4.30 gears, 3200 stall, Focus pump, now what???
- Thread starter gravelguy
- Start date
Spirit of the law for sure....not only that....I won't be busting people for making their cars sound good and getting a bit of performance because that would be kinda hypocritical. Either way...its good probable cause to stop the car and check for Reg./Insurance/Drugs/etc. issues. You can trust that I'll be that cop that lets a lot of people slide.....I have 7 or 8 "Mech" tickets already, hah.
Glad you're enjoying your car Ron.....also I'm glad you were able to get your car done the way you needed at my old work. Thems good people!
Glad you're enjoying your car Ron.....also I'm glad you were able to get your car done the way you needed at my old work. Thems good people!
1995 with Cobra Intake?
1995 with Cobra Intake?
I missed something in the story. You had a 1995 with a Cobra intake when going through the referee station?
I thought about applying for an "engine change" claiming the 1998 Lincoln engine + cobra intake was a "98 Cobra Engine" but the transmission problem you mentioned (cobras never came with an A/T) and the error in the CA referee books stating the cobra needs 6 cat converters (3 each side) would prevent an easy engine reclassification.
1995 with Cobra Intake?
I missed something in the story. You had a 1995 with a Cobra intake when going through the referee station?
I thought about applying for an "engine change" claiming the 1998 Lincoln engine + cobra intake was a "98 Cobra Engine" but the transmission problem you mentioned (cobras never came with an A/T) and the error in the CA referee books stating the cobra needs 6 cat converters (3 each side) would prevent an easy engine reclassification.
Lonnie
Blue Oval Chips
That is correct, when I first had it smogged it was a stock 95 Mark VIII long block with a 98 Cobra intake, underdrive pulleys, K & N Cobra CAI, MSD ignition, stock front cats with true duals. I put in for the intake swap and had no problem with passing. The vehicle put out better emissions than it did stock.
When they pulled me for the road side inspection is when it went bad. They wouldn't accept any documentation I provided. The referee inspectors couldn't even agree as to what they wanted. 3 different times I was sent off with a list of requirements I needed to meet before they would pass me. Each time I came back a different inspector would conduct the inspection and fail me. When I would show the list from the previous inspection they would tell me that inspector was wrong. They even contradicted each other saying one part was illegal one time and then saying it was legal another. It was very frustrating to the point I called the state complaining. It was a big joke to them and they were having a great time of it.
They actually came right out and told me that I either put it back to stock or it would become very difficult for me. They knew that if they classified it as a Cobra engine vice a Mark with a Cobra intake that they would have me. Since the 98 Cobra was a OBD II EEC V and my vehicle was an EEC IV they figured I would never be able to pull it off. I used a 96 Mark VIII EEC and installed all the smog stuff that the 98 Cobra came with. When I showed up they couldn't believe it. Then they did some digging in the EEC and figured out it was a 96 Mark unit and that my 95 Mark cats were not OBD II. None of the Cobra EECs have drivers for an auto transmission and one of the reasons why they pushed for the Cobra engine vice the modified Mark. I was able to rework an EEC so that it came up on the NGS as a 98 Cobra from a salvaged unit. Then I had to cut up my custom built duals to fit the 98 Cobra H pipe. Now as most of you know the Mark has its own exhaust manifolds with the cat attached. So I had to use a 96 and newer Mark exhaust manifolds and cats the add the 6 Cobra cats. The Cobra actually has 6 bricks but the first 2 are enclosed in a single cat housing. I couldn't convince the inspectors of this. They insisted that I had to have 6 physical cat housings. So I actually have 8 cats on the vehicle now.
When I showed up with all this done they failed me again and tried sending me off with another one of their lists. I then called the state again and this time set up an appointment in Orange County where they promised me I would be treated fairly. When I showed up at that station 2 of the inspectors from San Diego were standing there in front with the biggest grin you could imagine. When I protested them being there I got the "are you refusing to have your vehicle inspected" treatment. If it failed this time or if I refused they had informed me that it will be impounded. I'd already been to court over it twice during all this. They inspected it just like I said above and failed in on having an auto vice a manual trans. I packed up and left CA shortly after that.
Lonnie
Blue Oval Chips
You don't want to get me started on this either. Those coming over the border were exempt from any of the smog laws. As a matter of fact they could do just about anything they wanted on the streets and highways. I couldn't tell you how many times I got behind an over loaded truck or car that spewed black smoke leaving droplets of oil all over the front of my car and windshield. Tools, junk, trash and so on just stacked as high as they could possibly reach without any real type of tie-downs. As they drove down the road the objects would fall off causing accidents. I happened to be in one after a tire came off a truck. They would drive right pass city and highway officers without any problems. In my 11 years living there I never once seen any of these type of vehicles ever pulled over. I guess that's what happens when you're a sanctuary city/state.
Lonnie
Blue Oval Chips
If you have a 95 or older OBD I EEC IV vehicle you will more than likely go through similar problems as I did. From what I remember you can always go with a newer drive train but never older. If you go with a newer such as you mentioned (98 Mark) you must have all the OBD II equipment that came with that drive train. So that would mean you would have to upgrade your vehicle to OBD II EEC V. That would include all the following
Not everything is in the pic such as the proper OBD II pass side and center cats. Also note that the 96 - 98 Mark exhaust manifolds are cast iron with much smaller ports (more restrictive) than the 93 - 95 tubular type. Then you have to figure out how to wire / join the old EEC IV system to the new EEC V.
Now if you have a 96 - 98 Mark things get a little easier since it's already an EEC V. But you can or could still run into the Cobra problem as I did if they insist on you using a Cobra EEC. Like I said, it has no drivers for an auto trans. It's also illegal to change the VIN code in the VIN block of the EEC (electronically encoded). Your typical tuner/dealer doesn't have the access or equipment to do this by the way since it is against the law. Running EECs in tandem is one way and an awful lot of work. Now I have a few customers with 96 and newer Marks in CA that are running the Cobra intake and have passed their smog inspections several times without any problems. So don't take my word for all this. It just depends on who does the inspections and the circumstances. I was told afterwards that I was used to make an example of because I was involved in so many modified vehicles in the SoCal area because of my tuning and building abilities. And the fact that I pissed them off by showing them up where they were supposed to be the experts. I don't know how true this is, just know that it came from one of those at the referee station. The other problem like I brought out is the transmission.
Now a simpler mod that would not cause too much problems in the 96 and newer Marks would be to go with a DOHC from a Marauder or Mach I. These would make a great swap since they make for a better street engine because of their C type heads. You'd have better throttle response and drivability because of the better torque curve. And for most of those here, you wouldn't suffer from any real high end performance since most of you don't run your engines to 7000 +. Where as the B head engines will out flow these newer style. I'm not sure what can be done about a legal exhaust manifold though. Perhaps port matching the manifold to the C head or something. But with this setup you could get away with the Cobra upper lid or the Mach I. Also just installing a set of the C heads won't cut it though if they get anal about it. They will put your vehicle on a lift and inspect every single part number if they suspect something. And if they don't find a part number it's up to you to prove to them it is the correct part. Then they have the option to accept it or not.
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