A Word of Sympathy for Fellow 914ers, Sad News Options

[dmenche914]

Well the movie star turned governor has screwed fellow 914 owners that own the last of the breed, the 1976 914's.

California 1976 914 owners because of law the Governor has approved will forever have to pass the over strict and expensive California smog test. Dispite objections of most California Car clubs, owners of vintage cars of thirty years and older will no longer be exempt from testing starting with 1976 cars.

Earlier cars than 1976 will still be exempt for now, however the bill passed has an admendment that sets up the mechanism for posibble future testing on even older cars.

At anyrate, this will do very little to reduce overall smog, as the classic cars are small in number, driven few miles.

Good grief it is tough to get the correct smog equipment now days for a 1976 car, wait ten more years when the car is pushing forty years, then try to obtain the correct equipment.

So shed a tear, for as we feared, the enviro wacko good doers and an actor I did not factor, have acted all weird. Now we all should have a beer in sympathy for what we had held dear.

My deepest sympathy to all 1976 California 914's, and all the other wonderfull post 75 classics (or soon to be classics)

I think I will never be able to watch another "arnold" movie again, he screwed us.

Dave

[Howard]

Yeah, I thought he would kill this one. Only affects car collectors and people too poor to buy newer cars. Or us, car collectors too poor to buy real Porsches (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Don't know if this would work, but could be worth a try..

CA Historical Plates

[Root_Werks]

Up here in rainy Washington, we have counties that don't require emissions not far from Seattle still. Over the years I can remember the changes. I think we are about 10 years behind you guys. Yes sad. I also think the number of cars older than 30 years contribute so little to the smog, it isn't worth caring about.

What gets me is my 914-6 runs very nice and clean for a 31 year old car, yet I can see some piece of crap mid 80's Chrysler POS turbo something pilling out a smoke screen as it sits at a traffic light. How is it stuff like that stays on the road?

[Root_Werks]

OH! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Almost forgot!

"I'llllll be back!"

[davidcalvin]

My 76 runs great. Passes smog. No smoke out of the tail pipe unless you shove banannnas in there, which I try never to do.

I am happy with it. I dont mind smogging it. I am having too much fun to care.

David

[carreraguy]

Howard:

Thanks for the link re: historical cars, but I think it changes to 35 years with the signing of AB 2683 and there are other requirements laid on too re: collector insurance etc. Therefore, the '76 cars won't be eligible for historical plates until 2010.

Like David I still run my 76er; drove it to GAF and had a great time. I'm not all that concerned with smogging since I intend to keep my car original regardless and I am sure it wil easily pass in future years. My only concern would be if some smog part took a dump and how hard/expensive would it be to fix?

[dmenche914]

Mine runs great, passes smog, no smoke out the tail pipe, bananas or not, but I am mad, hell I am VERY mad that I have to take the time to test it, the cost to test it ($180 for rolling dyno test) and the prohibition on modifications, even if the modifications improve smog levels, they are illegal. And you can bet your engine that the $180 would have gone to my favorite 914 parts vendor for my hobby had not the state and the smog man stolen it from me. Stolen, for it sure was not handed over by my free will.

Not only that, someone with a 76 914 better think of ten years from now, where is he/she going to get the already very rare special heat exchangers as the old ones rust away? How about all the other original equipment that will have to be maintained forever, and ever, and ever??? (last I checked, that's a long time).





The effects of this law will not be truely seen for a decade or so, and and it will be very sad, as the classic car industry will be hurt, innovation in modifications that would have helped keep cars on the road will not exist. there will be less interest in the classic cars, as modifications are illegal, since pre-76 cars left drop each year in numbers, and no new ones are created, you can see that the classic car hobby and industry will die off as we know it. Cars will not live long enough any more to have enough left to have any big classic car hobby. Most will be scrapped well before obtaining classic car status, they will be almost no more classics post 75, and earlier classics will countinue to dwindle.

many daily driver 1976 914's will be scrapped in the coming years, as the cost to keep them with the original smog gear will out wiegh keeping the car. Thus the overall number of 914 goes down, and there will be fewer owners, small clubs, smaller events, less economy of scale in aftermarket. This will hurt us all.

The logic of the thirty year exemption was that that after thirty years the number of that year car left each year gets smaller and smaller, and miles driven less, and less, and the manufacture of the required equipment ceases, and eventually the supply dries up, eventually the law becomes one that requires you to do the virtually impossible to keep the car on the road. hence death of the classic car hobby as we know it. At very best, an increase in cost which will drive many from this hobby.


I guess that the 914 is really too much fun to care that this just has come down, but is that really wise?

[Mueller]

I don't think it's that big of deal.

If anything it'll prevent a few boneheads from needlessly swapping to carbs for no reason. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm not sure what the production numbers are for '76 914, but it's not a whole lot....the smog pumps can be rebuilt and even if you don't have one, they are available from the people that took them off (I have 2 from cars I've parted out) and I've seen at least 20 smog pumps and brackets at HPH from wrecked cars (or so it seemed to be that many)

the cat. converters can be easily replaced, the only real issue is the tube that goes from the exhaust to the EGR valve (??) these fall apart after a while...once again, not a big deal to replace or fabricate a new one that'll last for years and years.

[Dr Evil]

You can modify your 914 with modern stuff IIRC. You just need to get it CARB approved (like getting a blessing from the pope, but..). Ask Kennedy Engineered Products. They have a kit to put a suby engine into a VW bus that is CARB approved. If they can do such, we can do such. I guess all 76 cars will need to have 76 V8 engines with all of the trimmings (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

[lapuwali]

Earlier cars than 1976 will still be exempt for now, however the bill passed has an admendment that sets up the mechanism for posibble future testing on even older cars.

This is the second time you've mentioned this admendment without quoting it. I can't see it anywhere in the new law. Please quote it for me.

[lapuwali]

You can modify your 914 with modern stuff IIRC. You just need to get it CARB approved (like getting a blessing from the pope, but..).

A very expensive blessing from the pope. No one will offer a kit for 1976 914s as there just aren't enough of them to justify the cost of developing the kit AND getting it CARB-approved. Certain kinds of things also don't get CARB approval as a matter of course. Easily re-programmable ECUs, for example, don't get it for obvious reasons.

As long as owners of the '76 cars can continue to slap on new catalytic convertors, they'll always be clean enough to pass the tailpipe test by a large margin. The difficulty will be passing the visual if their smog pump is broken.

[dmenche914]

Some have the resources to spend the extra time and money to keep the smog restricted cars running forever, unfortunatley many do not, This law will result in scrapping of 76 914's, and will increase costs for all that keep them. With more 914 going to rust each year, we all benifit by having more out there, cause that means more 914 friends. (which also means more vendor support) This law has effectively hurt 1/6 of the year model 914's the newest and as such expected to be less rusty, and deteriorated on average than the earlier 914's

It has also devistated other cars. You think you might ever want to own a classic 911 car in the future? Think again, the cost of ownership just went up for your future post 75 911's, and they are not making any more old ones.

I salute all that will continue to maintain the 76 cars dispite the added costs, and restrictions, but over all it is a very sad day for the whole California car club scene

[dmenche914]

See the bill on the state senate web site, do google "California Senate" go to the main home page, it has a pillar on the left and is yellow background, click on "legislation" and type in the bill number 2683, and then click on the latest revision to see the whole thing. but basically the part of concern is the setting up of a "classic" smog program to "benifit" 35 year and older cars that have restricted milage and insurance conditions (ie non daily drivers) This would allow for a non-visual test if you agree for "classic" designation and are over 35 years. You still must pass tail pipe, and no dripping gas (no duh).

This sounds like a nice thing, a break for classics!!!
however it is really only a tidbit crumb they tossed back in after they took away everything. It is useless for daily drivers!

Worse still, it is a double edge sword, what do you bet, that now that the state has a "classic" program in place, that some wacko will get a bill to require all cars to submit to it, maybe all cars submit to the full on test, with the "classic" crumb tossed in for non daily drives!!!

That is the real danger, The state now has a "classic" smog program set up, and like all things in California government, it will expand its reach and grow. It sets a dangerous precident, that's just how this State is, it can only be badness to have the state cohierce us into a restrictive milage registration program.

By the way, the State calls it a "classic" registration, is it not really a "restrictive" registration, good grief call it what it is. That's another problem out here, they can't call it what it is.

[carreraguy]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Plus with the new 35 year program,you have to have classic car insurance which will likely restrict the number of miles you can put on the car each year!