Just brought my Virginia-bought 94 Camaro Z28 out to Cali.

All the threads here talk about passing emissions with headers/cats/etc., I just want to know if it will pass with everything stock!

I'm worried that GM tried to save money by only putting California emissions stuff on LT1's they actually sold in California... any one have experience with this?

 

I believe it will pass smog, BUT I am not positive. Even with only one cat instead of two it should pass I'd think...

Just make sure it's running clean when you smog it and drive around for a bit to heat up the cat before you smog it as well...

 

Sure it will pass if its stock and the cat is good.

 

Someone I know had a Honda which he bought in NC, drove to CA and failed emissions because it did not have the required CARB emissions equipment on the vehicle even though it was completely stock with nothing ever touched on the engine.
I'm not sure if a LT1 f-body has anything different on them for CA emissions compared to other states, but if it is supposed to and the tech knows what to look for they may fail you just on visual alone.

 

Sounds like your friend took a brand new car into CA. New federal-emissions cars cannot be imported into CA. Used federal-emissions cars can. At one point they charged a $300 fee for doing so, and a lawsuit made them pay all those fees back.

The LT1 vette is identical CA or federal. I understand that some years of the F-body LT1 had a different exhaust (dual cats). Other than that they should be identical.

You do have to meet the same emissions test for the same-year CA car, so if you were in the single-vs-dual cat situation it's possible that you'd have more trouble passing the sniffer.

In 2001, I took a 95 Accord and a 98 Avalon into CA (from NC no less...). The Avalon was always fairly close to failing the sniffer there - I don't know if maybe because of different federal equipment. It was still under warranty so I took it to the dealer but they said it was fine...

 

If it is actually stock, in good tune, and has a decent cat, it should not be an issue for the sniffer. If something is missing, they will fail you on the visual.
One more thing, the pass or don't pay places "seem" to be more willing to help you pass.

 

my 95 formula came from PA and it passed with flying colors even though MA fbodies in 95 had dual cats and it only had a single cat exhaust, but then again, cali is a whole different animal than massachusetts.