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Hi Andy, I don't want to quibble, only to comment constructively, but have to take exception to a few things here.
"The yellow sticker tells what equipment was fitted on the car from the factory."
The sticker in question is always under the hood, it should tell (note I said should tell, not does tell) emissions information for the vehicle including what equipment was fitted and whether the car was built to California or Federal/49-State standards and some basic tune-up info. Stickers these days are pretty uniform and accurate. Stickers those days were often incomplete and inaccurate. Unless the car has no sticker or a non-original sticker (due to a fender or hood change for example), its information would overrule application guide information from sources such as Mitchell if there is a conflict.
"If the sticker doesn't call for it, it isn't required to retrofit it, unless you've moved the car to California, which had different rules than anyone else and does require retrofitting of equipment that meets California standards."
As a former but no-longer-practicing CA smog tech, I say this is not correct and has never been correct. CA does have some different rules that is true. The rules have never required retrofitting Federal cars to CA standards. It is true that A)At one time there was a $300.00 fee assessed for bringing a Federal car into CA for registration and this was eventually overturned and everybody got a refund. Also, B) CA did require retrofits to some vehicles for a while, regardless of CA or Federal, with a device to retard timing from factory spec to supposedly control NOx, I am not sure this provision has ever been repealed but today such retrofits are no longer practiced. Also C), "grey market" vehicles imported from other countries, that were never made to either CA or Federal emission standards, have been required (nationwide I think, but certainly in CA) to be retrofitted, but again there was never any requirement to retrofit Federal vehicles to CA standards, and if you can demonstrate the contrary I will happily eat crow. Those three examples are the closest I can come to grains of truth in what you report about CA requiring retrofits. (NOTE: By "retrofit" I understand "add equipment not originally on the vehicle as manufactured." By "restore" I understand "replace equipment originally supplied on the vehicle, that somebody took off.")
"As far as the unleaded fuel restrictor goes, there isn't leaded fuel available now in general distribution, so that's really a moot point."
Well maybe kinda sorta. As a practical matter I agree. As to what is required by regulation in a smog check, if it was on the vehicle as built, it is required to pass a smog check. And (picky point, but accurate to my understanding of how a smog check should be conducted in CA), if a restrictor was on the vehicle as built, it is still required to pass, even if the restrictor is on a vehicle that has no catalytic convertor and therefore no practical requirement for unleaded gas.
"My current '78 99L had a header on it when I bought it, and no CAT. (The "Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker next to the filler neck was the giveaway.)"
I am unclear what that gives away, unless that it had a cat as manufactured. If so, then you would be properly required to restore it to original condition (as opposed to retrofitting to some other set of equipment than as manufactured) to pass CA smog. The same basic requirement exists nationwide, you are not supposed to change the manufactured configuration; but obviously where there is no emissions testing, or where testing programs do not visually examine equipment to verify that it is as manufactured, there is no enforcement.
"I had to fit a CAT system, despite the fact that the car passed the DEQ test without it, because the yellow sticker says I have a CAT. I tried (without success) to argue that the CAT was not a 49-state _requirement_ until 1980, except that many cars in the west had them because they were sold as high altitude cars (I live at less than 150 ft above sea level, but there are 3500-4000 ft mountain passes within a couple hours drive)."
To retiterate, basically the car needs to be equipped as manufactured, or only modified with allowable or approved emissions equipment, or it should not pass a smog test. I hope this provides some perspective on a subject where misunderstandings abound. I am not trying to defend regulations across the board or any particular one, that is another discussion entirely; I am just trying to give my understanding of applicable rules.
posted by 198.69.25...
, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 13:32:36, Fri, 16 Jul 2004 09:41:44, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 14:39:12, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 12:51:35, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 13:31:09, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 14:11:56
, Thu, 15 Jul 2004 19:34:28
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