The Dodge Challenger Message Board

I was just wondering....when you convert a 318 Challenger to a 383 or 440, do the emissions increase to a point where you would fail the current emission testing that is done yearly. I live in Illinois and the newest testing has the testing "technician" jump in your car and run it on a dynameter at various rpms. There have been a number of lawsuits regarding damage to the vehicles. Anyway, I know that the manufacturers added emission junk starting in 1968, I believe, so the Challengers would be have to meet whatever the standards were for their particular year, with 1974 having the most stringent restrictions. When someone modifies their car, manifold-carb-cam-displacement, and they fail the test, the only way would be to have to put the car back to its' original configuration. A definate nightmare. Is there similar legislation in the UK?

Just wondering,
Bill

As far as I know (someone put me right if I am wrong) the only emissions fitted to Challengers was a pipe feeding fuel bowl vapors back to the fuel tank. The only emissions that would effect the tailpipe output is the crankcase ventilation system. A worn engine will have more gasses going into the system and into the carb as a result.

In the UK cars only have to pass the emissions standards of the day the cars were made. We did not start testing until years after the Americans.

We only got rid of leaded fuel last year!

Old cars like the Challenger only have to pass a visual test on the exhaust over here.

Up here in Ontario Canada, they don't have to be checked if they are over 25 years old due to that the emissions systems where almost nonexistent as stated above. only if they smoke so bad that it causes visual impairment of traffic will a cop stop ya.

John Mac
71 Deputy

Unfortunately, in Illinois they do test cars as old as 1968. I guess when you live in a major metropolitan area like Chicago and its' suburbs, you're held to different standards or such. They even have specially formulated gasolines for our areas to try to reduce emissions. Other parts of Illinois do not have to go through these tests or have to pay extra for a gallon of altered fuel. I agree that the politicians should put their time and effort into more important issues than the few of us who drive so few miles with some of the most amazing iron that came out of Detroit.