Need build advice in Cali

[BigDaddy95]

Hi all,

My wife and I recently moved to the not so great state of California from Phoenix. We have decided to buy upgrade from the 95 V6 that my dad and I own which is still in Phoenix with a blown motor, to a GT and i have been given the permission from the wife to do with it as I please.

My question is this - How extreme can I go on the motor and still keep the car passing through emissions? maybe a dumb question, but it does need to be a street legal car for date nite and crusing etc . . .

As for additional info to help with any advice - I want to be able to run a twin turbo setup and push around 650-700. I can go with either a 5.0 or 4.6 motor since I can buy whichever I choose (no 03 cobras though) car must be 12K or less to purchase. specific info I am looking for is cam size, heads, exhaust. What have other people been able to do and still pass a smog inspection? Also, does anyone have any info on a reputable speed shop in the north SD county area?

Any help will be greatly appreciated -
Thanks B

 

[Chythar]

I've done some research on smog-legal stuff in California, since I live in West Los Angeles.

The important thing is to make sure any parts you put in the engine have a CARB E.O. number. It's an Exemption Order for the parts, certifying they've been tested and do not adversely affect the emissions of the vehicle. That being said, there's no way to check if any of the internals are not stock, unless the Smog Inspector physically disassembles the car (which they won't). As for the engines themselves, you need to have an engine that was available for the same model year as the chassis or later. So, no carbed engines in the '95. You just need to bring over all the emissions equiptment from the donor car into the '95. This includes the smog pump.

I don't know of any turbo system that's legal in California. The main thing you can NOT change is the fuel flowing into the engine. If the engine you drop in comes with 24lb injectors, you have to keep those injectors. I suppose you could put a turbo on, but you'd run mighty lean without upgraded injectors. Now, you CAN get supercharger kits that have a CARB EO number AND have larger injectors. The CARB EO number on the kit makes it legal.

After you swap the engine, in order to get it legal on the streets you'll need to be inspected by the Smog Referees. They'll check all the emission stuff is there and smog the car. If you pass, they'll put a sticker on the door which'll let you get smogged anywhere.

If you want more details, I would suggest sending a PM to bdcardinal here on Stangnet. He is a Smog Referee here in CA and should be able to answer your questions better than I can.

 

[BigDaddy95]

thanks for the help. I'll take your advice and see what happens. I'm puzzled by the turbo thing though because i have seen a lot of turbo'd mustangs and also nitrous set-up where much bigger injectors are used on street driven vehicles so I'm curious what is going on there. Also does that then mean you cant install larger fuel pumps, rails, etc. . .?