lcgeek
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can anyone who has a v8 converted cruiser registered in Maricopa county share your experience with how difficult the process was to pass emmissions?
V8 conversion and emissions Maricopa county
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Zero problem if you registrar out of Maricopa County or go with vintage plates
Get collector car insurance and you can bypass emissions. It seems Haggerty has the least restrictions: You can choose the amount of miles you drive, select amount you want to insure the vehicle for, etc. Show the classic insurance at the license facility and you can get classic plates but the plates are not required.
If you drive 12K a year as a DD then this might not be an option for you as there are usually mileage restrictions. I think mine is set at 5K a year which works for me on the FJ40.
It is as much or LESS than insurance through your normal carrier but with better $ loss coverage if you set it up that way.
If you drive 12K a year as a DD then this might not be an option for you as there are usually mileage restrictions. I think mine is set at 5K a year which works for me on the FJ40.
It is as much or LESS than insurance through your normal carrier but with better $ loss coverage if you set it up that way.
On the 60 I had with a V8 conversion, I had no issues with emissions here in Maricopa county. I would just pull in and they would take a look at everything and then to the exhaust test. I always passed, except for the first time because I had a bad gas cap!
I had a 1984 FJ60 with a 1994 LT1 Camaro engine.
When I owned the 60, I tried to get insurance with Hagerty (I had insurance through them for a different classic car) but they told me they would not insure the 60 with a modified engine. Their policies might have changed since then. They were a great insurance company, offering great coverage and low prices (as long as it was not your DD).
Good luck, and let us know what you find out.
I had a 1984 FJ60 with a 1994 LT1 Camaro engine.
When I owned the 60, I tried to get insurance with Hagerty (I had insurance through them for a different classic car) but they told me they would not insure the 60 with a modified engine. Their policies might have changed since then. They were a great insurance company, offering great coverage and low prices (as long as it was not your DD).
Good luck, and let us know what you find out.
I have heard where people going through with engine swaps are not even noticed by the staff. As long as you pass, no worries.
If you get the angry anal emissions nazi guy, then they might give you a hard time?
If you get the angry anal emissions nazi guy, then they might give you a hard time?
Emissions cutoff used to be 1966, but the state was trying to get it moved up to 1974. Did they ever get that completely wrapped up and done? Used to be that the donor engine and emissions equipment needed to be same as or newer than the rig. I never saw them look at the serial number on my 350 in the Piggy, so don't know if they ever checked it. I did have full emission equipment for 1976. It really was not that hard to make it all work and pass as a daily driver in the early years. In the later years I had it covered with collector car insurance as it was no longer a daily driver. I had no problem getting it thru my local Farmers Insurance agent. I worked a package deal on multiple cars and my house. Best price I could find.
lcgeek
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Thanks for the feedback! I will check with Heritage. I should have been more specific with the vehicle and setup. It's a 1990 FJ62 with a 2010 5.3 Vortec swap done by Torfab. The issue is Tor did not bring along ANY emissions in the conversion. Tor estimates $5K to add all the emissions stuff after the fact, although I am guessing that is a bit high. I can get the 62 for what I perceive is a great deal, but spending several thousand more to "be emissions legal" in Maricopa county might be a show stopper. Personal decision, but I don't want to "bend" the law to get around it. Thanks again!
I believe you have to go back 25 years or older in order to get classic car exemption? might want to check those facts....
maybe try just rolling through emissions and see if they pass or not before going through any troubles?
maybe try just rolling through emissions and see if they pass or not before going through any troubles?
I think 2015 minus 25 would be close to1990? It my just squeak in?
wow, time flies 
lcgeek
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Here's the scoop. There are a few exceptions for emissions. Vehicle age alone would need to be 1967 or older 
48 years??? Whoah.
Historic plates gets you nada, but a neat plate.
Other option as mentioned earlier by brices is to get "collector" car insurance from Hagarty or one of the several available. These insurances write policies for vehicles 25+ years or greater and travel less than 5K miles a year. Annual estimate on the 1990 FJ62 was $650. I would drive more than 5k miles, so maybe I need two insurance policies - one for emissions exemption and one for regular/real coverage
Thanks again.
48 years??? Whoah.Historic plates gets you nada, but a neat plate.
Other option as mentioned earlier by brices is to get "collector" car insurance from Hagarty or one of the several available. These insurances write policies for vehicles 25+ years or greater and travel less than 5K miles a year. Annual estimate on the 1990 FJ62 was $650. I would drive more than 5k miles, so maybe I need two insurance policies - one for emissions exemption and one for regular/real coverage
Thanks again.
Or find a friend willing to "lend" you their address in a county other than Maricopa or Pima.
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I have had collector car insurance on two cruisers (1976 and 1965) and they were both less than $300 per year (with agreed value of $20k). Hagerty is not the only insurer of these type of vehicles. Safeco is who does these for me along with my DD.
It has been my experience that checking mileage is not something that happens on these policies. I have not been asked either time for my "starting mileage" so my suggestion would be to START with a collector car policy, get your FULL two years of registration and once you hit 5k miles switch to a higher mileage policy. (FYI, I was asked by my collector car insurance agent how many miles I would like to drive) Coverage may change in this case.
It has been my experience that checking mileage is not something that happens on these policies. I have not been asked either time for my "starting mileage" so my suggestion would be to START with a collector car policy, get your FULL two years of registration and once you hit 5k miles switch to a higher mileage policy. (FYI, I was asked by my collector car insurance agent how many miles I would like to drive) Coverage may change in this case.
It wouldn't cost 5k to add the needed parts to make it emission legal.. Why did you not opt for adding the emissions equipment?
lcgeek
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Thanks for the insight guys.
Rockjock - I did not have the conversion done, it is a truck for sale that already has a swap and the owner lives in a state where emissions is not required so they did not have it done. Good to know adding for emissions won't cost $5k. Or I might just go the collector car status. right now I am trying to get someone local to lay eyes on it for me. It's quite a jaunt from here
Rockjock - I did not have the conversion done, it is a truck for sale that already has a swap and the owner lives in a state where emissions is not required so they did not have it done. Good to know adding for emissions won't cost $5k. Or I might just go the collector car status. right now I am trying to get someone local to lay eyes on it for me. It's quite a jaunt from here
lcgeek
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Thanks. Here's the rig.https://wenatchee.craigslist.org/cto/5044393559.html
If everything checks out and price is right, could be a neat rig. I can get it for quite a bit less than that CL asking price. It's got a few spots of rust, but what's been described/pictured seems repairable enough. The ad is also wrong - the conversion is a 5.3 vortec not a 6.0. The conversion was done 2 years ago by Torfab, and he also did lots of other stuff menchanically to get it up to snuff. Also - sound deadener, new carpet, new headliner, BMW leather seats, OME suspension, and more. I traded notes with Tor and he remembers the truck, although he didn't recall any rust, he said it is a killer truck (maybe he is biased? I'd like V8 power but I am not really inclined to inherit somebody's conversion unless "professsionally" done, and Torfab's reputation for these seems among the best. I got all the receipts on it from Tors work and was $30K worth of work, not to mention truck is worth $4-5k stand alone. The problem is the truck is in the middle of nowhere WA state...making a fly and drive even challenging, so trying to get someone to lay eyes on it. Anyone have connections in Wenatchee WA?
If everything checks out and price is right, could be a neat rig. I can get it for quite a bit less than that CL asking price. It's got a few spots of rust, but what's been described/pictured seems repairable enough. The ad is also wrong - the conversion is a 5.3 vortec not a 6.0. The conversion was done 2 years ago by Torfab, and he also did lots of other stuff menchanically to get it up to snuff. Also - sound deadener, new carpet, new headliner, BMW leather seats, OME suspension, and more. I traded notes with Tor and he remembers the truck, although he didn't recall any rust, he said it is a killer truck (maybe he is biased?
I'd like V8 power but I am not really inclined to inherit somebody's conversion unless "professsionally" done, and Torfab's reputation for these seems among the best. I got all the receipts on it from Tors work and was $30K worth of work, not to mention truck is worth $4-5k stand alone. The problem is the truck is in the middle of nowhere WA state...making a fly and drive even challenging, so trying to get someone to lay eyes on it. Anyone have connections in Wenatchee WA?
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If its OBDII, all they do is plug the connector in and make sure the check engine light comes on and there's no codes. They don't verify the ECU they're interrogating, do they?