My guess, aside from lack of information, is that most people want to save
money for lab testing. It's a gamble and can be a PITA to take a conversion
to a BAR referee. But last time I checked, it was still free. In my
experience, most referees in my area are themselves enthusiasts who just
happen to be subcontracted by the State of California to review and certify
things like engine swaps/conversions. On many occasions, I've had referees
tell me to go home (or around the corner) to do this and that to get the
conversion certified. On one occasion, I was even advised to look for a
specific engine number which though virtually identical to one I was
considering but not required to have certain emission parts simply because
of a model designation.

Where there's a will, there's a way. If $3K is your way, them more power to
you. It's available out there. But before you spend that kind of money, it
can't hurt to try the referee first. If was hurting (or can afford ) a Zetec
right now, I bet I can figure out a way to get it certified.

=)

Cheers,

BenT

On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 11:22 AM, Jeff <vw.doka@gmail.com> wrote:

> My guess is that not too people doing engine conversions are Registered
> Importers who have to get vehicles tested and certified for California on a
> regular basis?
>
> That's probably why it's not well known.
>
> Jeff