What are my options - State Referee modified exhaust ticket

[McGyver]

I know this sounds too simple so it must be stupid, but, what if you transfer your dash with your VIN to another bronzit (stock that passes smog), put your plates on it.... get it checked... it passes and then you're good to go. I mean do they check the chassis VINs? Probably not.
Yeah so nevermind swapping a drivetrain. Just swap the numerical identification components!

That's a very risky idea.

I had a friend who bought an e12 that was swapped and BAR'd as an m30b34 swap (somehow BAR missed the piano top pistons). He went to register it and they checked the VIN on the dash, cowl, and a door. Apparently a door had been replaced at one point and didn't match. He ended up having to take it to a referee to get the VIN verified, it was a huge hassle.

Honestly OP, why not just make the car legal, get your BAR sticker, and never worry again?

[Sh3rpak!ng]

I know this sounds too simple so it must be stupid, but, what if you transfer your dash with your VIN to another bronzit (stock that passes smog), put your plates on it.... get it checked... it passes and then you're good to go. I mean do they check the chassis VINs? Probably not.
Yeah so nevermind swapping a drivetrain. Just swap the numerical identification components!

I bet they look at the obvious cowl VIN while the do a visual on the engine.

Yea there are a few more obvious VIN locations they could check, though this idea crossed my mind too.

Even in the bay, I think it really depends on where you are (how white your neighborhood is). My neighbor has a 1jzgte that just had a dump pipe on it. He drove it like that through Oakland for months without problem. But he warned me to be careful driving any modified car through Walnut Creek or Concord.

Sounds like OP was on a known driving road, so the cop was there just to hand out tickets. Kinda like if CHP sat on 35 all day.

This is correct. There's been a pretty concerted effort generally cracking down on motorcycles/reckless driving in those areas. The famous mulholland highway "snake" was first patrolled heavily, and now closed. Cars/motorcycles literally were parking in a parking lot area and taking turns ripping that section up and down. It was dangerous. Seems like they're starting to do the same int he other popular canyons. And I kinda knew better than to be driving around there later in the morning, hence why I was just cruising... and then I got nailed for nothing anyway...

I'll just locate some other canyons a bit further off the beaten path. And do more autox and track days!

[Sh3rpak!ng]

So is this a SoCal thing with cops going extra hard on modded cars? Up in the Bay Area I can't say I have heard of a case like this in more than a decade. Hell, I wish they WOULD get a little more aggressive about some stuff. New AMG's with (obviously) straight pipes rolling around at all hours, stuff like that. I'd have never thought that the V8 in those things could sound bad, but apparently lots of guys found a way to pay money to get there.

Anyway, I like the diesel "village bicycle" idea. LEGIT.

I don't know if it's a socal thing, if it's specifically a malibu canyon thing (most likely - people really go too wild there treating it like a personal racetrack), if the cop was just a power hungry dick, or if it was his creative way of expressing appreciation for my car...

but you're right, there are droves of people far worse than I so idk... just got unlucky I guess

[McGyver]

I'd have never thought that the V8 in those things could sound bad, but apparently lots of guys found a way to pay money to get there.

Even in the bay, I think it really depends on where you are (how white your neighborhood is). My neighbor has a 1jzgte that just had a dump pipe on it. He drove it like that through Oakland for months without problem. But he warned me to be careful driving any modified car through Walnut Creek or Concord.

Sounds like OP was on a known driving road, so the cop was there just to hand out tickets. Kinda like if CHP sat on 35 all day.

[roguetoaster]

I bet they look at the obvious cowl VIN while the do a visual on the engine.

[Chilezen]

I know this sounds too simple so it must be stupid, but, what if you transfer your dash with your VIN to another bronzit (stock that passes smog), put your plates on it.... get it checked... it passes and then you're good to go. I mean do they check the chassis VINs? Probably not.
Yeah so nevermind swapping a drivetrain. Just swap the numerical identification components!

[bmwman91]

So is this a SoCal thing with cops going extra hard on modded cars? Up in the Bay Area I can't say I have heard of a case like this in more than a decade. Hell, I wish they WOULD get a little more aggressive about some stuff. New AMG's with (obviously) straight pipes rolling around at all hours, stuff like that. I'd have never thought that the V8 in those things could sound bad, but apparently lots of guys found a way to pay money to get there.

Anyway, I like the diesel "village bicycle" idea. LEGIT.

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Swaps are all done differently. If you are already OBD2 then you need the E36 exhaust system with 2 cats and 4 oxygen sensors, smog pump system and stock airbox. I'd see what the ref says first before you do anything.

Evap system? Charcoal canister? crankcase air/oil separator? Fresh ECU with EWS coded out (since mine has all readiness monitors set to green)? I still also have a CEL from the swap I never figured out :P and I'd need a new harness since I got rid of all the wires in mine that weren't needed for the emissions stuff I no longer have, and then I'd need to adapt the wiring harness again to plug into the e30 chassis....

Would I not need to get it BAR legal first then do the referee inspection? Since technically even if it was BAR compliant, it'd still be an illegitimate swap?


The ECU with readiness monitors all set to pass is actually something I've been very curious about... would that get flagged in a smog check? Because if not I could just fake wire up all those things to pass visual

[reelizmpro]

Swaps are all done differently. If you are already OBD2 then you need the E36 exhaust system with 2 cats and 4 oxygen sensors, smog pump system and stock airbox. I'd see what the ref says first before you do anything.

[2mAn]

If anyone could do it, it would be you Charlie

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Quiet! Im just hoping someone else will take the plunge and then this diesel motor could be paraded from E30 to E30 making several smog exempt lol

Build it as part of an E30 trailer with stowage for the exhaust, then just swap subframe assemblies and exhausts.

This is actually a hilarious idea. I'll rent the whole system out to people one by one.... Could you imagine the headline if caught?

"One man responsible for loophole pirate smog exemptions on 137 classic BMWs in Los Angeles - paid off his student loans with the profits"

[2mAn]

Now you're starting to see my vision...

[roguetoaster]

Quiet! Im just hoping someone else will take the plunge and then this diesel motor could be paraded from E30 to E30 making several smog exempt lol

Build it as part of an E30 trailer with stowage for the exhaust, then just swap subframe assemblies and exhausts.

[2mAn]

Quiet! Im just hoping someone else will take the plunge and then this diesel motor could be paraded from E30 to E30 making several smog exempt lol

[roguetoaster]

Pretty sure theres on sitting in Long Beach for less than $500. Diesels are quite simple. No ECU, no fuel pump and they bolt up to your existing front subframe

Would be nice if it were so, there are minimum 2, maximum 3 essential control modules to allow the turbocharged versions to run that I've seen. Maybe the N/A ones don't need that, but good luck finding one stateside. In any case, finding a whole running ETA car would be fairly simple, but not do paperwork simple.