MG #59 - How hard is it to pass smog with an LS swap? 

FINALLY SOMEONE IS ADDRESSING THIS!!!!!!

A updated video like this would be awesome!

I know exactly what you are going through. I didn't have it that bad with my '79 when I swapped in a 383 stroke, but I ended up with 15 CARB stickers on top of the radiator. The smog guy didn't know what to do with all of that. It was even better when the kid had to go find the old guy in the back...didn't know what to do with a car with no computer plug.

My brotha, u just made my day...am bummed that your truck did not pass emissions, but you showing a Seabee truck made me so happy...i was stationed in port hueneme from 2001 to 2007....NMCB 40! scared the hell out of my wife when i saw the bee on the truck door and i screamed at the top of my lungs!!! thanks for that!

This is why diesel blazers are worth something

Not only do we not have emissions where I live in Virginia (and most of Virginia is like that), but we can own whatever firearm we want. I even have a 40 round magazine for my AR15, in addition to the standard capacity 30 round magazines.

Thanks for the video and info! I have an 03 Sub and have plans to swap the 6.0 into my 89 K5. This gives me more details to plan for. Thanks James and good luck!

Hang in there once all is complete you'll be driving worry free...im in the same process and with this vid that you provide make it more clear in what to do.

I love your optimism! Come up to Oregon where guns and trucks are loved and we are still free (at least compared to Kalifornia). And we have mountains!

Great video!! Thanks for the video!! Staying with stock engine it is!!! Thanks CA

it is what it is..thats why i got a 1971 Gmc truck ex fire fighter. still working on it

Thanks for the info. Very helpful

Great vid. You'll get it done.

I'm not going to be moving back to California for a few years, but I'm still going to try to make sure it is as emissions friendly as possible. I'm buying the Erod motor for my Nova.

Never fun dealing with anything out of the ordinary regarding smog & the dmv. Went through something related a while ago (converting a moto to street legal, and registering an out of state car with no registration records), and the most frustrating thing is not knowing how many steps are involved at the start. Even the ref or DMV can't tell you. Once you finish a step, the next one comes, then the next and so on. I've found that if you stick with it and follow what is required, you'll definitely get it done eventually. Keep it up!

this is an amazing video and very helpful

That's smog ref is one of the most lenient works Oxnard college when I went there for the automotive program and fills in in Santa Barbara when they need him

I've been meaning to ask about how you got it thru the smog process. Gotta love CA!

@merricks garage (James): Post up on CK5 for help with CHP.... I think you'll be surprised to find that the group has a few enthusiasts in law enforcement that can help you navigate the process and avoid the pitfalls.

Thanks for this. I thought you really can do ONLY close siblings or same models. Golf R into a Golf Sportwagen. The hardest part was the VIN and the DCC Dynamic Chassis Control needed to be also connected. You also had to register is as Golf R, - higher insurance and registration.

Great video!! And I thought I watched all of them….. LS swap here I come

You are not limited to an engine configuration that was originally available in the vehicle. For instance, you CAN legally swap a V8 into, say, a car that originally came with a four cylinder engine. The engine just has to be the same age (or newer) than the chassis, has to include ALL original emissions equipment, and you CANNOT use a truck engine in a car.

my 78' k20 was exempt from emissions testing in oregon, i had to have it tested, but it didnt matter what the outcome was, they didnt even care that i didnt have catalytic converters haha

Move to Florida. We are all about guns and trucks down here!

Merrick, when it comes to your tune and the cert, i would just pick up a spare ECM and have the vats removed and have it tuned specific to your CARB needs... Then when you get it smogged pull it off and swap in your original one with the hot tune.

Thank you!

I knew it I knew it !!! I thought about dropping a L engine from 2000 something into my 1987 K5 but I was worried about this , Guess I was painfully right. I live in Colorado and the smog laws are pretty bad here to. I guess Ill be looking at a supercharger for my 87 Haha. frikit and keep the engine till it blows up than put a built 80's something motor in her.

good video man. I have a 71 Cougar (smog exempt) i think you just convinced me to keep it and not trade for an 80s car like i wanted....

Oh and if you have to change your hood, make sure you take the EPA sticker with you. VW charges $200 for that sticker.

Minnesota played this game for a few short years and thank god they got rid of it. What a pain in the ass that was.

Wow that is crazy, kind of glad I am here in AZ now. 5 years for $86 and no smog because of where I live in AZ.

Good thing I registered my truck in Arizona

not finished my blazer yet, but its almost done

find a vin for a 73 blazer and make it a "73 k5 blazer" or as far as they know

Super bad ass! Video thank you for doing the foot work for the info! Will you be at king of the hammers?

How did you manage to get proof of the factory tune ? Did you use the electric throttle body or did you use drive by cable ?

I couldnt gind the part 2 to this video. Is there one?

This is why you get a pre 70s car and you don’t need smog and put what ever into it

I understand your pain, just try doing a diesel conversion in CO! CA is actually a little easier to complete that monumental task, at least in the Denver metro area, ugh!

This made me love living in Nevada even more.

My Toyota pick up LS swap was done in 2003. Smog legal certified before any real LS Swaps acessories were available.Kept everything GM even fuel pump adapted to factory Toyota tank. All systems work like OEM.16 year later LS swap..... been there done that... next

did u ever make the part 2? or did u not go on with it?

I V8 LS swapped my 1989 Honda Civic DX hatchback. Wish me luck.

Hay I asked you about that lol, thanks for The video.

Is there an update on this process??

Where/how to mount EVAP fuel tank pressure sensor?

I currently drive a 90 Bronco. Im planning a 351 swap but with a ECU from a 2004 car. With all the necessary emission components in place, could I pass? or are ECU swaps illegal?

Ya in az my car failed emissions. I went to gila county and registered my name there. No emissions on my past 6 vehicles. I ripped my emissions crap off my car because the lines were falling off.

What if you find a M1009 Blazer that is in really bad shape, swap the Vin and use it to since it is EPA exempt?

Register the truck in Nevada. Done.

A 1974 k5 tub would solve all your problems.... and I have a line on a couple of them....

So if a car is 1975 are you able to do swaps?

Thanks for the video! I bought a 1990 Silverado and I want to put an LS in it and get rid of the v6 that is has, just so I’m clear it has to be another v6 engine that I replace it with?

Once u get this to pass smog the price of 75 and newer k5's i are going to skyrocket! 😂

I heard on another channel that in CA the recipient vehicle must be 1995 or older. Is this true? I can't seem to find that anywhere. [UPDATE:] I think I figured it out. I learned about OBD1 and OBD2. The LS3 going into the Miata on that channel was probably OBD1. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Hey so what happened, did u get it to pass smog?

What if you are buying a crate engine. I'm looking to buy a 350/290 from gm to go into my 83 el Camino.

Where’s the update

I found a lot of the problem is lazy smog techs. They can do 4 plug and play cars in the time it takes to do my truck.

with a factory tune, how are you going to handle the lack of a VATS (security) connection? The dealer will have to disable VATS before you flash the ECU. And you could get HPTuners and download your current tune, then have the factory tune put on, download that, then get your SMOGgie license, then upload your old tune until the next DMV checkin

what year and what model is your transfer case

So why does california require VIN for registration?

So when is your video on your Cummins swap? ..no smog. ;-p

Stock cats or aftermarket cats? Where the cats smog legal?

for the most part ca makes thing so hard to do it's not worth it . the one thing i don't get is if you do something to a car to make it run better thats a good thing like a newer engine and it getting better mpgs . i hate this state because of all the stupid laws they have

Man!!! This is way way way to much work and politics involved in a dealing with a late mode( K5)l blazer modding it this way. If this where mine I would have left it stock and made all smog legal upgrades only and called it a day and enjoyed the truck like it is.I'm up here in Colo with a 87 K5 with TBI 350 a 8 inch lift w/37 '' Swampers. Its a pain as well ..But Smog cops only want me to take off my oversized tires in the rear to pass the smog tread mill test ..Go figure..

the prob is that you cant do anything without CA sticking their nose in it and telling you how it needs to be done

What kind for computer did you use?

How much did the test cost?

My God your new age intro music is SOOO F ING iratating

Sorry if I missed it, but what did you do about vats? Do you know if the ref will care about that work being done to the ecu? How was it getting the paperwork from a dealership verifying that the tune was factory?

Yea, screw that noise man. I'll stick with states that don't have all that hullabaloo with extreme requirements. I mean hell... my opinion, if your tail pipe emissions meet the standards required for that engine size, then it should be all good to drive.... Cali's SMOG requirements are a joke.

Sup Merrick. Names Emu, I love your channel I know a guy who will pass your smog for 150.00.

Vapor lock is virtually non existent for modern EFI cars and I hunted down a GMC Envoy exhaust manifold for the passenger side and I'm using the stock driver side from a Silverado for fitment into my 76 K5. You really have to be doing something goofy to get vapor lock in EFI unless it's because of component failure. Maybe if you're fuel pump is dying or if you have a return style system and the return hose is getting pinched or clogged, but even in high temp climates it is highly unlikely. Any decent LS specialist should have been able to explain this to you. I've got stock LS manifolds on my 76 K5 utilizing with the original fuel hardline running in it's stock location in the frame rail. I didn't go the corvette regulator route either, modified my existing fuel sending unit for a standard non-EFI 5/16 return hose running up the opposite side on the passenger frame rail and I replaced the old fuel hose before and after the hardline with standard Push Lock 3/8 EFI hose and even in 115 degree Phoenix heat idling or driving over the hot tarmac with no fan shroud I never encountered vapor lock. My IATs were getting scary at stoplights because the intake was just sucking in hot air off the radiator and everything in the engine bay gets pretty warm but, no problems. LS engines run very cool, I never even went over 203 degree coolant temps without a fan shroud the whole time I drove across the country in the middle of August 2 months ago. 10 years ago I had upgrade to a 4 row Copper/Brass HD radiator so that probably helped and I used two separate stacked plate Trans coolers bypassing the radiator altogether.. Vapor lock was an issue with some carbureted systems for a few reasons but the number one being the slow velocity of the fuel through the line due to the lower pressure and the fact that a carb has a reservoir of fuel in the float bowl. So that float bowl has to dispense fuel fast enough to keep the fuel moving through the line so it doesn't encounter heat soak to the point of vapor lock. With carburetion you're typically only running 4-7 psi vs 40+ in most EFI systems and in GEN 3 and 4 LS engines they should be at 58 psi. With stock manifolds and the same Flowmasters that were on my Blazer when I bought it 17 years ago, she sounds great for a completely stock 5.3L. The great thing about your setup when it's all said and done, even though you had to go through hoolahoops being in Cali ... you can always pick up a second PCM for a reasonable price and swap the engine out with a with a cammed 6.0L or whatever you want, and set your stock engine and PCM a side for SMOG time. Swapping a LS in and out of a squarebody shouldn't take more than a few hours. Piece of cake. As long as the fuel pump will hold up to supplying the right amount you wouldn't need to change anything else. I took my front clip off (took an hour with draining the radiator and dealing with rusty core support bolts) to give me more fidangle with the 5.3L and 4L80E attached. And this isn't a SBC where replacing those log manifolds and ramhorns with headers actually yielded decent power gains. Until you get over 450-500 horsepower in an LS engine don't even worry about being held back by stock manifolds unless you are racing and/or your pockets are just that deep. They flow pretty damn good for stock. You may get 5-10 hp for spending some good money on full length tuned headers on a 430+hp motor but that kind of money would be better spent on a good camshaft, or work on the heads and valvetrain. We've done plenty of builds of 4.8L, 5.3L and 6.0L truck motors with 400 to 480 at the crank with just a solid choice in a camshaft, pushrods, valve springs and a tune running on stock exhaust manifolds and even the truck intake.

Rx8 ls engine swap?

if u have a Pontiac gto 04' with a stock ls1 factory engine in it and you swap to a ls3 or lsx can u pass smog

I heard you have to get it tow to the referee station or they won't let you drive it back out cause it's illegally being driven

Enough is enough, I’m moving. Fuck this place.

Is all of this also true with smog exempt vehicles in California I’ve been trying to do the most research possible for LS swapping my 75 Chevy k10 and don’t know how the rules go for that???

California has nice weather... that is all.

Hey, so what was the final consensus on this swap? I am looking into a similar swap into a Chevrolet S10 for a friend of mine, and want to know just how hard it was for you.

So what happened?

Buy a presmog vin tags and title problems solved

that's not true you just have to swap all the smog over to ect i'm thinking of swapping a 4.7 v8 in my 97 4runner and it never came from the factory like that at all

You can but they make it nearly impossible and suck the fun out of it

Sounds like it’d be more efficient to move out of cali.

So if my truck came with a v6 i cant swap a v8 into it

Did it pass smog?

Is it 30 years or 1975 and back for no smog check in Ca

Hey Merrick how did you end up configuring your sending unit. I need to get the correct signal to my ecm but have a 0-90 ohm sender. Is the ECM programmable to read that? And how about the fuel pressure sensor? I have that tee’d off the line running to the charcoal canister. I’ve looked over a bunch of forums for this but have never found anything that addresses the issue.

About right: it isn't about emissions... its about controlling companies and people in commiefornia. The topic of state inspections is gleefully avoided on about 99% of "how to's" on an LS swap, for example. People brag about this cam, those heads etc, but where to get advice to maintain registration? Thank you for taking on this topic: we all want to enjoy our property.

hey merrick I live in San Diego and got my engine from a 1998 Camaro z28 am I going to be able to put that into my k5. I pulled everything out of the Camaro

*CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO LS1 SWAP A 2001 BMW 740IL AND HAVE IT PASS?*

$200 passes mine in socal lol, but instead of going with stock mani. y not get carb headders

me in Nebraska shoving a 5.7 hemi in a datsun (laughs in straight piped hemi noises) 🤣

Title swap it to a k5 or k10 diesel title or to a 75 and earlier title. Problem solved. Lots of us in CA that Wheel these trucks do it.

Move to Texas.

Do the smog referees ask about past smogs if you swapped the motors?

you want to pass i got a connection hot me up lol dont got to do any of thos comyfornia crap. they want everyone driving around in a prius

So much for land of the of the free lol