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TPI conversion and CA smog

Shaggy

Shaggy

3/4 ton status
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Los Banos, CA
I have a '78 Federal emissions truck in CA, so I only have to meet federal requirements. If I swap a TPI system on from an '86 Camaro, what are my smog implications going to be? Will I have to meet smog for a CA '86 Camaro now? I'm usually pretty good at figuring this smnog stuff out, but this one has me stumped. Has anyone in here done this swap in CA?
 
I wish I could tell you I have, but I haven't. Only talked with people that have.

Essentially, you take the entire engine, xhaust, and everything attached, out of the Camaro, and drop it in the truck. The 350 was available in your truck, so that makes the swap legal, as long as you transfer over all emissions equipment...evap, EGR, AIR, converter, etc.

In reality this makes the swap easier, since there is no figuring out what you need to pull off the car. Take it all. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a '78 Federal emissions truck in CA, so I only have to meet federal requirements. If I swap a TPI system on from an '86 Camaro, what are my smog implications going to be? Will I have to meet smog for a CA '86 Camaro now? I'm usually pretty good at figuring this smnog stuff out, but this one has me stumped. Has anyone in here done this swap in CA?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have to meet the newer of both.
In CA you can only go same year or newer so it's always easy, the newer here would be the camaro's year 86 only you have to meet truck federal emissions for 86 and your GVWR.
/forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

It's too complicated, FUGEDABAOURIT.
/forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif
 
I guess I should have asked a simpler question. By swapping only the induction system, is it going to be considered an engine swap? Since the rest of the motor is still going to be the same... I just wasn't sure at what point they consider it to be an engine swap where I have to meet the newer regs.
 
If they can see the difference, I would bet that they would call it an engine swap.

If they are so bad they will check block stampings and ask for CARB O#'s, a TPI setup will stick out like a sore thumb.

What do you mean "only the induction system"? There isn't a whole lot of the system that isn't directly tied into it's operation and doesn't need addressed it wanting to remove it. Even if the short block doesn't change, you'll want/need to change the heads probably. (not sure about '86 TPI heads, but later L98 ones are far superior to TBI and carbed heads) EVAP is about the only thing that can be removed with no negative side effects. (and even that is questionable)
 
[quoteYou have to meet the newer of both.
In CA you can only go same year or newer so it's always easy, the newer here would be the camaro's year 86 only you have to meet truck federal emissions for 86 and your GVWR.
/forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

No, not true. You can put in an older engine it would be an engine change. It has to have all the smog equiptment that came on the year engine your putting in.


As for the TPI swap. As long as you kept all of your smog equiptment thats already on the truck, I dont see why it would make a differrence to BAR, being as all the original smog stuff is there, in fact it should run cleaner. I will double check for you though, just to be positive.
 
I have just ask the same question to a smog referree. The answer I received was that everything from the camaro will need to be on the truck. Also in Ca. the engine must be the same year or newer than the vehicle it is going into.
 
No, you can NEVER go backwards on engine swaps. I am 99% sure that is even a FEDERAL law, as you cannot EVER modify the emissions equipment to an earlier standard. Removing emissions equipment has been illegal for quite some time, and reverting to an older engine does that.

Obviously if the block changes to an older one, and nothing else does, I don't know how anyone knows...but you can't put a 1968 engine in a 1985 truck and remove the EGR or EVAP system, legally.
 
I have been considering a similar swap out of a k1500 truck. Does the transmission have to be swapped too. I would like to keep my existing setup, but I have heard that some of the newer tranies have electronic controls that are tied into the computer.
 
If it's an "E" variant transmission, then yes the computer is tied to it, but I don't know that any year the manual trans setup ECM (PCM I guess with auto trans) monitored the transmission for anything.
 
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