My son just got stationed in San Diego and he has to get his car smogged. He has a 1984 Corvette with a 400 small block. The engine is carburated and has a catalytic converter. What are the chances of this thing passing the CA emmissions test and are there any tricks to help it pass? Thanks

It has to look right. I mean everything. Haven't had anyone actually check numbers but if it looks right and passes it should be ok.

I thought the military were exempt, they should be for serving our country.:(

I would change the plugs, cap, rotor, and the oil. And take the car hot to the smoggers.

No, they are not exempt. In fact they have to have it smogged to get a base sticker. Some commands choose to look the other way but not the big ones. The engine in this car is definately not stock so I don't no what the rules are.

It has got to look stock, stock air cleaner, no headers unless they have the air tubes. Smog pump, heat riser tube from exhaust up to the air cleaner.

first off ........ have him find a freindly smog test place PAY them to give him the truth about what the car has to have to pass ....... then round up all the stock parts that are missing .....

DO NOT start out testing the car & failing !! the last thing you want is to be put into the computer as a gross polluter ..... most places will fail you on the visual test first ..... but be careful if you get sent to the official referee they will pick up the motor numbers !! an since your vet never came with a 400 it will cause problems..
simply put the car needs all the smog equipment that it came with working & intact !
if you've retro a motor / car the smog equipment needs to be for the NEWER part
I.E. 84 car W/ 72 motor needs the 84's smog stuff
but if they look in the engine compartment & find a set of Vortec heads then will want 92 smog complete ..... like I said stay away from the referee station :eek:

I always thought that military did not even have to register the cars where they were serving.

I was under the impression, that current out of state tags were ok for military personel.

Should be----as these individuals are NOT residents.
Next step---everyone in the country must register in CA

Keep it licensed in Alaska until someone complains. The only thing you'd be concerned about is insurance. Will the Alaska agent insure it?

It is registered in AK, but the state requires in-state registration within 90 days of coming to CA. The military base also requires it for on base driving privledges. Like I said, the registration thing is usually not an issue because they don't know how long you have been there but driving on base is something else.

Forget about it. Most likely the car won't even pass a visual. (unless you guys put everything back on the engine as original).
If it's a performance built 400, it probably won't pass the sniffer either.
Does it have all of the stock engine components still on it and functioning properly?

If not, I'd stick it in storage until he's ready to come home, or have someone come and get it and drive it home.
He'll be better off picking up some cheap transpo economy car while he is there.

Depending on what kind of performance internals that engine has, he may be just fine with reinstalling the original Crossfire injection (dual throttle body) and making sure there is a functioning catalytic converter, egr, evap, etc. In California it is not legal to retrofit a carburator onto a non-carburated engine. Oh yeah, make sure the air injection, egr, and fuel evaporative system are funtional.

If he is lacking the original Crossfire, then hopefully he has enough money for a http://www.x-ram.com/ - make sure he gets the egr ready version.

Besides passing the sniffer, he needs to make the car "appear" like the smog diagram lists for his car. On the plus side is that almost no current smog techs have ever seen a correct '84 Corvette engine compartment. What they will be looking for is that the original vehicle emissions sticker is in place - if this sticker is missing he will really need to get one (49 states version) from a Chevrolet dealer or Corvette restoration supplier. This sticker is almost too important, because the smog techs use it as the "proof" of what is supposed to be where - and you don't want to give them a reason for digging around. If there are too many bright chrome plated engine parts it will give the smog tech a reason to scrutinize what is there. My suggestion is to slightly uglify the engine compartment if possible.

Good luck, Thomas

Well thanks for the info, but it sounds like this thing doesn't stand a chance. The engine is a 1973 and pushes about 400HP. We have nothing from the original X-Fire engine. The problem is, he already has the car down there. Maybe a little graft is in order!

first off ........ have him find a freindly smog test place PAY them to give him the truth about what the car has to have to pass ....... then round up all the stock parts that are missing .....

DO NOT start out testing the car & failing !! the last thing you want is to be put into the computer as a gross polluter ..... most places will fail you on the visual test first ..... but be careful if you get sent to the official referee they will pick up the motor numbers !! an since your vet never came with a 400 it will cause problems..
simply put the car needs all the smog equipment that it came with working & intact !
if you've retro a motor / car the smog equipment needs to be for the NEWER part
I.E. 84 car W/ 72 motor needs the 84's smog stuff
but if they look in the engine compartment & find a set of Vortec heads then will want 92 smog complete ..... like I said stay away from the referee station :eek:

no kidding.............im from oakland ca. and had hell trying to pass smog. i had a 79 lincoln mark 5 with a 460 instead of a 400. failed several times over and over. finally i went to a junk yard and pulled a engine plack from a 78 that had a 460 and mounted it it between the rad. and core support..................they were smart enough to fail my car but couldnt read roman numerals!!:and i passed!!cool::D

no chance of passing with a carb. As stated above, you'll need all the factory EFI and smog items put on from an 84 Vette. If he has long tube headers those will have to be removed also as the cat has to be in the stock location also, cannot be moved back like a longtube install does.

Basically, with all the stock stuff bolted back on and depending on the camshaft and tune it'd probably pass with the 400. But in it's current config it won't get past the visual portion of the test.

Jody

The carb will kill the deal, graft isn't going to get it done either they actually run inspectors around to the smog stations to try to bride the personal in the smog stations, so they are very leary of people coming and trying to buy there way through. It used to be easy to get a fake smog but it is way tough nowadays. The 400 can be installed as long as the camshaft isn't to radical or carries a E.O. number (you have the paperwork to prove it), but you will need ALL the emission equipment originally installed, and ALL aftermarket equipment must carry a E.O. number to be legal in CA.

It is registered in AK, but the state requires in-state registration within 90 days of coming to CA. The military base also requires it for on base driving privledges. Like I said, the registration thing is usually not an issue because they don't know how long you have been there but driving on base is something else.

Check again, I think its within 30 days, and possible 10 days... And the State is cracking down on violators. There are so many people doing this, that it is losing the State a huge chunk of change... Don't think its no big deal (I heard it can get expensive). If he gets caught, they might check with the base to see when he and his car arrived...

The Ca DMV have a program called "Cheaters", where the public can report your car with out-of-states plates...

I had a neighbor that drove beat-up, rusty junk from Oregon, and parked it on the street in front of his house... I usually don't care, but this stuff really did make the neighborhood look bad... And he was very blatant about the reasons for NOT registering in Ca (smog and fees) and abotu the fact they he didn't have to register... After 4+ years of dealing with his crap, I finally reported him. Another neighbor that works for DMV had already reported him too... Now most of his cars are sporting new Cal plates...

I have also reported others, usually those that cut me off, etc...


I agree with the others, make sure the car "looks" stock, and hope its tuned to pass...

If he has to go to the referree, he's gonna be screwed with that 400, and anything missing...

here is the skinny on the registration for non resident active duty military personel. this has always been the case since i first got into the military in 86. nonresident military personel are exempt from having to register there car in this state. you only have to get a smog if you register your car here in ca. also meaning you will get new plates from ca. if you are from another state, you can reregister your vehicle in that state and get your vehicle registration tabs and come back here to ca. the command of a base doesnt look at smog certificates. only registration cards. if you have a valid reg card, it also means that you passed some sort of smog from a state at some point in time if you vehicle needs a smog completed. if it is time for your kids car to get reregistered, im sure he got a renewal notice from the dmv from alaska so he can very well reregister that car in alaska. this only applies to military and civilians who work for NATO only. everyone else who moves into ca. has i believe 10 days to apply for registration for their car. of course, this is also if the car was previously registered in alaska and not ca. if he bought the car here in ca., he needs to get it registered here unless he brings it back to alaska. hopefully i didnt confuse you.

i just saw tony's reply. im almost positive its 10 days

Since when has military personel and college students had to register their cars in Califorina?
Tell you son to keep his car registered in his home state.

I'm not concerned with the registration because the car is registered in AK. However, the boy is telling me Mirimar Marine Base requires a cert. for on-base privlidges.

Easiest solution is to get the car home to AK and buy some POS jap car for here. The DMV commies love jap cars and the smog stations love their rick- shaws. These guy's have NO sense of humor and the local state congressmen don't wan't to hear about it. It is a shame that a man serving his country is given no quarter. END RANT!!!!!

Easiest solution is to get the car home to AK and buy some POS jap car for here. The DMV commies love jap cars and the smog stations love their rick- shaws. These guy's have NO sense of humor and the local state congressmen don't wan't to hear about it. It is a shame that a man serving his country is given no quarter. END RANT!!!!!

Not true, my '90 Honda is always a Smog only center car every two years.

This is the car that those ricer kids modify with illegal parts.

This car is as stock as can be. Not even a high performance sticker.:D

I'm not concerned with the registration because the car is registered in AK. However, the boy is telling me Mirimar Marine Base requires a cert. for on-base privileges.

I went looking and that is what I found too. Registration does not need to be changed but it does need to have a smog inspection to get a base decal. Kind of interesting tidbit, the DOD is actually dropping the decals deal. The ACC (air combat command) has already done away with decals. The reason was it a waste of resources since to access ACC bases you have to show acceptable ID to enter. I wonder if the Marines will do the same. I am sure CA has some sort of arrangement to keep them smogging cars though.

So I was thinking, can he afford a small commuter and live off base? ;)

Not true, my '90 Honda is always a Smog only center car every two years.

This is the car that those ricer kids modify with illegal parts.

This car is as stock as can be. Not even a high performance sticker.:D

How about, " GO CHEVY ", America's team?

guys the driving force behind the smog laws ....... they want everyone to finance a NEW car .... higher Ins payments , higher Taxs , Higher Licence fee's Higher Finance Fee's

who do you think owns stock in all these companys that stand to make millions by forcing everyone into a new car ???

I too was stationed in Alaska for 3 years. I became and alaskan resident. When I moved to maryland I kept my alaska drivers license and registration for 4 years! As long as your in the military you can have out of state registration. Becoming an alaskan resident is also beneficial because you won't be paying any state taxes no matter where you in the United States.

What you need to do is start going to car cruises and start talking to people that know of places that will pass your car even if the car doesn't meet the CA smog specs. Trust me there are shops out there that will hook you up.

JWA, thanks for the research. You are right, there is such a large presents of military personnel in CA. that the pickings are too good to pass up. The responses to this post are interesting with all the "military are exempt" misconceptions. I did 20 years and I can tell you, we (the military) are often times not welcome and often taken advantage of. "Sailors and dogs stay off the grass." On the other hand, CA is one of two states (Ill.)that offers free college tuition to the son or daughter of any disabled vet. The vet never having to be a resident of the state, just the dependent. I guess you take the good with the bad.

jwa, that is interesting. i know that they have been trying to drop the base sticker for a while now. i still see alot of base stickers with a 09 expiration date but who knows. those things are literally kept under lock and key. so, how are they going to do the casual drive onto base without a base sticker? it would suck to go to the duty desk each and every time you want to get on base

Here is some more info:

Looks like it is starting with AF installations:

http://www.dyess.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123045262

JWA, thanks for the research. You are right, there is such a large presents of military personnel in CA. that the pickings are too good to pass up. The responses to this post are interesting with all the "military are exempt" misconceptions. I did 20 years and I can tell you, we (the military) are often times not welcome and often taken advantage of. "Sailors and dogs stay off the grass." On the other hand, CA is one of two states (Ill.)that offers free college tuition to the son or daughter of any disabled vet. The vet never having to be a resident of the state, just the dependent. I guess you take the good with the bad.

Up to what age of the dependant? My kid is 29 and I'd sure like for him to get free tuition. Do you have any more info or contacts? I am a disabled vet. Thanks in advance, Dan

On the other hand, CA is one of two states (Ill.)that offers free college tuition to the son or daughter of any disabled vet. The vet never having to be a resident of the state, just the dependent. I guess you take the good with the bad.



Double check this. I went through college on this program due to my father being 100% disabled vietnam vet. College tuition for me was not free and fully paid for, only a percentage. And the cutoff age was 25 initially and then bumped to 27. It was a huge help but in no way does it cover 100%. I still have college loans i am paying out. It is a huge help, for sure though

You may have the vet bennies mixed up with the illegal immigrant bennies in this state. ;)


Up to what age of the dependant? My kid is 29 and I'd sure like for him to get free tuition. Do you have any more info or contacts? I am a disabled vet. Thanks in advance, Dan

Can all be found on the VA's site or by visiting your local VA rep and inquiring.


Back to the smog stuff. :thumbsup:

No, they are not exempt. In fact they have to have it smogged to get a base sticker. Some commands choose to look the other way but not the big ones. The engine in this car is definately not stock so I don't no what the rules are.

WILL NOT PASS

NEEDS A 1984 OR NEWER BLOCK OF SAME SIZE OFFERED AS NEW..
AND NEEDS IT'S CROSSFIRE EFI ON IT...

A SBC 400CID AND A CARB WILL NOT PASS THE , VIEWING PART NEVER MIND THE SNIFFER PART

What if you had cutouts that were hidden and opened them up when it was being smogged? Considering that the person doing the testing was either deaf or an idiot, it would appear that the car's emissions through the visable tailpipe were low:D

CA. does cover "tuition" at 100% rate for all Cal. State school. I know this because my daugher is presently attending one. You still incurr costs like books, meals and housing but it sure helps. I don't know the cut off age but you could contact the admissions office at any cal. state campus. The catch is, the dependant has to establish residency in CA. which can take up to a year. The vet can have never set foot in the state. Hope this helps.

Do you mean that although I have a 100% rating, but am a resident of Calif that it disqualifies my kid because I am a resident?

CA. does cover "tuition" at 100% rate for all Cal. State school. I know this because my daugher is presently attending one. You still incurr costs like books, meals and housing but it sure helps. I don't know the cut off age but you could contact the admissions office at any cal. state campus. The catch is, the dependant has to establish residency in CA. which can take up to a year. The vet can have never set foot in the state. Hope this helps.


Maybe thats where all my additional fees went - books and such. I could almost swear it wasnt 100% coverage but its been years since I dealt with it. Signed up and went with it then graduated a few years ago.

I gotta look at my paperwork when I get home cause im a bit concerned I may have been overbilled or underfunded (story of my life)

FYI -

Question
I receive benefits under the Dependents' Educational Assistance Program Chapter 35. Under this program benefits are payable to sons and daughters from age 18 to 26. How can I receive benefits after the age of 26?

Answer
The ending date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits for children is generally the 26th birthday. However, in some cases, you may be eligible to have your period of eligibility extended. Examples of some of these cases include:

Veteran did not receive rating of “Permanently and Totally Disabled” until eligible child was between 18 and 26 years of age.
Veteran died of DEA(Chapter 35)-qualifying cause while the eligible child was between ages 18 and 26.
DEA (Chapter 35)-eligible child serves on active duty and is released (other than dishonorably) between ages 18 and 26.
Veteran loses, then regains, eligibility for DEA (Chapter 35) payments while eligible child is between ages 18 and 26.
VA determines that an eligible child had to suspend his or her program of education or training for reasons beyond the child's control.


Other situations not listed here may qualify a DEA (Chapter 35) beneficiary to receive benefits past the age of 26, and eligibility decisions frequently must be made on a case-by-case basis. The only way to receive an "official" decision about your eligibility is to submit an application to VA for DEA benefits. Application forms can be found here, or an application can be submitted online by going to the following link: http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/How_to_Apply.htm

Also -

https://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/rates/CH35/ch35rates100104.htm


TYPE OF TRAINING Cost of Living 10/1/2005
Monthly Rates in Dollars
INSTITUTIONAL
FULL $827.00

looks like Max of $827.00, I was getting about 750 per month. Figure we are both right but it depends on what school you attend. Some schools fulltime and this is enough to cover 100%, others - not so much. So they max out and dont cover 100% that I can see unless your tuition is less than the $827 per month.

in any case its one hell of a help.

TYPE OF TRAINING Cost of Living 10/1/2005
Monthly Rates in Dollars
INSTITUTIONAL
FULL $827.00

looks like Max of $827.00, I was getting about 750 per month. Figure we are both right but it depends on what school you attend. Some schools fulltime and this is enough to cover 100%, others - not so much. So they max out and dont cover 100% that I can see unless your tuition is less than the $827 per month.

in any case its one hell of a help.

That's $827.00 PER MONTH?? Tuition at a Cal State school is probably somewhere around $1800 a semester? So, that must mean, they pay much more than the yearly tuition costs? Heck of a deal. That's a very good program.

Beaux, I think you extra money went to buy BEER and car parts :D

Smog related material: Dang shame CA has to require our troops to pass a smog test in order to drive on base. As if the troops didn't have enough to worry about. If your son were to live off campus and ride a bike around inside the base he would have no problem driving his car around the state since this is a base requirement and not a CA DMV requirement. Easier way would be to buy a beater car that passes smog. Can he register a car in AK without having to bring it back to AK for the DMV up there to look at it or pass inspection?