Engine Swap Laws
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From: SOUTH Jersey
As the subject has come up time and time again.. and this and HP.com were the only sites I kept hearing that engine swaps were illegal.. I decided to do a little google research to see what the truth is...
And the truth of the matter... what we have been hearing is wrong. It is NOT illegal to swap engines. Like I had been told elsewhere.. A swap is perfectly legal as long as you obey a few certain rules.
The number one of which is: The Federal Department of Transportation recognises that any emissions related law set down in California is applicable everywhere else. If something is legal in Ca. It is legal in Florida, New York, and even Alaska.
California's laws on engine swaps are rather simple really.
The engine has to come from the same class of vehicle as defined by weight. Even if it could be done, a Ford Focus cannot accept an angine from a Ford F750 superduty.. it can however accept an engine from a Mustang Cobra R.
The engine must either be as new as or newer than the car it is going into. A 71 chevelle can accept an LS1 from a 97 camaro.
Or the engine must be made to conform to the emissions laws of the newer vehicle. That 97 camaro can accept a 71 Chevelle engine.. provided it can accept all the emissions related controls and pass both the visual and the tailpipe test of the 97 camaro.
No where does it state that you cannot swap an engine from one make and model into another make and model. Only that ALL emissions related equipment must be in place and functional and that it must conform to the newest part.. either the engine or the chassis it is bolted to.
Swap Article <--- click me!
What this means.. we CAN swap in a 4g63t From the Evo8 into a 99 tiburon.. but you cannot swap the beta from the tib into the evo (not that you would want to) unless you can make that older beta engine accept the Evo's emissions controls and put out no more emissions than the engine that came out of the Evo.
And the truth of the matter... what we have been hearing is wrong. It is NOT illegal to swap engines. Like I had been told elsewhere.. A swap is perfectly legal as long as you obey a few certain rules.
The number one of which is: The Federal Department of Transportation recognises that any emissions related law set down in California is applicable everywhere else. If something is legal in Ca. It is legal in Florida, New York, and even Alaska.
California's laws on engine swaps are rather simple really.
The engine has to come from the same class of vehicle as defined by weight. Even if it could be done, a Ford Focus cannot accept an angine from a Ford F750 superduty.. it can however accept an engine from a Mustang Cobra R.
The engine must either be as new as or newer than the car it is going into. A 71 chevelle can accept an LS1 from a 97 camaro.
Or the engine must be made to conform to the emissions laws of the newer vehicle. That 97 camaro can accept a 71 Chevelle engine.. provided it can accept all the emissions related controls and pass both the visual and the tailpipe test of the 97 camaro.
No where does it state that you cannot swap an engine from one make and model into another make and model. Only that ALL emissions related equipment must be in place and functional and that it must conform to the newest part.. either the engine or the chassis it is bolted to.
Swap Article <--- click me!
What this means.. we CAN swap in a 4g63t From the Evo8 into a 99 tiburon.. but you cannot swap the beta from the tib into the evo (not that you would want to) unless you can make that older beta engine accept the Evo's emissions controls and put out no more emissions than the engine that came out of the Evo.
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Hahaha...
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This is what I get when I get second hand information from a certain someone *cough*Shad*cough*.
Actually...I think he was confusing it with SCCA/CCCA regulations...where it states that you cannot switch a different make engine, or you get disqualified.
But you have to admit, no where does it even state that you can swap different make engines. The guy who wrote that was using the example of a same make Chevy engine. Yes, it says that the engine must conform to that model's emissions, but it doesn't really specify if you can. Best thing to do is for someone to purchase the book. We could assume, but it's better to double check.
Besides...a 4G63T with an AWD tranny in a RD Tib has already been done (go search on cardomain.com for it). So, unless you're a hard core tuner, originality went out the window. wink1.gif
haha.gif
This is what I get when I get second hand information from a certain someone *cough*Shad*cough*.
Actually...I think he was confusing it with SCCA/CCCA regulations...where it states that you cannot switch a different make engine, or you get disqualified.
QUOTE
No where does it state that you cannot swap an engine from one make and model into another make and model. Only that ALL emissions related equipment must be in place and functional and that it must conform to the newest part.. either the engine or the chassis it is bolted to.
But you have to admit, no where does it even state that you can swap different make engines. The guy who wrote that was using the example of a same make Chevy engine. Yes, it says that the engine must conform to that model's emissions, but it doesn't really specify if you can. Best thing to do is for someone to purchase the book. We could assume, but it's better to double check.
Besides...a 4G63T with an AWD tranny in a RD Tib has already been done (go search on cardomain.com for it). So, unless you're a hard core tuner, originality went out the window. wink1.gif
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You also have to remember about OBD2 testing. A buddy of mine wanted to put an older h22 into his accord, but they said that he must get 96+ engine because older ones are not OBD2 capable or w/e
Btw, 97 Camaros still have LT1 engine.
Btw, 97 Camaros still have LT1 engine.
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From: SOUTH Jersey
ORBII is part of emissions equipment. So you would have to make that work with the older engine... if you could.
And who said anything about going AWD? Granted, I am sure the almost 300hp Evo8 4g63t is a bit of overkill in a front driver.. but consider that unlike converting a beta to turbo, that is a factory job.
And who said anything about going AWD? Granted, I am sure the almost 300hp Evo8 4g63t is a bit of overkill in a front driver.. but consider that unlike converting a beta to turbo, that is a factory job.
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QUOTE (Mad-Machine @ Jul 21 2005, 07:44 AM)
ORBII is part of emissions equipment. So you would have to make that work with the older engine... if you could.
And who said anything about going AWD? Granted, I am sure the almost 300hp Evo8 4g63t is a bit of overkill in a front driver.. but consider that unlike converting a beta to turbo, that is a factory job.
And who said anything about going AWD? Granted, I am sure the almost 300hp Evo8 4g63t is a bit of overkill in a front driver.. but consider that unlike converting a beta to turbo, that is a factory job.
Negative:
4G63T AWD RD1 Tiburon
No. Not factory. Just requires one to know how to modify the chassis for such a conversion. You may lose some structural integrity modifying the floor pan (since it's like a giant shear panel), but with an appropriate roll cage, such a modification is not too farfetched. This is, of course, assuming you do all the work. Letting a shop do the work for you would cost more than an arm and a leg.
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Vehicle: 05 Subaru WRX
way to get off topic there red z lmao offtopic.gif
if you wana swap just go geta viper engine and swap into to the tib... i dont know where you will stick your feet but it would haul a$$
if you wana swap just go geta viper engine and swap into to the tib... i dont know where you will stick your feet but it would haul a$$
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QUOTE (ArcticChill @ Jul 21 2005, 11:07 AM)
Negative:
4G63T AWD RD1 Tiburon
No. Not factory. Just requires one to know how to modify the chassis for such a conversion. You may lose some structural integrity modifying the floor pan (since it's like a giant shear panel), but with an appropriate roll cage, such a modification is not too farfetched. This is, of course, assuming you do all the work. Letting a shop do the work for you would cost more than an arm and a leg.
4G63T AWD RD1 Tiburon
No. Not factory. Just requires one to know how to modify the chassis for such a conversion. You may lose some structural integrity modifying the floor pan (since it's like a giant shear panel), but with an appropriate roll cage, such a modification is not too farfetched. This is, of course, assuming you do all the work. Letting a shop do the work for you would cost more than an arm and a leg.
hail.gif hail.gif hail.gif
Amazing!