Hot Rodding- Let's talk
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From: North of Dallas, South of Frisco
Hot Rodding- Let's talk
OK, I admit I don't know much about hot rodding, but, I watch "Overhaulin" ever chance I get. It's interesting to me because I love the idea of taking an old POS, and making it into a beast of a ride.
Foose & Company always install crate motors, the weakest I can remember, being a 375 HP engine. However, I was told that you cannot install an engine into a car, and make it street legal, if that engine is older (in design) then the vehicle it would go into. That meaning, you can't take a Mustang GT, and slap in a 427 from the 60's- to make it faster...
Is this true or not?
What made me ask is after I saw CV's post about what one could have done with that old 1985 Monte Carlo SS:
I didn't think you could put even older engines into a vehicle, and make it street legal; most of the engines mentioned above, haven't been available in a passenger car for decades... Have I heard wrong, because if I have, I'm mad as Hell that I let that old 1986 Crown Victoria get away from me. I could have made her a sleeper for sure!
Foose & Company always install crate motors, the weakest I can remember, being a 375 HP engine. However, I was told that you cannot install an engine into a car, and make it street legal, if that engine is older (in design) then the vehicle it would go into. That meaning, you can't take a Mustang GT, and slap in a 427 from the 60's- to make it faster...
Is this true or not?
What made me ask is after I saw CV's post about what one could have done with that old 1985 Monte Carlo SS:
Originally Posted by cyclone vampire
but....the 305 H0 in the SS could be swapped out for....Bigger engines 355 stroker, 396 502 crate engine, and a TH700 trans,,,awsome car's, the SS Mote carlo, what the factery failed to build, you could hot rod your self, the grand national rode on the same chasis, Doors pins and bushing's were bad on the SS and all GM's Transam z28 Grand Prix, Malibu, Still the Montie and Cutlus Supreame were nicer cars than the FWD crap GM builds now.
I didn't think you could put even older engines into a vehicle, and make it street legal; most of the engines mentioned above, haven't been available in a passenger car for decades... Have I heard wrong, because if I have, I'm mad as Hell that I let that old 1986 Crown Victoria get away from me. I could have made her a sleeper for sure!
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From: SW MO
It all has to do with safety and emissions law. All stock safety and emissions equipment MUST be retained for the vehicle to be legal. Although if I remember correctly there is a time limit on that. Something like 20 or 25 years old and those laws become more lax...
Edit: it also has to do with local and state law. Where I live there are no safety or emissions inspections at all... I still have my cats, but I... um... won't say where they are...
Edit: it also has to do with local and state law. Where I live there are no safety or emissions inspections at all... I still have my cats, but I... um... won't say where they are...
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From: North of Dallas, South of Frisco
Originally Posted by closer9
It all has to do with safety and emissions law. All stock safety and emissions equipment MUST be retained for the vehicle to be legal. Although if I remember correctly there is a time limit on that. Something like 20 or 25 years old and those laws become more lax...
Edit: it also has to do with local and state law. Where I live there are no safety or emissions inspections at all... I still have my cats, but I... um... won't say where they are...
Edit: it also has to do with local and state law. Where I live there are no safety or emissions inspections at all... I still have my cats, but I... um... won't say where they are...
Do you also have a steady "Check Engine" light on, as a result of the reallocation of the cats? My friend had a 1996 Mustang GT, and he had headers installed, and flow master mufflers. As a result, his check engine light stayed on 24 x 7, but the car never ever stopped. I was worried about that when I did my first dual exhaust set up. The guy at the muffler shop (Pronto Muffler in Plano, TX~ excellent work by the way) told me as long as I was behind the cat (no pun intended), I wouldn't have any problems, but, if I started messing around before the converter, headers, etc... It could cause engine management problems for the computer, resulting in the check engine light, failed emmissions tests, etc...
Mine wasn't true dual though... SIDO Flowmasters & Borla's over the years...
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From: SW MO
Originally Posted by Bighersh
LOL-
Do you also have a steady "Check Engine" light on, as a result of the reallocation of the cats? My friend had a 1996 Mustang GT, and he had headers installed, and flow master mufflers. As a result, his check engine light stayed on 24 x 7, but the car never ever stopped. I was worried about that when I did my first dual exhaust set up. The guy at the muffler shop (Pronto Muffler in Plano, TX~ excellent work by the way) told me as long as I was behind the cat (no pun intended), I wouldn't have any problems, but, if I started messing around before the converter, headers, etc... It could cause engine management problems for the computer, resulting in the check engine light, failed emmissions tests, etc...
Do you also have a steady "Check Engine" light on, as a result of the reallocation of the cats? My friend had a 1996 Mustang GT, and he had headers installed, and flow master mufflers. As a result, his check engine light stayed on 24 x 7, but the car never ever stopped. I was worried about that when I did my first dual exhaust set up. The guy at the muffler shop (Pronto Muffler in Plano, TX~ excellent work by the way) told me as long as I was behind the cat (no pun intended), I wouldn't have any problems, but, if I started messing around before the converter, headers, etc... It could cause engine management problems for the computer, resulting in the check engine light, failed emmissions tests, etc...
There are many companies out there that sell MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) eliminators, plus there are several places that will show you how to make you own with a simple resistor and a soldering iron. I just bought a set off ebay. I think they were $20. This way I could put the factory pipe back on anytime I needed to...
or at least that's how I would do it if my cats weren't still attached to my car...
and if they weren't I bet I wouldn't have any problems with it since say September of last year...
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From: Lost some where in the middle of the Ozark Mountains!
Here my understanding of the law is if the vehicle came equipped with it then it had to remain in tact.
Which does not mean that you can not use an older engine in a newer car, but if it had a smog pump from the factory, then the new/old engine also had to have a smog pump fitted, etc, etc.
Luckily here we do not have the sniffer test, so there are many ways to get an older vehicle that no longer has the factory anti smog equipment any more... licensed. Like removing the original under hood stickers and replacing with stickers from older vehicles. There is no way for any mechanic/inspecter to memorize which vehicles or years of vehicles had what equipment. Then unless a trooper decides to do a full investigation they will never know either. A bill is proposed now to eliminate vehicle inspections all together. Then we wont care at all.
Which does not mean that you can not use an older engine in a newer car, but if it had a smog pump from the factory, then the new/old engine also had to have a smog pump fitted, etc, etc.
Luckily here we do not have the sniffer test, so there are many ways to get an older vehicle that no longer has the factory anti smog equipment any more... licensed. Like removing the original under hood stickers and replacing with stickers from older vehicles. There is no way for any mechanic/inspecter to memorize which vehicles or years of vehicles had what equipment. Then unless a trooper decides to do a full investigation they will never know either. A bill is proposed now to eliminate vehicle inspections all together. Then we wont care at all.
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From: Cabot, AR
I believe it works out something like this. To meet Federal laws the vehicle must meet all emission standards for the model year of the vehicle. Which is to say if you have a 1967 car, you must meet 1967 emissions standards. So since cars made before 1972 had almost no emissions equipment the standards are rather low compared to what we have today. Also most of the emissions equipment is on the top of the engine. Since most crate motors are long blocks the installed emissions equipment is at the discretion of the builder.
Joe
Joe