CA smog

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geospider
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Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 9:07 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Spider 2000
Location: concord, ca

CA smog

Post by geospider »

I believe that anytime one of us here in Ca can pass smog, it deserves a mention.

I just passed smog. And that is after having to take off the Weber 32/36 and single plane and putting the 1979 garbage back on and get the crazy vac lines going (still had some kind of vac leak given it would stumble a bit under load) but I now will have 2 years of fun before doing it again.

Geo
toyfiats
Posts: 313
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:24 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat Spider
Location: Concord, CA

Re: CA smog

Post by toyfiats »

Your a better man than I. I would grow despondent just thinking about INSTALLING the '79 set-up onto a car. Normally it's the other way around, and always feels good to get rid of all that unnecessary complication.
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geospider
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Your car is a: 1979 Spider 2000
Location: concord, ca

Re: CA smog

Post by geospider »

Well, fellow Concordian, I have already started putting the good stuff back on.
Will be a lot quicker, and of course make me a lot happier.

I am near the PH BART, just in the Concord limits. Where r u?

Geo
toyfiats
Posts: 313
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:24 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat Spider
Location: Concord, CA

Re: CA smog

Post by toyfiats »

geospider wrote:Well, fellow Concordian, I have already started putting the good stuff back on.
Will be a lot quicker, and of course make me a lot happier.

I am near the PH BART, just in the Concord limits. Where r u?

Geo
Just off Willow Pass Road, about a block away from the former Naval Weapons Station open space.
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nelsonj
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:37 pm
Your car is a: 1972 Spider 124

Re: CA smog

Post by nelsonj »

As a fellow CA, I concur you deserve a hearty "Congratulations". 76/77/78/79 are the most difficult to smog. Given what most people do to 79's, it may be the MOST difficult of any year. Congratulations.

My solution was to go pre-75. I simply wasn't willing to spend the money (and more importantly the time) on a restoration, only to be unable to drive in a year or two because it wouldn't pass smog.

Again - congratulations.
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Simi Valley, California
Spider 1800
Romans 10:9
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geospider
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Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 9:07 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Spider 2000
Location: concord, ca

Re: CA smog

Post by geospider »

I am feeling I have my "smog" and 'anti-smog" configurations figured out. Just don't change any settings and remember where all the lines go. A week or so of garbage and 2 years of fun. I don't think ol Gavin will ever understand the classic car culture of CA. Damn near EVERY state has classic car reg, but not us. Oh no, way too special. Yet we have a strong car culture. Someone smarter than I need to figure that nonsense out.
I do have a carb savant in the area just in case

Geo

toyfiats: lets grab a beer sometime.
will send PM
scrapironchef
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:06 pm
Your car is a: 79 Spider
Location: Richmond, CA

Re: CA smog

Post by scrapironchef »

Find, someone/somewhere east of 5 to "garage" your car at, you'll only have to retest if you sell it in state.

Don't ask me how I know...

Larry in Richmond
SteinOnkel
Posts: 1000
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:31 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider 1800

Re: CA smog

Post by SteinOnkel »

Or get a smog guy. Every car enthusiast I know out here has one.
axelbaker
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Oakland CA USA

Re: CA smog

Post by axelbaker »

Is pre-FI really that hard to pass smog with? The previous owner had the FI adjusted ridiculously rich on my '81 and I still passed smog with flying colors. I just had to pass visual and then a run at idle and rolling road run at 2500 rpm.

BTW I am just up the road in Oakland.
wubie317
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:54 pm
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat Spider
Location: Sonoma, CA

Re: CA smog

Post by wubie317 »

I'm 3 checks into it with my '77 and have passed easily each time...except for the time I forgot to reset timing to 0°...but did that and passed right away. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones?
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: CA smog

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Despite all my grumbling about smog checks, my '69 and '71 spiders always passed back when they still had to be tested. The smog check technician always had to lean out the idle mixture adjustment which made the idle very poor, which I of course smoothed out as soon as I got home. This was back when smog check technicians would (or were allowed to) make some adjustments to get it to pass. Not sure they can still do that.

As I recall, before 2005, CA smog checks were required up until the point a vehicle was 30 years old. After 2005, all 1976 and newer vehicles had to be smogged and there was no more 30 year rolling exemption. Not sure of the logic behind this, as 1976 model cars are 43 years old at this point, and how many of them are still driven annually any significant mileage compared to all the other cars on the road? OK, I feel another rant coming on, so I'll stop here.

-Bryan
SteinOnkel
Posts: 1000
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:31 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider 1800

Re: CA smog

Post by SteinOnkel »

We are working on that:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/face ... 20200AB210

Call, e-mail your representatives and most importantly SHOW UP to the hearings. I can't believe only one (ONE!) "private individual" showed up to the last hearing on the bill...and he was against it. The car community is massive in CA, but we just can't be bothered to lift a finger.
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: CA smog

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Well, I'll be darned... Run for office Steiny; I'll vote for you!! 8)

-Bryan
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