CA may cancel smog exemption for old cars

Blind_Io

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http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/ca-looking-to-remove-smog-exemption-from-pre-1976-cars/

In California, home of the strictest car emissions regulations in the U.S., cars produced before 1976 do not need to undergo smog testing. California State Senator Dean Florez has proposed legislation that would remove that exemption for cars registered in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.

What would that mean if it were passed into law? It would mean that as of January 1, 2009, any car registered in a rather large swathe of central California -- from the 1974 Maverick to the 1929 Model A -- would need to pass every current and future smog test. If it didn't, it couldn't be driven.

It is theorized that the move comes because state authorities have missed their air quality goals and are now looking at targeting a tiny fraction of cars. Living in LA, we can't speak for Central California, but most of the pre-1976 vehicles we see here sound and run better than the glut of 80's Toyotas puttering down the streets. What vintage car owners fear is that if the legislation becomes law in the San Joaquin Valley, then it's only a matter of time before it gets adopted everywhere.

Say goodbye to all those beautiful classic cars for which California is known. This almost makes me want to cry after seeing a '57 and '56 Bel Aire convertible, two '57 Tbirds and assorted hot rods this weekend.
 
Because we all know that all those hundreds of old cars are REALLY making an impact on global warming, right?

Your state sucks.
 
This, coming from a sate that actually caused a form of Direct Exhaust Injection to be implemented? Piss off!
 
:blowup: :blowup: :blowup: :blowup:

I heard about this a few days back, needless to say I'm unhappy.

California would be fucking stupid to completely alienate classic cars, it's a major part of the states economy (nearly every after-market parts manufacturer in the US is there, plus most of the hot rod shops).

If this somehow passes I, along with a large number of hot rodders, will be severely fucking pissed off. Nearly all the cars that are exempt never had to meet the regulations before, what will guys who own restored classics do? What regulations exactly will they have to meet, the regs for the latest small hatch, or just the 1980's regulations?

Thing is most of the old cars are rarely driven, except back and forth to car shows, the few of us that do what to drive them on a daily basis are more than accounted for by the Poius driver.

The only saving grace is it's in the farm/wine country and that it apparently is being championed by a bit of a kook. But we all know the slippery slope issue which is what is feared.
 
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If this goes through I will be fucking pissed off.
 
Tell environmentalists to go fuck themselves.

Sorry, I just have to swear whenever I see news like this. It makes me angry.
 
It is theorized that the move comes because state authorities have missed their air quality goals and are now looking at targeting a tiny fraction of cars.

These bureaucratic fucks failed to achive their impossible (read: asinine) goals, so now vintage car enthusiasts are the ones who will have to pay. As someone already pointed out, since it's a big part of the culture/economy, I'm hoping it'll get shot down faster than a foreign air force entering US airspace.
 
These bureaucratic fucks failed to achive their impossible (read: asinine) goals, so now vintage car enthusiasts are the ones who will have to pay.

Nevermind that taking all pre-smog cars off the streets of California would have a negligible, (if even calculable) effect on air quality. Nope, the politicians need a scape goat to appease the legions of whining hippies. Damnit this shit makes me mad.
 
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/ca-looking-to-remove-smog-exemption-from-pre-1976-cars/



Say goodbye to all those beautiful classic cars for which California is known. This almost makes me want to cry after seeing a '57 and '56 Bel Aire convertible, two '57 Tbirds and assorted hot rods this weekend.
Hold on, it was just a few years back that the governor signed in to law the whole exemption to older cars made before 1976 (removing the old system that cars after 30 years of age did not apply), so for a county to just reverse it would be trumped by the state law (if taken to court I would assume). The 1976 law made some sense as you expect modern classics will have some semblance of smog control, but to apply it to all cars is just stupid as the % of them on the road is so small.
 
The law would be overturned. There's a very well defined area in which local laws can supersede state and federal laws and regulations. $20 says this law would be tossed out by the first judge who sees an appeal after it passes.

An a personal note: If WA ever tried to pass this law I'd picket in front of my representatives office with a sign welded out of the mufflers of nasty mid-80's Toyotas that spew un-burnt gas and blue clouds of oil because their hippy ass owners are unwilling to get them tuned up by a proper mechanic.
 
I'm sure Jay Leno is mighty pissed about this. It would make his entire collection of "rolling art" into "just plain art."

California: Land of Fruits & Nuts
 
california can lick my ass and eat my shit. i hope the rest of the US doesnt become this smug about everything. ill have to kill someone
 
I just talked to my brother (vacationing in Ireland before his deployment). His words: "California can slurp shit and die."

Ahh, the eloquence of the infantry.
 
This will do a lot of good for the earth with all the new emissions checking going on here. Oh wait a minute! Ohio did away with emissions checks a few years ago. So what's the point of one state being strict when others couldn't care less?
 
This will do a lot of good for the earth with all the new emissions checking going on here. Oh wait a minute! Ohio did away with emissions checks a few years ago. So what's the point of one state being strict when others couldn't care less?

Because California regulations aren't about Global warming, they are about clean air in the state. They want the shit that makes the sky brown and orange gone, because of the geography of the state it's a pain in the ass to get rid of, especially for the San Joaquin valley. This is also why california has a practical ban on diesels, they may be great for global warming compared to gas, but for clean breathable air that doesn't cause cancer or turn the sky brown (thanks to NOx), not so much.

The air comes in off the coast and pushes all the smog into the valleys (and thats what most of California is) and the smog just sits with no where to go. I believe Greece has the same problem, which is why they have such bad smog as well. Ohio gets the winds coming from Canada to blow across it's farms and push the shit east, and with a lot more rain and cooler temperatures it keeps the smog at bay... yes I read the page on smog from wikipedia.

Gotta love LA (just search "smog" in google and see how many pictures of LA come up).
ozone-pollution-smog.jpg
 
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Ugh, stupid california, thinking that causing classic cars to lose smog exemption will actually effect the air quality. Years ago, when california enacted the crushing of old cars for smog credits deal, HOT ROD rescued a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro that was going to be crushed and smog tested it proving it was clean.

ATTN CALIFORNIA: FUCK YOU
 
Ugh, stupid california, thinking that causing classic cars to lose smog exemption will actually effect the air quality. Years ago, when california enacted the crushing of old cars for smog credits deal, HOT ROD rescued a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro that was going to be crushed and smog tested it proving it was clean.

ATTN CALIFORNIA: FUCK YOU

That program sucks, destroying a lot of nice cars I bet. Thankfully the program only has funding for a limited number of cars.

What pisses me off most about this is that a huge number of these old cars have newer engines shoved in them that are really clean, even without the cats.

I heard that Hot Rod toyed with a Camaro that they modified to build more power and while using a carb, no cats, and a PCV valve they were still able to make it meet the then current smog regs (I believe the article was from the early 90's).
 
Actually, My Jeep is a perfect example of that. Though it may be registered as a 1985 and appear to be a 1985, the engine is out of a 1998, so when I go get it inspected it usually has something like 1/10 of the emissions a 1985 engine would.
 
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