 Salon. Gotta Luv CA...

svnt442

Not only does the engine have to be the same year or newer, but ALL of the emission equipment from the donor vehicle must be installed CORRECTLY and functioning properly when you take it to the ref. They will be going over the car with a fine toothed comb so be prepared with some butt lube, because they won't bring any.

joe_padavano

Sorry, but once you have kids, you start to think that maybe leaving them clean air to breathe isn't such a bad thing after all.

72 cutlass455

Yep but the car culture is alive and well here on 75 and older cars. Folks moding there new stangs and inports cry every time they have to smog.

Lady72nRob71

Adding a CA emission setup from a 307 motor (the optional V8 from that year or newer) to the 350 might work for you.

MDchanic

Well, I survived just fine [cough], and I can remember the yellowish haze over the City, and the smell of eight lanes of 1960's-era traffic backed up on the NJ Turnpike as far as the eye could see on a 98 degree day.

Kids today are spoiled, and so are their darn lungs!

- Eric

joe_padavano

ASSuming he's talking about an Olds 350...

Yes, one can certainly camouflage any larger Olds motor to look like a 307 in the G-body cars, and if everything is hooked up, it's likely that even a 455 can be snuck past most emissions techs. Such an installation will NOT be legal, since those motors were never certified for the years in question, but in practical use you can get it by.

joe_padavano

Funny (if off-topic) story. When I started in the aerospace business in SoCal in 1980, my boss was a native from the San Fernando Valley. He told the story of his training in boot camp when the recruits were made to run through a chamber of tear gas without masks. The guy in front of him was from the hills of Tennessee and came out the other end gasping and wheezing. My boss, growing up during the worst of the SoCal smog years, went through with few ill effects (well, that was his story, anyway).

Destructor

I'm increasing my carbon footprint, F you Al *****.

Redog

Is this car a daily driver or a fun car?

If it's a fun car, look into classic or antique car plates to beat emissions

svnt442

That's not gonna fly out here.

Shizzy

once they discover the extra two cylinders aren't they going to want to run the numbers on the block to determine the year? If he was starting with a v8 car then it might be possible (though not legal).

years ago when MN was doing emissions testing, my cousin swapped a 350 in to his 87 Monte SS. he did use a 350 that was newer than the car, but due to some vagueness with the ability to pin an exact year on the block he wasn't able to get it passed properly. He ended up getting a 1 year exemption and then selling the car before the tabs came due again.

joe_padavano

Yeah, that's certainly a risk. Again, the OP didn't respond if he was talking about an Olds 350 or a "Type C" motor. Sadly, the latter WOULD be legal if the proper year motor was used.