Smogging your 40 y.o. classic in Claifornia, starting 2005! ACT NOW

["reflexr" <reflexr@xxxx>]

Everyone, please read what I got from another list I'm on, my reply follows.

----- Original Message -----

As California goes, so it seems goes the rest of the country when it
comes to automotive legislation. California's SB42 allowed vehicles
built earlier than 1974 to be exempt from the state's emission
testing program. Now California State Senator Dean Florez is pushing
SB708, which will require biennial certificate of compliance for cars
all the way back to 1960-unless you can prove that the car is driven
less than 12,000 miles per year. If you care about your classic car,
no matter which state you live in, take the time to read this up-to-
date information on the situation. Targeting the Classic Car Market
in California will impact the whole country. If classic cars get
parked in museums there will be no market to supply new and rebuilt
parts. It's time for all classic car owners to step up to the plate:
get active, mail Senator Dean Florez and let him know the impact this
legislation will make to California state taxes and employment.

If your not in California Remember California Sets the Trends when it
comes to Smog laws. We need everyone e-mailing on this to kill this
Bill ASAP.


http://www.gray-davis.com/
http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/florez/


I agree, and have written to Sen. Florez. I think the response he got when
the bill was first introduced is what prompted the amending of it to include
the 12,000 mile bit(still pre- '74). I think it should be known that several
other states watch CA, and the EPA uses us as the measuring stick for the
rest of the country and its smog laws. Several states are beginning or have
begun, "E checks", and the like. It WILL only get more and more restrictive
unless we voice our opinions and involve local politicians to help keep the
hobby alive.
Your local city council members, the mayor, everyone in your state can be
asked to help further our cause, but you must speak out. None of them are in
our living rooms or garages, and few may be aware of our events and car
shows. To not speak up now only allows them to make decisions based on what
their perception of our hobby is, apparently they don't know about the
passion many of us feel towards autos and automobilia(just look at how
passionate we get in defense of a particular make or engine family, and
they'd rather see the revenue from smog check, regardless of who makes (or
made) the car in question, or have it dismantled!).
I have written to the mayor of L.A., and my local council person, and
received a response(!), from one- supportive and the other a more
bureaucratic "I would need to do more research before supporting..." blah,
blah. But at least I got a response, and any support is helpful.
I don't think it would be a problem for most makes, but the import guys, and
orphaned car owners need to be worried because of smog parts availability. I
personally own cars from 1969- 1973, and would only have a PCV valve on the
69, but on the 73 cars I have an A.I.R. pump, the injector hoses, a charcoal
canister, and an E.G.R. Plus, whatever else the technical service manual
states I might need. These parts are not so easy to find for an AMC, as I
imagine they would be difficult to find for some other makes. Speak up
before it's too late! Or am I talking out my ass?

Joey