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Thread: About to swap; car will not pass CA BAR. Advice?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    SF, CA
    Posts
    27
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe

    About to swap; car will not pass CA BAR. Advice?

    I'm about to swap an M52 into a 318 chassis in April, and just realized the motor I'm swapping in is from a '97 328is. The chassis I'm putting it in is a '98 318i. Obviously, this won't comply with the CA BAR's regs for engine swaps even though the M52 did not change mechanically from '97 to '98 (this is why I hate CA smog laws...).

    The engine will pass emissions -- I'm planning on running stock exhaust and everything. My intention here is to not skirt smog laws because the car is a gross polluter or because I want to utilize a ridiculous exhaust setup, but rather find a way to register the car without a mandatory visit to the BAR.

    The motor model year issue will be a killer. I've already looked into getting a PO box in a smog exempt (ownership change smog required, but no biennial smog) county, but apparently the CA DMV uses residence addresses to determine smog requirements, so the PO box idea is out. I'm curious if a UPS PMB will work as a "residence" address, but the DMV requires it to be listed as a "PMB" on the reg application, so I'm not sure that would fly either.

    If I had to sell the car down the line, I would probably sell it to someone out of state or to someone in CA as a non-op, so that's not an issue at play.

    Any experience with this issue/advice? I'd really love to have the swapped car for more than 2 years before I have to take it off the road . . .

    PMs are welcome.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Norton, OH
    Posts
    4,358
    My Cars
    2019 Miata RF, 88 325i
    Sounds like a lot of hassle, why not just find a 98 M52? It's not like they're rare.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    SF, CA
    Posts
    27
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    Quote Originally Posted by AdamBath View Post
    Sounds like a lot of hassle, why not just find a 98 M52? It's not like they're rare.
    Already sunken enough into my E36 for a new suspension and the motor is both en route and free . . . worst case scenario I swap it in and love the car for another 2 years and then sell it as a non-op. Was just wondering if anyone in CA has any experience with this.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Northern CA
    Posts
    1,988
    My Cars
    1998 M3/4/5
    Not technically legal, but I'd flash the DME with 98 or newer VIN.
    S54 swap DME flashing - $100
    S54 swap CAN interface board (for proper A/C & check engine light) - $275
    e36 SAP sim/secondary air pump simulator:
    $75 - standard or $170 - plug & play
    e36 post-cat O2 sims: $115 shipped, plug & play

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