Hey guy's I was thinking about doing headers soon. I really want to put on some LT's but I have emissions here in California. I might be able to get someone to pass the car for me come smog time. My question is if I can't get the car to pass, would it be practicle for me to swap the stock manifolds back in, smog it, then put the LT's back on? Is this more of a hastle then it's worth? I would be doing all the work myself with some help from my dad if I needed it. Should I go with the Long Tubes or stick with the shorties?
Thanks in advance for the advice everyone.

 

My Son As A 96 Ta With Hot Cam And Headers Plus 52 Throttle Body It Passes Smog .all You Have To Have Is The Carb Numbers.plus Pcm Has To Be Reworked. But It Is Easy To Do Thur Pcm4less. We have lot of fun with this .combo

 

not really sure, but I have heard from friends here in Denver that used to live in CA that some inspectors can be ****** and fail it because the laws say the cats and other emissions stuff can not be relocated. if you have someone that will let that go just make sure you have the EO #'s for everything, including hi-flo cats if you use them.

here in CO we have to go to state run centers, but they are a bit more lenient. though I will admit I have the EO # stickers under my hood just in case. last year my tests came out at about 1/3 of the allowable limits with everything in sig but the MSD on it. so I don't think the LT's will make it that much worse.

 

Im not too worried about passing the sniffer, I think that I can still do that with the LT's as long as I throw a cat on. Im worried about passing the visual. I didn't think that LT's had carb #'s on them; do they? I was thinking about the Hookers, or Pacesetters.

ir383: Does your son have Long Tubes or Shorties? I know I can get some shorties that are legal in California, I just figured that if I was going to put on some headers it would be better to get some LT's for the extra HP.

 

LT's are not smog legal and carry no CARB number and you will fail the visual in all likelyhood. That's not to say you couldn't get lucky or supply a CARB number for a different set of headers though...it's been known to happen.

Personally, I just went with the SLP 1-3/4's to avoid the hassle. Swapping back and forth is an option too...but hardly worth the effort in my opinion. Then again, I've heard of folks that swap entire motors for emissions...the choice is yours!

 

Passing emissions in Cali. might be more of a chore then you think. My LT's didn't come with carb #s and I have the Pacesetter set. Also,once you get the y-pipe for the LT headers, you will see how difficult it is to run cats. as space under the vehicle is rather limited with such things as the brake/fuel lines and a torque arm in the way. You are probably thinking you can run a cat. at the end of the y-pipe and that will clean up your exhaust enough to pass the sniffer, but with the cat. that far back, it might not even heat up enough in which it can efficiently do its job. Also, as stated above, they can give you a hard time if the cats are not in their original spots and with LTs, the cats I can assure you will not be in their original spots. Another option besides the LTs and shorties would be the Mid-length headers. You can get really good power gains with these as well and I believe you can keep your stock style y-pipe(although some fabrication is needed), making it easier to pass emissions. I had trouble just trying to get my car to pass Illinois emissions with my LTs, if I were to do it again, I would have done some type of mid-lengths. Sorry about the long post, hope this helps a little though.

 

i have slp with smog stuff still there i wanted Lts but herd has to be in stock locations.i met a bunch of guys in cali no cats Lts cams what ever so im thinking screw it and do the same even if engine light is on you fail and smog pump cuases back fires so your dammed anyway you look at it i really dont think you get much horse power gian over slp shortys its more if you just dont have cats.ive seriosly thought of making my car a track only car and trailer it if i want to race.

 

Are the mid's legal here in California, I've heard the mac's are the best mid's, do they carry a carb #? I have a friend who has a '03 silverado with LT's, ORY with no cats. he takes it to a guy and gets it to pass for a little extra $$. Im thinking that this guy might end up in jail eventually, so I would be screwed if I did this to my car and then couldn't get it smoged.

Advice frome anyone who has done this swap themselves would be much appreciated. Is it too much of a PITA to swap them out everytime I get it smoged? I would probably go with LT's, ORY, no cats, then swap all the stock stuff back in come smog time.

 

I'm not sure if the mids carry a carb sticker, hopefully somebody that has them will chime in. As for swapping stock manifolds/y-pipe with LTs/ORY, it is going to me more of a hassle then it is worth in my opinion.

 

Hey buddy, (the one with the original post),
I am also in the dilemma. CA is strict on laws, however, people, especially in the racing scene assume to much. Im not saying that the obvious isnt there. One must research it, look up C.A.R.B for CA on google and understand the laws.

I have had the discussion on here pertaining to Pacesetter, people on here like them. I have heard both and decided away from them.

BBk's chromed shorties are great. Edelbrocks are good to but need to be chromed or coated. Hookers are hookers. LT's just wont pass unless you have a "connection". Im a firm believer in LT's but, its CA.

BTW, swapping exhaust headers is no easy task.

One thing I know is that shorties are good for what they are.

Hope this helps.

 

Exactly which part of "you can't move the cats" do you not understand?

I do not claim to be the expert here, but I have always heard that you cannot alter the location or number of cats. And that goes for most, if not all states. At least that is what I've always assummed.

That is why most of us do not have LTs. Lts supposedly give more hp, especially down low than, eg. SLP shorties.

I run SLP dual-cat shorities on my 97SS. My rationalization is that since I already have a low-end lt1 plus a low-end cam plus 4.10 gears, that I have plenty of low end and don't need Lts anyway. My 1 3/4 SLPs should provide me with a little more mid range and upper power.

Just how much I am losing by not going with Lts, I don't know, but I doubt that it is so much that I would risk having someone catch me at the emissions station and wind up having to get rid of them. JMHO

 

I understand now (since starting this thread) that I can't move my cats.
My question was would it be too much of a PITA to change in/out the headers for smog (I think I found the answer: YES!).
Im still waiting for an answer to the question about the CARB#/ mid's though.

 

OK: you understand, but I don't. Ever since I've heard that you cannot have long tubes because you would have to move that cat further away from the exhaust ports, I have tried on several occasions to find the rule (I am assuming it is a FEDERAL rule and not just a CA thing. But alas, I have yet to find the regulation, just hearsay crap.

I will give it another shot. Perhaps we've all been duped into believing that you just can't have long tubes. If and when I find the answer, I will surely post it so that everyone can benefit.

 

It is part of the Federal regulations that the cats cannot be moved from the stock location. You can find it on a gov't site, but it is hard to find. I have seen the text of the regulations in the past.
I remember also seeing that it is legal to remove a cat for replacement only if it is faulty.

 

longtubes sounds nice but I dont think they are worth the trouble on a street car my son has bbk mid,s .cats are in stock locations and it passed visual insp. On the other hand my 94 is a 383 with a huge cam gears and all the goodles. but every 2 years I must tear it down and put in my zz3 cam to pass smog. but my car sits in the gar. until the weekend. Its all in what you want and are willing to do work wise .It takes me about 2 days to change over to the zz3 and the same 2 days back,but Iam good for to years fun on the street!