Zbad1

Hello Guys. I've been reading here for months now. You're a great wealth of information and laughs. I finally got myself a 1978 corvette in 'project' condition. She a girl I'll love sinking all of my time and money into.
I have a few questions that I haven't been able to answer just reading and searching. Hopefully you'll have some insight that I need.
First, I'm in California for a few months before I move back to Missouri. I'd kinda like to pass smog and drive it here for a while before I move. What components would I have to have for it to "visually" pass smog. Are cats and EGR all that I need? I'm told that my car isn't a "california car". Does this change the requirements and how can I be sure if it's a CA car or not?
Second, the th350 was in horrible condition so i dropped it yesterday. I'm really thinking of the 700r4 in it's place. Can I use parts from an 82 vette for the conversion. (x-member, driveshaft, etc. not the tranny itself) Or would this be a waist of effort?
Third. Assuming that it is stock. What rear end ratio do i have? I believe that there were two engines for 78 and they got different gears in back. I have the weaker of the two. (what are the engine codes.. by the way)
Thanks alot for all the help that you've already been to me in the past. And thanks in advance for the answers i know i'll get!! :flag

Neo Fender

Not a direct answer but in 2003 your '78 will be 25 years old. In Missouri, the car will be qualified for historic plates. No vehicle or emission inspection required.

Clink69

Welcome...

You'll need to get the numbers off the rear to determine which it has. The engine codes are on the pass side flat spot where the head meets on the front. with these we can tell you a lot. :flag

daniel77350

also your VIN is located on the drivers side window pillar(if you didn't know)...this code should be able to tell you about its CA verification, as well as engine options. The color and interior color code are on the drivers side door jamb(front of it)...

Welcome to the forum!!!

Daniel

fauxrs

you can get code information on the 78 registry - located at
http://<a href="http://www.vettefind...index.html</a>

depending on the engine L-48 or L-82 you will have 3:08 or 3:55 respectively - since you said you car is not a california car I ruled out the gears for the california version.

Since your car is from out of state (i.e. non-calif) it will be tested against federal standards (modified possibly) as was my 1978 L-82 was just last month.

As for smog equipment: My 78 L-82 has

Thermac air cleaner housing - dual snorkle
EFE actuator
EGR Valve
PCV Valve
Charcoal Canister
AIR injection
CAT

Jvette73

Check out BowtieOverdrives.com for your tranny conversion questions. You can call and talk to Steve Holmes. He knows everything you need to know about the swap. They devote thier entire company to this type of swap. They have all the components in stock that may be needed.

Zbad1

Wow! Thanks alot for the info. I'm pretty sure that I'll just get her registered in Missouri to avoid the whole smog thing. That 2003 Classic car law in missouri is pretty cool. I'll check into Bow Tie O.D. for that tranny info. Thanks for the tip.
I have another question for ya. I had these big old fiberglass speaker boxes in the back of the car taking up all of my space. (all 2 sq feet) They look like they were definately designed for this car and only this car because of the shape. But it sure didn't seem like a stock option, nor have i seen them anywhere else. Does anybody know what i'm talking about? Are these original or did somebody go to alot of work to make these things. Anyway. I took them out so my T-tops would fit back there. :lol:
Thanks again for the help!

fauxrs

several of the parts suppliers have custom speaker enclosures available - i havenever heard of any that were so big that the t-tops wouldnt fit - they could be made by the previous owner i suppose - I have a very small set for my Infinity's that the t-tops can fit over.