Jay Leno

[bronco italiano]

Anybody see this:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a64069090/jay-leno-california-classic-car-smog/

 

[bfoldy]

Thanks for sharing—I hadn’t seen that, but it’s long overdue. I’m glad Leno is the face of it; he’ll bring as much awareness as almost anyone could.


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[Oldtimer]

I hope when they write the new law it does not force vehicles built before 1975 to have collector or vintage car insurance to be smog exempt.

 

[WILDHORSES]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm in! I have some 76-79s that I would love to get out of CA jail. While it's nice to have them sitting here for testing of items I would rather come up with a build plan and put them back on the road. I think it's been 10 years or so since we last got our hopes up. Maybe Leno can help bring the attention. Last time they just let the bill die. Here's closer look at this.
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB712/id/3137229

Jim

 

[duffymahoney]

I hope when they write the new law it does not force vehicles built before 1975 to have collector or vintage car insurance to be smog exempt.

It probably should be later then that?

 

[SteveL]

So are we supposed to be registered as collector vehicles now? Never heard of this. I've just been doing the basic registration every year with regular insurance. I've held off on upgrading to specialty insurance do to all the restrictions.

 

[hsach]

Nevada did this a couple of years ago. If you get a classic vehicle plate, you now have to provide proof from a classic vehicle insurance provider. I have been registering my '78 bronco this way for years. It passes smog, or at least it did, but since I don't drive it over 5000 miles/year, I register it as a classic vehicle since I have Hagerty on it. Thankfully my '67 is the year before they require smog testing in Nevada, so I don't need to do anything different with registration. Hoping for the best for you Cali guys.

 

[scoutingranch]

Lads...........the state of Califonria is.........like the "state of insanity." We'll see where this goes but the bizzaro populace that continues to allow nut cases into Sacra"demented"
always have an alternative opinion on sense..........common or otherwise. If it wasn't for the weather.................well, you know.

 

[blue 74]

I just read today that this bill passed in California. The problem is that it does not take effect till January 1st of 2027. The provision that the vehicle be insured as a "Classic Car" is not that big of a deal. The question I have is if I purchase a 79 Bronco or F250 now will the state of confusion (California) still make me smog it knowing that it will be smog exempt after 1-1-27. I have tried to research what is required for a 79 390 or 351 to be smogged in CA, but I keep getting the same info ie , smog pump, egr, cats, 2-barrel carb etc. I thought there were exemptions for vehicles built out of state that did not require these things. For example if the vehicle was sold in Florida in 79 and did not have a cat or smog pump, can you smog it in CA as long as it has the original emissions equipment that Florida required in 79?

 

[904Bronco]

I think they butchered the Bill from its original form. My .02

Blue 74, from my experience, they will require you to smog the vehicle for a purchase done before the 1/1/27 date.

Vehicles must meet CA or Federal requirements, and generally that sticker was found on the Driver side valve cover. If it is still there, you might get lucky. I looked at a 79 in Bend OR and it had no Cat, and the sticker, once I cleaned the dirt off, said it was a non Cat FED vehicle.

If it had a smog pump, EGR, CAT, 2V Carb, Charcoal canister and related lines, Thermal vacuum switches, all the vacuum hoses, vacuum delay valves, enclosed air cleaner with the preheat stove and ducting, then it all needs to be there. I got a Marti report for mine and it shows a DSO of being sold in CA. Fortunately, most everything I needed was still there. There had been a carb fire and the emissions sticker on the valve cover and hood were both torched. I was able to search on line and I picked the most common emissions diagram to follow and then showed that to the Smog Tech. At the time, the PO had hollowed out the CAT, there were only 3 replacement CAT part numbers that the State would accept. Fortunately, one of them was available at Summit in Reno, so on a road trip I picked it up. (The Smog Tech did look at it to confirm) I didn't pass on the first attempt, so I had to richen up the carb (rebuilt) a half turn each Mixture screw and I retarded the timing 2 degrees which worked. These older rigs have to run on a Dyno, not every shop has one, some charge an extra fee. The true wildcard is that you can go to 5 different smog shops and you could get 5 different directions on what needs to be done. So I wish you luck...

 

[bmc69]

Thanking my lucky stars that I live where there is no emission testing for anything...new or old. Maryland did recently pass a law defining "Historic vehicle" as 1999 or older, to reduce the abuse of that registration category by people with 20 year old vehicles used as daily drivers and even work trucks,,

 

[WheelHorse]

The problem is .....drumroll please....ignorance! Government ....but that's they way we've always done it!

A '76 with a Coyote or FI 302 pushrod with just cats will be cleaner than any carbureted catalytic converter vehicle. Imagine if our medical field was still run this way...well Dr. it must be brain fever...get to cutting and letting the demons out.

I get they don't want unburnt HC's floating off into space or PC fumes venting off into space. GT40P heads are quite an efficient burn....cleaner than the original 2v cammer 4.6 heads according to the text book.

I believe any group backed with a little bit of money, enough to fund some simple tests...IM240 old school carbed with cat vs say a coyote with a catalytic converter, the 'Yote would blow the doors off for clean air.

Newer engine....have it certified on an IM240. Fuel tank vented to charcoal canister and intake tube? PCV closed? Boom certified cleaner than original. Overdrive should get bonus points for a few more mpg. There's no reason a Bronco can't have 400hp, burn as clean as a new 5.0.

ICON already has the floor pan idea for cutting down heat from exhaust. It can be done!

 

[ntsqd]

Collector Insurance is a big deal if you want to drive the vehicle with regularity (exceeding the usual 5k miles/yr limit) or you don't have a garage that you can park it in (my garage is a shop with machine tools in it and a work table in the middle of all of them).

 

[bronco italiano]

Looks like California failed again because some politicians kid has a bunch of smog shops or something.
https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/08/california-kills-jay-leno-classic-car-smog-bill/

 

[ntsqd]

More likely the Autocracy known as CARB squashed it behind the scenes.

 

[fordguy]

I live in the south and I see more vehicles smog compliant as far as equipment is concerned, but blowing smoke like the old fog machines we used to run around behind because no one knew better.

 

[ngsd]

I think it is a good comprimise by having collector status and insurance. The reality is that collector cars are not the ones that are causing polution as they are rarely driven so it makes sense. If you want to drive it everyday then it should have some responsibility for pollution requirements like everyone else.