California smog with long-tube headers?

[TransAMrit]

I'm trying to get some more details on long-tube headers (for LS1 motors) and CA smog tests. It sounds like if you extend the wiring for the rear O2 sensors, the only issue would be visual inspection?

Anyone have experience with this?

[Firebirdjones]

California is one of the goofy states that don't allow you to move the cats from their original location, which puts long tubes out of the picture (cats are further down stream). Even though the car is still very capable of passing a sniffer test, it would fail the visual.

That doesn't mean that someone knows someone that will let it slip by.

[KahanaReef]

Shorty headers are the only thing you can get by with legally.

[TransAMrit]

Finally got in touch with someone at a Bay Area shop that broke it down for me - you USED to be able to pass the sniff test and maybe get lucky on the visual, but no longer. Apparently 1-2 years ago, CA cut the amount of allowed emissions in half, making long tube headers fail the sniff test as well. The guy said the test is strict enough now that even unmodified cars are borderline.

Oh well, I guess this is what the '70 is for...

[Firebirdjones]

Finally got in touch with someone at a Bay Area shop that broke it down for me - you USED to be able to pass the sniff test and maybe get lucky on the visual, but no longer. Apparently 1-2 years ago, CA cut the amount of allowed emissions in half, making long tube headers fail the sniff test as well. The guy said the test is strict enough now that even unmodified cars are borderline.

Oh well, I guess this is what the '70 is for...

Funny, I have a 70 ram air III formy that I bought in Cali years ago. I had to put that through smog there, passed fine but thought it was ignorant considering I was taking it out of state anyway.

I'm guessing they aren't going back that far on testing now? Didn't they bump that up to 75 or there abouts?

[KahanaReef]

Funny, I have a 70 ram air III formy that I bought in Cali years ago. I had to put that through smog there, passed fine but thought it was ignorant considering I was taking it out of state anyway.

I'm guessing they aren't going back that far on testing now? Didn't they bump that up to 75 or there abouts?

Less than a year after I let my 69 Chevelle go I drove that car for almost 15 years. Actually, at one point, I had two of them (one stock). It had gotten impossible to smog it, not to mention, quite costly.

[Firebirdjones]

Less than a year after I let my 69 Chevelle go I drove that car for almost 15 years. Actually, at one point, I had two of them (one stock). It had gotten impossible to smog it, not to mention, quite costly.

Ugh!! That stinks. Just think, now you could be driving it without smog testing. It's too bad California didn't realize sooner that the older cars aren't really an impact on smog, just not enough of them on the road to matter. I think it's a money thing.

[TransAMrit]

Funny, I have a 70 ram air III formy that I bought in Cali years ago. I had to put that through smog there, passed fine but thought it was ignorant considering I was taking it out of state anyway.

I'm guessing they aren't going back that far on testing now? Didn't they bump that up to 75 or there abouts?

Yeah, when I got the '70 back in 2000, pre-1973 was smog exempt in CA. It was supposed to up every X number of years, but they seem to have stopped it after it hit 1975. Met someone that bought a '76 Monte Carlo that wasn't passing smog, and was hoping to just not bother once the window was bumped up again - except it never happened, whoops!