California

I've heard that pre 1973 cars are exempt from smog inspection. But the other day a speedster replica owner told me it applied only to pre 1971 cars. He has a 1973 pan and said he has to have his speedster inspected. Anyone know the facts?

1975 and older are exempt from smog checks.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm
-=theron

In California, '73 and earlier vehicles are exempt from annual smog inspection. The value of those 165 horsepower Corvettes went up considerably when it became known you could drop any old big block into them.

I suspect the "inspection" referred to was a brake and lamp inspection (required for all "rebuilt wrecks" and other vehicles coming back from the dead pile. If it was a smog inepection, it was probably a one time event performed to the year of the vehicle.

A '73 or older VIN wil NOT be sent a notice for any annual smog inspection in California.

David, It used to be '73, it is now '75.
-=theron

This information is somewhat incomplete.

In CA, if you have a VW-pan based speedster, it should be titled as a specially constructed vehicle, and the year assigned based on the model year of the engine in the vehicle.

If it's a '73, it may not need a smog check (i.e. tailpipe sniffer test); however, there were emissions standards in 1973, and the motor must have the stock gear (e.g., single carb, vacuum-advanced distributor) and any modern goodies are verboten.

Now, if you buy a '73 pan-based speedster from another individual, and you take it to DMV, and they tell you to go get a smog check, maybe the tech won't fail the car based on a) the car doesn't look like a VW anymore or b) the car is a 200 hp EFI beast with Motec engine management and an MAF. But if you go to the smog referee for any reason, they're very familiar with what's up, because guess what? A lot of VW based kits get built in CA. Ask me how I know.

The correct thing to do would be to come entirely clean and have the car registered as a specially constructed vehicle, make the few trips between DMV, the CHP, the smog referee, and apply for a certificate of sequence:

California gives 500 exemptions each year for specially constructed vechicles. In such case, the car is given the emissions requirements for the model year it most closely resembles. If the car doesn't resemble any previously manufactured model, it gets assigned 1960.

After you receive the certificate of sequence, you go the smog referee and they attach a special tag to the car, and DMV codes the registration so you don't ever get hassled again. Legally, because whether the car gets registered as a '60 or a late '50s speedster, those dates completely predate any emissions control of any kind. You could drop a rocket engine in it if you want.

I am going through this exact process now for a speedster I bought in September. I'll be standing in line first thing tomorrow at the DMV. The 500 certificates for the entire year usually go within a day or two.

You might want to search the archives, there's some good information on this, particularly by some dubiously well-meaning bureaucrat. You can also Google "California" and "certificate of sequence" to find the link on the DMV page.