Hey guys.... and gals..... My dad is replacing the engine in my 79 Bronco. He really wants a 460 in it but in order to get it to smog it would have to be a 1995 engine (fuel injected). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>Has anyone put a ford carbureted racing engine in their truck or any other ford car for that matter? California has terrible smog laws and i want to keep the carbureted style of engine.... It has to pass!

Here is a link to the FORD RACING BLOCKS...<o></o>
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Ford Racing Performance Parts - [Crate Engines]<o></o>

 

Forget it.

AFAIK, the V8s for '79 were the 400 and 351m.

Since the 460 was not an OEM engine for that model, you probably can't swap it in. It would have to go through a referee, and good luck with that. You would be gambling the entire cost of the conversion, and as you noted and as indicated below, it would have to pass as though it was OEM. Again, good luck getting a new crate engine to pass for that year.

You can add CARB approved parts, if you can find any, for your existing engine. (Doug Thorley, for example, does not list headers for a '79 Bronco)

Engine Change Guidelines

Another mention on page 1-31 here:

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResource...heck_Guide.pdf

 

Damn, you cant swap a different eongine than what was offered by the manuf for the model year you have? Would they even know a 400 from a 460?

 

Actually. I have heard that a 460 was an option outside of california for a special order. Had to do with emission stuff so they werent allowed here.

And the stupid referee stuff is the only prob here. Right now the engine doesnt pass visual inspection so i have to change it out but i really want to keep a carburated engine..

 

Build the 351 or 400 .... or move.

I'ld do the 400 .... and still move.

 

You could fiddle with the 400 enough and still pass, probably.

Not sure the timing set change would harm emissions enough to be noticed. A '79 is going to have whopper limits methinks....

Do you have a smog test printout from the last time it was tested? If so, post what the engine tested at, and the limits for Nox and HC.

 

Right now the engine doesnt pass visual inspection so i have to change it out


visual inspection like they pop the hood and check for emissions parts that are missing and look underneith to see you have junked the cat? put the parts back on and pass your test

 

Is it a CA vehicle or 49 state? Emissions tag will or printout will say "CA" or "Federal".

 

rent a Post Office Box in Montana. wait 6 months and then go on vacation to Montana and register your truck there. Keep the post Office Box and re-register it there. If anyone asks, you have a summer home in Montana!!

Legal, Probably not (seriously don't ask) but if you don't know for sure, what can they do? yell at you?

 

I just read the CA. laws on engine changes. GEEZ, I thought we had tough laws in Ontario!!! Those laws are enough to make a guy move anywhere but California. Good luck with your endevors. I don't envy the challenges that you face or will have to face. John

 

In California you get a ticket for out of state plates after I think 30 days. Ain't California great. Pre 75 gas and pre 97 diesel is the only way to go.

 

I hate this place. California has become a joke ever since Reagan left from governor.............. Come to think of it, the whole country hasent been the same since he was president.lol ( and i mean we are going down the tubes)

 

When Reagan left, you couldn't see accross LA or any of the valleys most days. (Not blaming him). They did clean up the air, but the nitpicking on engine swaps that will test cleaner than OEM is maddening. But, no secrets or surprises, it's all out there so you don't do something that can't be approved.

Don't know what to tell you other than go newer and get something that runs decent stock, or go older and be exempt.

Back to my question--have you owned this thing long enough to have had it tested? And if so, do you have the printout from a test that it passed?

Don't tell me you bought it without a smog and are now trying to get it registered in your name....

 

Will your Dad adopt me? Must be nice to have 10k to drop on your motor

 

There's no mercy in CA for 1976 and newer vehicles. If ya update your rig (the 79 with a newer engine) then ya gotta meet the emissions standards and equipment of the newer engine... That's why all my toys are exempt.

You can swap in a 460 so long as you can prove it came carbureted but that means finding all the tidbits (including air pump and all the vacuum hosed googaws) and swap it in...For example, if you swap in a 5.4 from a 2001 F150, then ya gotta meet the 2001 standards AND equipment. The laws allow you to update but not backdate. Meaning, you cannot swap in an FE into a 77 or newer rig since an FE was last offered in 1976.

Once the swap is completed, then you'll be subject to the CARB referee (a mechanic in bureaucratic clothing) for a certification decal signifyng that the swap conforms to the standards for that year engine. Any upgrades you do also need to come with an EO number (Exemption Order). Getting an EO is really expensive for manufacturers like Edelbrock, K&N, and Holley. I went through it once with my autocross racer (an 81 with an 87 engine) and hated the entire process.

In partnership with SEMA, GM came out with an LS swap kit with the engine, cats, manifolds, 'puter, and harness - absolutely everything to update a non-exempt car like an 80s Camaro, El Camino, or Firebird. The kit runs about $9K. It's a cool azz kit but Ford hasn't developed a package (yet) like GM has done. It's been a boon to those with regulated vehicles. I toyed with the idea but in the end I like my blue ovals too much.

I say screw CA and go with an exempt rig and Gearhead Freedom!!!