Comments on: California To Repeal Pre-’76 Smog Exemption?

By: JTSParts

JTSParts — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:00:26 +0000

Originally there was going to be a rolling date of smog exemption, something like every 5 years we moved the exempt year up one year. This was in exchange for passing stricter emmisions standards. We passed the standards and they cancelled the rolling date! Love that. So if you have a pre 1975 car that has been modified you will soon be unable to register it, this happened to me in the 80’s. Fortunately there were other avenues back then. Test the tail pipe for every car on the road. If it passes it passes…

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:29:37 +0000

I own a 58 Chevy and love classic cars of all types. I tend to notice a pre-72 car going down the road (and I doubt there are many more ‘73, ‘74, and ‘75 cars) This time of the year is when the classics come out of the wood work and I doubt that I see more than four or five in a day. I can also tell you that most companies in the business of insuring classics limit you to 2,000 miles per year, which makes daily drivers rare, as you wouldn’t be able to get insurance that would cover the true value of the car. There is no way that the classics account for any significant pollution.

By: John Williams

John Williams — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:17:05 +0000

This is what I like about the Great State of Alabama: no emissions testing whatsoever to worry about.

Someday, the CARB shenanigans will end. At least, I hope.

By: Landcrusher

Landcrusher — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:25:48 +0000

Truly Sid, You are going to have to change that moniker if you keep it up. Good work though.

By: golden2husky

golden2husky — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:36:35 +0000

As a person who regularly supports environmental causes, I think this is ludicrous. The amount of emissions from these early cars probably rounds to near zero relative to all vehicular traffic. If the goal is really for clean air and not for money, post 1985 cars should be emission tested in all states. Being concerned with pre ‘76 emissions is like saying that you pet canary is eating you out of house and home.

By: seabrjim

seabrjim — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:55:05 +0000

Are you friggin kidding me? California (or north Mexico, take your pick) has hospitals going under monthly, schools in the same boat because of illegals who dont even bother to hide anymore, (illegal supposedly meaning against the law, like robbery)Gangs killing each other and this is what he picks to thump his chest? Being “green” wont get him elected again, if thats what he is thinking. Maybe he should look around. The Beach Boys, drive ins, surfers, drag strips, and surfer girls are gone, the latter all probably raped and murdered. It is no longer a place to write lyrics about, or jump in the van and drive there for the summer. It is a place to RUN FROM! I am glad he feels the state is so buttoned down that this is all that is left to worry about.

By: OldandSlow

OldandSlow — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:45:51 +0000

….and just what percentage of cars being referred to as junk are a 1975 or earlier model? Of that 1% or less slice of the entire pie, how many are daily drivers?

By: EJ_San_Fran

EJ_San_Fran — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:52:17 +0000

So how do we get rid of all these old, stinky clunkers around?
Collectors items, fine. Special purpose race vehicles, fine. Those might have special permits.

But in general, please get that junk off the road!

By: 50merc

50merc — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:54:08 +0000

Sid, you keep acting that way and you’ll have to change your moniker to Sid Notsovicious. Even if you are on the lam from CARB’s vigilantes.

By: splittie

splittie — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:05:28 +0000

The major problem:

California lawmakers have their heads way up their ass. In fact most would agree (non Californians) that California in general has their heads way way way up their asses.. I know first hand because I live here.

California is a socialist state…. Those of you disagree need simply to understand the procedural mechanisms to which lawmakers get their laws passed.

By: TomAnderson

TomAnderson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:59:18 +0000

It’s just amazing how narrow-minded our “leaders” are.

I think SEMA needs to start holding bake sales at car shows and other pistonhead functions so they can raise the scratch to start wining and dining state legislators to the extent that energy companies, chemical companies, the airlines and other big polluters already do.

I mean, it’s not like our politicians are into actual numbers, facts or common sense…that’s crazy talk up in $acramento!

By: TriShield

TriShield — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:57:57 +0000

Do pre-1976 vehicles really make up a substantial portion of the total vehicles on CA roads? Somehow I doubt it.

By: David Holzman

David Holzman — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:40:42 +0000

Dean Florez should be condemned to driving a Trabant for the rest of his life. And to write on the blackboard 10,000 times, “I will try in the future always to look at the big picture.”

Sid Vicious: kudos for making some poor old lady’s life a bit easier.

By: NICKNICK

NICKNICK — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:09:11 +0000

# Orian :
March 31st, 2008 at 3:05 pm

“I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked the emissions from a car’s exhaust (and they’re not nearly as bad as they used to be) will kill you if you inhale enough of them.”

yeah, so will water.

By: Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:50:36 +0000

How long has the current pre-76 exemption been in place?

I’ve told this story before here – In the early 90’s I was a Customer Service engineer at Ford. One of the things I did was respond to customer requests regarding the emissions content that their cars were originally equipped with.

Almost all these requests came from California. It seemed to me that the Nazis were trying to do everything they could to get old cars off the road. The typical scenario went 1) At smog check time the testing authority told the owner that their car was missing an emissions component 2) Customer requested that Ford verify the stuff the car came with 3) I wrote a letter to CARB verifying that the car indeed never had a XXXXX.

I was always honest except for once. A presumably elderly woman called in tears. CARB was telling her that her car needed to have an air pump and that it was missing. She contended that she had owned the Mustang since new and that she had never removed anything – why would she. Research showed that her car indeed was originally equipped with an air pump. I figured that some mechanic over the years had stolen it, given it’s value to keeping a car smog legal. I wrote the letter indicating that her car never had an air pump. Score one for the good guys.

I’m currently hiding from the CARB Nazis somewhere in the Great Black Swamp of Ohio…..

By: nathaniel

nathaniel — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:43:23 +0000

The irony is that all those veedub bugs and buses will be kicked off the road as a result. Both pistonheads and San Fran hippys could team up to protest this one.

How about we green some frickin houses first? Is it astonishing how much energy is wasted and pollution made from supporting inefficient housing.

By: OldandSlow

OldandSlow — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:06:26 +0000

Senator Dean Florez obviously has too much time on his hands – considering the State of California’s current budget deficit. Look’s like the motor heads will be voting Replublican in the Fall.

http://dist16.casen.govoffice.com/

If you live in his district, send him an email.

By: Orian

Orian — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:05:37 +0000

I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked the emissions from a car’s exhaust (and they’re not nearly as bad as they used to be) will kill you if you inhale enough of them.

By: huy

huy — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:01:22 +0000

The automotive industry is always the scapegoat for pollution. It’ll never end.