I was stationed in Alaska and bought my tC there. I recently got out of the military and moved back home to California. The problem is I need to register it and have aftermarket headers. My question is will I have to replace the stock headers to pass smog or can I get away with it?

If anyone has had to do something similar please let me know what i need to do. Thanks!

 

i have no idea but good luck on getting an swer , hope you dont hafta do anything to it !!!

 

Yes, you need your factory headers on to pass smog. Your car is currently illegal in the state of california because it doesnt comply with the states emissions...

 

sad to say yes you do, that is considered to be removing part of the smog equipment. it wont pass visual and if cops send you to the referee you will be sent to tet only centers. you can pay to smog it under the table in many places for around $100 but you cant bribe the test only center as easy.

 

well damn, thats what I was afraid of. Anyone know how much stock headers cost? haha I knew i should have kept them

 

infamous scion is parting out a tc look for the post from recent. i bought something from him and worked out smooth

 

you could go to a junk yard or find someone in your area who smashed their tC... use theirs... or you can swap with someone for a day. let whoever you know that has a tC use your headers while you use their factory one...

 

I am probably going to have to do that. Get some old headers, swap for a day, then switch back. Maybe I should just buy a turbo instead.

 

^Illegal. At least from my understanding. Unless you bought the car that way your not supposed to turbocharge it. Then again... who cares. If you have the money do it, Better than regressing to factory headers when you can get a turbo manifold instead.

 

best advice is to go to a CHP or call them and ask where is the nearest state ref, from their make an appointment with them and ask what you need to do to register the car

 

Easy in California


Go to somewhere ghetto possibly with some money hungry people working there and say "hey 100 bucks I passed smog ya?"

and leave
My uncle does it with his El Camino all the time ever since he switched a Corvette engine into it.

 

an El Camino with a Corvette engine?!? NICE!

 

My neighbor has a pristine El Camino with a Vette engine in it. Its pretty sweet. Its old enough though, '67 I think, doesnt need to be smogged.

 

theres a referee station in sac. and in modesto, got a fix it for modified exhaust and had to go to the ref. i went to modesto and the guy was really cool about everything and it was free.

 

You didnt have to revert to a stock exhaust?

 

no, i got the megan drift spec with a megan downpipe, so i just put the silencer in and it registered 92 db. ur allowed 96, the law says 95 but the guy said 96 is ok. but i think the header issue is that u got rid of ur initial cat. cali laws are the toughest around.

 

Yeah, tell me about it. I should have waited till I moved before I modded it. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. I think I'll just try to find a stock header for cheap, switch it out, get smogged, then switch it back. I have till the end of Feb. so I have plenty of time.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

 

Yea I don't really like El Camino's due to the redneck factor but I have to say his kicks royal ___.
He can sit there and just burn tires for hours.
To bad the thing is a royal gas guzzler as well haha thing gets like 100-150 a tank
and thats like a 18 gallon tank.

 

isnt it if you live in a certain state for at least three years you can claim residency and there for register it to that state? my uncle suggested it, (he lives in AZ and i live in CA), cause my other car BARELY BARELY BARELY less than a hair passed smog, and i know it wouldnt definately pass again. would that work maybe?

 

Yeah, but that is if I was still in the military. I'm out now, so as long as I work and live in California, I have to register the car here. As of right now it's registered in Alaska and I have Alaska plates, I think that's why I haven't gotten a fixit ticket yet.