0gsR

Please tell me the good and bad side of doing a swap, specially in California. Always here the good side, but what about the bad side.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Below is my ride. Not complete yet coz of wiring difficulties. Couldn't figure out the wiring despite reading Hybrid site.

97 GSR B18C
92 VX

tHanks

0gsR

BTW, I've got an OBD1 ECU.

fowler!

There really isn't a downside as long as you have everythig in order. Your motor is new than your car..unless you're putting a 92 vx motor into your GSR ...

As long as you have the papers stating the legality of the motor..and everything is hooked up properly...you're good to go when it's time to get it smogged.

0gsR

anyone?

Blown90hatcH

What problems are you having with your wiring? That it pretty easy wiring.


Jason

Charles B.

good is that youll be quicker than u are right now. bad thing is worrying about smog.

mr2

good thing - fast car, looks nice

bad thing - in california, everything has been done, hard to be different, pigs are dicks, cops check vin numbers, cops in california hate import (for the most part), they're more pro-domestics

Katman

There's a HUGE downside especially in S.CA
(these all coming from my opinion of course, you can disregard them if you'd like)

#1 being, THEFT.

Here's the thing NOT to do.
Do not post up picutures of your car on the internet with your license plate in plain view. Try to keep your mod lists to a minimum - don't list every fawkin thing you have - especially any internal engine or tranny work you've put your hard earned $$ into.

#2 Be prepared to be biased by S.CA police officers.

When you get pulled over - you're basically in the zone of any other ricer on the road whether you think you are or not. The cops don't give a **** - if you own a lowered Honda/Acura, or even just have muffler on your (honda/acura) car, be you prepared to be treated like your a kid with a fixed up toy-*** Honda. That's all because of this crap-*** import dragger scene which is just too blown up and has gone str8 to hell in a handbasket. All cops around here think you're an illegal drag racer (even if you're NOT into drag), just the site of a lowered honda/acura makes the popo see red - so you will get the rough neck 'tude from the popo - just accept the fix-it ticket (no points) and be on your way.

# 3 Smog...

There's a lot of issues with smog laws. Usually the cops don't just pull you over and tell you to pop your hood - that depends on which area of S.CA you live in, mainly. Not all cops will check your engine bay for smog equipment etc. though. Sometimes in S.CA, there's random mobile smog check points on the side of the road. They have these sniffers that can tell if a car is polluting, by just driving by this machine - yah its kinda bad sometimes. I've never crossed one before but if you ever see one, shut your car off when you roll by it!
If you want to ref your car with a Hybrid (DOHC) engine, you'll have to abide by the ref's rules. I haven't done this myself, but others have, just ask around..

that's all the S.CA tips from me.....oh wait one last tip...

#4 Learn to D.I.Y. (do it yourself) when i comes to modifying your own car or go home.


[Modified by Katman, 1:45 AM 11/22/2001]


[Modified by Katman, 1:46 AM 11/22/2001]

brad.

yeah I agree. San Marino COPS are the worst. Here in Pasadena, it's not so bad


As for smog, im in the process of taking my little b16a1 to the state ref, and it's begining to be a pain. Need to change the junk to Del Sol spec.

Stunna BEN

Good thing im in South Carolina. Dont have to worry about the smog. But good luck to you and your plans. Over here the theft is starting to get bigger Kat. I remember back when BS got jacked and i was like damn. Lately people have been ****** with a few cars in the area as well. I hate ******* who cant work for what they get. Good luck to anyone who is in cali and plans to swap cause from what i read its open season on track style cars...goto the searh and look up stolen cars and youll see maybe from cali on the forum in the past 2 months...most recently dude with the yellow EG and and ITR as well! SUX!

0gsR

Thanks guys. I did everything myself. The only trouble I'm having is the wiring. Everything plugs in, except for the smaller bottom connectors in the engine bay. They don't match. Read the hybrid site several times, and I know gotta add the Knock at D3, The Purge at A20, and IAB at A17. But there's two connectors that won't plug in. I'm using a 97 GSR engine harness and 92 VX passenger side harness with OBD1 (94-95 GSR ECU) Please help.

Katman

hmm dunno how your reply to this thread has anything to do with the topic.
but...

You can actually plug the 97/OBD2 GSR engine harness into your VX's/OBD1 harness at the passenger sides shock tower. It will plug in and work. Although you will have 2 smaller plugs left hanging- no biggy though, all will work since the OBD1/P72 ECU's stock programming is NOT lookin for those sensors, along with a few other OBD2 sensors . Hit me up if you need more clarification...

Big James

After reading you all talk about Cali, I love Georgia more and more.

Half of the state does not even do smog checks. In the areas that do, they don't care what is done to the car as long as it has a cat (does not even matter if it is a high flo or hollowed out), a non leaking gas cap, and can pass the emmisions. You can remove all of your emmisions devices, and if you can still get the car to pass, you are cool.

My car was not even close to passing. At the place I went to, we put it on the machine, and played around with the timing, and VAFC to get it to pass. I had to mill the distributor mounting holes out so we could retard the timing even further than allowed, and lean the car out to an almost dangerous level. The car barely ran. Yet it passed the test. After the test was over, we put everything back to normal.

As for the cops, for the most part, they are cool. You only get messed with if you are doing something stupid. You do have the cops that will pull you over for light bulbs, and such, but they usually just give you a fix it, and let you go. They don't go under your hood, and they don't go around looking for every illegal thing they can find. Heck, I have beenpulled over 3 times for racing or speeding. The first time was drag racing. They let me go after we joked around about nothing for a bit. The second time was for racing, and the cop noticed the nitrous in the trunk becuase my back seat was out because of some work I was doing. He just made a comment about watching out that I don't blow the motor and let me go. The third time was for speeding (105 in a 45) and he just laughed at me while I cracked jokes about me being a dumbass, and then he said "Since you go t two pretty ladies with you, I will let you go."



[Modified by Big James, 7:59 AM 11/26/2001]

Apex i ITR

James you are also a lucky bastard so you really don't con't. Cause if it was me they would have sent my *** straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

Big James

Atlanta and the metro area have emmisions testing. It is the areas outside of metro Atlanta that do not. Each county is different. The county I live in has them, but if I move 10 miles away, they do not.

Yeah, i would say I am pretty lucky when it comes to those things. However, I have run into my fairshare of butthead cops. I had an expired tag one time and got pulled over. They impounded my car even though they are not required to do so.