Hey guys, going to be moving to Houston area here shortly, and I have a few questions.

I am in the process of getting rid of my F-body because it would take WAY too much to make it legal in Texas. But the car I am working the deal for is a 95 Impala SS.

Can you tell me what I am going to need on the car to keep it legal and licensed down there. We dont have any inspections or emissions in Michigan. I am having him put a crack free windshield in it, and he is going to put a new dual exhaust system with cats on it, because now it has straight pipes basically. But what about things like the EGR and AIR pump. Those are long gone on this car too.

Also, the motor is stock other than a Hotcam kit in it, I would think that would pass emissions, but you tell me. I dont want to trade for a car that I wont be able to bring with me.

Q

 

Depends on exactly what county. But in this area(around Houston), we have both visual(safety) and emissions tests. If the car is computor controlled the emissions part is just a plug-in to check for stored codes. The visual can be difficult, depending on where you go.

P.S. If you can afford it I would try to find something a little newer, thats stock.

 

What about a PO box address and a phone bill sent to that address in another county. One that has no emissions?

 

I am a fellow Michigander that the Army has relocated to Texas. Like the above poster, it depends on which county. Where I am at in the Ft.Hood area there is no emission inspection, just a visual (horn, lights ect) I would do a search on the exact country you plan to move to and see what thier standards are.

Alot of military people keep thier hot rod registered in their home state due to the emissions and inspections. None of my vehicles has any emission garbage on it, but they have Michigan plates. Can you keep them registered in Michigan just using maybe a relatives address?

 

Houston area will have emissions and visual inspections. I already checked.

 

These sites might help

Registration: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/drivers_vehicles/

Emissions: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/

 

You might get away with having AIR and EGR removed, depending on how much the inspector knows. I can't see passing the visual without cats, any idiot can find a cat. You can't have a MIL on (though you can pass with pending / history codes, as long as you have 2 or fewer "not readys").

I passed with long tubes and cats, they took a look under the hood and under the car. All of my emissions systems are installed and fully functioning, but I don't have a tune so I do have intermittent MIL due to catalyst and downstream O2's.

OBD 2 cars do not do a tailpipe test, only MIL check and visual. Honestly for me a tailpipe test would be preferred since I think my car runs pretty clean (doesn't stink), but they won't even allow it if you have OBD-ii (would suck to fail for a non-emissions code but you would which does not seem fair). The fact that the testing is done like it is tells you that this is a money grab and a tax on the working poor, and from the cars I get stuck behind every day it does not get the gross polluters off the road.