Might have a terrible situation..'82 may never see the road again!

[82 GT]

I think I have a very big problem regarding getting my '82GT back on the road.
Everyone, from Pa., know about the new emissions checks going on at inspection time.
My problem is that I just spent tons of money last winter rebuilding my 351w and now with the new laws there may be no way possible to drive it on the road again. I thought at first that I could apply for a "collectable" or "modified" title and be exempt from having emissions controls but that might not be the case(from what I've been hearing).
My car is supposed to have all the emissions controls that came equipt from the factory in 1982 but I now have a '74 engine that never came with a smog pump, EGR and PCV.
What do I do now??? I have a car that's only good for the drag strip(it appears) and I don't have a truck or means to pull it to the track.
I talked to another mechanic yesterday who is familiar with these special titles and new laws and he said he will look into it because there seems to be a lot of confusion about all of this crap.
What should I do??

[Hethj7]

Is there anyways to title it in another state or do you know a mechanic friend who may pass it for you?

I wish I had a better answer for you, but I really don't know .

[Fox Body]

That SUCKS!

...but you mean to tell me that if a poor man Joe's motor in his '82 breaks down and a friend says, hey, I got one from a '74 that'll fit in your car, I'll sell you it for $50, the state of Penn. says "No, sorry, you gotta buy a new motor for your car or put on the smog crap for the '82 on the '74 (which obviously won't bolt up)? So this law now effectively makes it illegal to put an older motor (that has outdated, or no smog stuff) in a newer car? That doesn't make sense, there has gotta be some way around that (but then again, I've never had to go through the smog laws stuff just yet, so I don't know what excuses those bureaucrats use when they make the laws....

[xxxBlakexxx]

Just a little history on the PA crap! The state of PA was sued last year by TWO environmental groups for not complying with federal laws regarding emissions. A judge ruled from the bench in favor of the environmental groups. As a result, the state was mandated by court order to make changes or loose funding. ( and I thought the legislature was supposed to make laws).

There is no real law, just a court ruling, this is why there is so much confusion. The state had to move fast and therefore, many of ther new regulations don't make sense and are different county to county.

In Luzerne County (where I live) all cars older than 2003 must get a smog check when your inspection comes due. If you fail, there is a maximum that you can be charged to fix the problems based on the year of your car.

82 GT, I would hang in there. Keep you head up and perhaps for a few hundred bucks, you can get around this. Think of it as a penalty.

Also, we are required to have our gas caps tested for leaks. The test costs about $50 from what I am told and they expect to have a failure rate of less than 1%. You can get a new cap for a few bucks only, but this does not expempt your car from the test. My friend had his 2003 Mercedes tested three times. It failed each time until the mechanic realized that '03's are exempt and the computer could not read the car. As you can see, there is a lot of confusion.

This gas cap test is a big waste of money!!! Think of all the poor kids we could feed across the state with the money spent to find a few bad caps.

[mustardjohn]

Whose brother-in-law is getting to run these gas cap tests for $50?

In Texas millions of dollars were spent to build state testing buildings but after so much uproar they were never used in most counties (maybe none were used). I have one near my house. Nobody knows what will become of them, but somebody made a lot of money building them not to mention selling the land to put them on to the state. We always wondered what happened and where did the money go.

EPA set a 55 mile max speed limit in Houston about 2 years ago. It was completely ignored. I think the police have given up enforcing it.

Where does it end?

[XR1stang]

wow that sucks, and it sounds a lot like what California tries to do on a regular basis (screwing you on the emissions stuff).

Heathj7 has it right, if you can pull it off. It requires paying out of state property tax on it though, and you have to make sure your registration is always up to date. It's what I had to do to make sure my stang worked here in Cali because there is NO way in the world that my car could ever pass their emissions testing.

Hopefully someone will clear this court ruling up so the general public, and even the mechanics that are having to enforce this ruling, will be able to understand what all is expected of them.

[82 GT]

How would I title it in another state? How does that work?
I would think you would need a mailing address in another state to do that....wouldn't you?

I think I'm going to "buy" an inspection sticker....if you know what I mean
Hell.....I might even post a thread here and other boards looking for a Pa. inspection mechanic that's willing to accept a generous cash offer for one. Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do

[XR1stang]

yah, you will need an address in another state to pull it off... of course Mailboxes Etc. can help with that

I, fortunately, still own a house back in North Carolina so I just use that address for my registration needs.

Be careful who you 'buy' that inspection from, I know some friends back in NC that got busted because of something like that. They are still going through litigation on it.

[srv1]

Their may be a loop hole. Try looking under collectors insurance. Usually its cheap cause they assume you only drive the car very little during the whole year. I think some policies check your age and you have to be at least 30. Check into it.

James

[b055]

try not telling them it's a 351 tell them it's the original motor.

[82 GT]

Originally posted by srv1
Their may be a loop hole. Try looking under collectors insurance. Usually its cheap cause they assume you only drive the car very little during the whole year. I think some policies check your age and you have to be at least 30. Check into it.

James

How will that help me get past the visual check? I was just told today that I have to have smog equip for 1982 and regardless of the year engine.

[BLACK85GT]

Here in Florida they had emmision testing that I went thru with my 85 (they now stopped testing).
The only visual check was for catalytic converters, and as long as the car passed emmisions for its model year, you are ok.
I have been told you can make any car pass emmisions by tuning it right with cats.
Do they really know what else to look for besides cats?

[82 GT]

Originally posted by BLACK85GT
Do they really know what else to look for besides cats?

Oh hell yeah!! They have a book with what emission controls belong on each model & year vehicle.

[Unit 5302]

The following page documents in specific what the emissions rules are, along with definitions of Antique, Classic, and Collector vehicles.

PA Emissions

The only possible exception to the rule your car may be able to pass under is "Collector."

...In this case, it sounds like the “collectible plate” may be the answer. Harrisburg’s definition of a collectible is as follows” “a reconstructed motor vehicle, but not a reproduction thereof, substantially modified from the manufacturer’s original specifications and appearance and maintained in a collectible condition as determined by the Department of Transportation.

NOTE: Generally, substantial changes to the engine and exhaust systems must be done to qualify the vehicle as a collectible motor vehicle. If the extensive changes are other than the engine, be sure to give very detailed and specific information in section C on the front of this form. In addition, the vehicle must primarily be used for show and must appear to be in “show” condition in the photographs submitted with the application.” To receive this plate, you must give a detailed description of the modifications to the car and besides the 4 body photos, 2 more pictures, one of the motor and one of the exhaust system are required.

My guess is you're going to have to find a way to get the emissions equipment onto the 351 or make it appear proper. It's unlikely the inspector is going to truly look closely at how everything is put together as they have limited time to do such checking. i.e.

1. Smog pump, check
2. EGR valve, check
3. Catalytic Converter, check
4. PCV valve check
5. You're good to go.