How many of you Kalifornyan's with 24v e30's are smog legal?

[cmybimmer]

Wanted to know if many people on here go through the trouble to make there e30's smog legal after doing a 24v swap... How have you guys gone about it? Im just now wrapping up my m50 swap and was told that if I wanted to get it barred that I needed the ignition, key, and paperwork of the previous car of the motor. The PO no longer has those :down:

Any of you guys just drive the way it is? What are my options? Thanks

[MG325i]

yeee30's car passed bar and has his sticker.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Wanted to know if many people on here go through the trouble to make there e30's smog legal after doing a 24v swap... How have you guys gone about it? Im just now wrapping up my m50 swap and was told that if I wanted to get it barred that I needed the ignition, key, and paperwork of the previous car of the motor. The PO no longer has those :down:

Any of you guys just drive the way it is? What are my options? Thanks

Sounds like you are confusing for m52 obdII. If you are m50, you won't need the stuff to be obdII, as your engine would be obdI.

[cmybimmer]

yeee30's car passed bar and has his sticker.

Do you know what he did to do so?

Sounds like you are confusing for m52 obdII. If you are m50, you won't need the stuff to be obdII, as your engine would be obdI.

Well i thought if you put a motor that wasn't offered for the chassis at its time that you have to get it barred and whatnot? So if I get pulled for any odd reason and the pigs ask to pop the hood, they wouldnt trip that its an m50?

[pandaboo911]

Try different locations, some are more lenient than others. Don't drive it around without, unless you want to risk having your car impounded. Then you will never be able to get it done legally.

Cops aren't stupid.

[cmybimmer]

Yeah thats exactly what im worried about. Do you know exactly whats required to get it bar'd? I know the whole drivetrain has to be damn near 100% stock. Im going to throw on my stock e30 cats and a magnaflow muffler, and have a carb legal intake. But the rest is stock (minus a turner chip).

[10-66kruk]

There are quote a few people lurking around on here that I believe have carb stickers for the swap. As long as the motor has all the proper obd1 equipment and looks factory and will pass a smog the approval I heard isn't that bad it just takes the station a little while to go through it.
Also personally I wouldn't be worried having a m50 in a e30 with cops, they tend to only be trained on import swaps. The m50 doesn't look like a red flag in the bay.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Well i thought if you put a motor that wasn't offered for the chassis at its time that you have to get it barred and whatnot? So if I get pulled for any odd reason and the pigs ask to pop the hood, they wouldnt trip that its an m50?

No, the law is that you can swap an engine from any model, same manufacturer, as long as it is a newer model year than the one factory installed in vehicle. Furthermore, you are required to install all factory emissions and control equipment from model year of new engine.

So, if you put in an m50, you must install emissions equipment from 1992-1995 e36. If you install m52, you must install all equipment required to pass emissions from 1996-up. The difference being m52 uses EWS security on DME, whereas, m50 does not require that type of DME w/ EWS.

Seriously, the CA BAR/CARB folks want you to be legal, and will assist you to make it happen. Schedule an inspection, and find out what is needed, then solve those issues, get a final test, and get your sticker.

Yeah thats exactly what im worried about. Do you know exactly whats required to get it bar'd? I know the whole drivetrain has to be damn near 100% stock. Im going to throw on my stock e30 cats and a magnaflow muffler, and have a carb legal intake. But the rest is stock (minus a turner chip).

No turner chip, no CAI, e36 converter, stock exhaust from the exhaust manifolds back to the tip. Those will cause issues if you do, and they will tell you to remove them anyway, save a headache.

[cmybimmer]

There are quote a few people lurking around on here that I believe have carb stickers for the swap. As long as the motor has all the proper obd1 equipment and looks factory and will pass a smog the approval I heard isn't that bad it just takes the station a little while to go through it.
Also personally I wouldn't be worried having a m50 in a e30 with cops, they tend to only be trained on import swaps. The m50 doesn't look like a red flag in the bay.

Lol yeah the person that was emphasizing on getting the e30 bar'd was a civic driver so maybe he got more shit from cops than bimmer owners would usually get.

No, the law is that you can swap an engine from any model, same manufacturer, as long as it is a newer model year than the one factory installed in vehicle. Furthermore, you are required to install all factory emissions and control equipment from model year of new engine.

So, if you put in an m50, you must install emissions equipment from 1992-1995 e36. If you install m52, you must install all equipment required to pass emissions from 1996-up. The difference being m52 uses EWS security on DME, whereas, m50 does not require that type of DME w/ EWS.

Seriously, the CA BAR/CARB folks want you to be legal, and will assist you to make it happen. Schedule an inspection, and find out what is needed, then solve those issues, get a final test, and get your sticker.

Hmmm, so I dont necessarily have to get my e30 bar'd? Its technically legal already? The only thing im missing from the e36 carb components is the charcoal canister, im currently using the e30 one.

[cmybimmer]

No turner chip, no CAI, e36 converter, stock exhaust from the exhaust manifolds back to the tip. Those will cause issues if you do, and they will tell you to remove them anyway, save a headache.

Ffffuuuu!! So i'd need the whole e36 exhaust system to pass? Thats so gay

I at least have access to a stock chip and stock intake. Shit, might drive around like this till I can afford to get an e36 exhaust setup

[Farbin Kaiber]

Hmmm, so I dont necessarily have to get my e30 bar'd? Its technically legal already? The only thing im missing from the e36 carb components is the charcoal canister, im currently using the e30 one.

No, if you want to be legal, you need to get it BAR'ed. That's how it becomes legal. Otherwise it's illegal.

Ffffuuuu!! So i'd need the whole e36 exhaust system to pass? Thats so gay

I at least have access to a stock chip and stock intake. Shit, might drive around like this till I can afford to get an e36 exhaust setup

Well, minimum, you'll need the stock manifolds, cat, and functioning MIL and evap system. Yoc should have all stock intake hoses, but can get away with a cone filter.

[Sagaris]

An M20 stroker with a Miller MAF and W.A.R. chip is sounding pretty nice right about now eh? :P

[mkcman17]

if your motor isn't bling'd out with headers and fancy intake, a cop wouldn't know the difference.

[cmybimmer]

No, if you want to be legal, you need to get it BAR'ed. That's how it becomes legal. Otherwise it's illegal.



Well, minimum, you'll need the stock manifolds, cat, and functioning MIL and evap system. Yoc should have all stock intake hoses, but can get away with a cone filter.

Gotcha, everything up to the HFM is stock, with a cone filter attached to it. This is basically how its going to look when I get around to driving it after doing something about all those exposed wires:

An M20 stroker with a Miller MAF and W.A.R. chip is sounding pretty nice right about now eh? :P

Lol, nahh but living anywhere outside of California def does ;)

if your motor isn't bling'd out with headers and fancy intake, a cop wouldn't know the difference.

Yeah, stock headers also. Unless he googles how an m20 is supposed to look, im hoping i should be fine

[Farbin Kaiber]

^Looks like you are m52 with m50 OBDI manifold swap.

You might be able to sneak it by as an m50, but if they check the block, you might be up a creek. (Unless that is an m50 with an m52 Valve Cover)

EDIT: M50 style oil filter housing is adding my so full of fuck confusion.