I don't think it's free.
the last conversion I had to a Ca smog ref in Redding .......
it was a fully perfect OBD-I SVX in a Synco Westy .......
the smog ref was new on the job, and didn't want to take any chances .......
he  said..........since those headers are not certified KEP ones, I can take
your 70 dollars, run the test,  and fail you,
or we can stop right now for free.

Very likely obd-II zetecs can get through a smog ref on an individual basis,
but not always 'for sure' ..........depends on who you get and how they feel
that day, and if bosses are around etc.  .....

what a fun game !   And funny thing is ..........this is a major major 'ha
ha' to me.
It's almost like they conspire to force people to be creative
...........it's like the smog refs themselvs recongize the silliness of the
official system ( needing the stock trans that came with the engine
..........that's silly, and they recongize that , many of them,
fortunately ) .....and they will bend a little where they think it'll be all
right.  I'm sure thankful for that.   But nobody evidently has the balls or
smarts to say 'let's make a system that reflects the real world, and is
practical and makes sense.  Heck, they should make 'only' OBD-II"s
cerifiable, if they are to pick any group by OBD level to be 'good'.

and afterall, being government, it's impractical to hope that they could
actually be practical about it - they should PAY US to put in later model
cleaner running , more fuel effecient engines for gosh sakes, not make it
difficult and nearly impossible.
But alas, expecting anything practical or sensical from goverment is a lost
hope, eveidently.

----- Original Message -----
From: "BenT Syncro" <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: Was: Re: John Wessels Glori's --- Now: California Engine
Conversions

> 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