smogging a 74

[djbender@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

     After a year off the road I just got a "new" engine into my 74 GTV.  
     Details on the engine:  the bottom end has new rings and bearings, the 
     head is one I bought at a swap meet and then got cleaned up, surfaced, 
     and a valve job.  Essentially a new engine.  Also I should mention I 
     put 1750 (Euro) cams in, just to make smogging it that much more 
     challengine.  Just in time for this weekend's time trial at Laguna 
     Seca.
     
     Last step before registering it is to pass California smog.  I went to 
     the smog station Tuesday (a fairly friendly one, where they let me do 
     a pretest and give some advice on setting the car up...but they now 
     have their rolling road operational).  (If anyone in the LA area wants 
     to know, it's the Mobil station at Washington Place and Centinela.  
     Ask for Jack.  He's not an expert on old Alfas but will work with you 
     as best he can.  He does know something about Bosch fuel injection).
     
     I drove over to the smog place with bated breath, with expired plates 
     but a one-day driving permit from AAA.  Sure enough I got pulled over 
     on the way, cop was pissed ("do you know why I pulled you over...this 
     car shouldn't even be on the road!)  But he backed down when I showed 
     him my 1-day pass.
     
     By coincidence I was the third '74 Alfa Jack had seen that day.  
     Jack's first question was "does it idle well?"  I proudly said yes, 
     and Jack said it's probably too rich.  Sure enough, when we hooked up 
     the probe the CO was very high, Jack said lean it out.  I had brought 
     my handy-dandy tool from Alfa Ricambi to loosen the casellated nut on 
     the Spica richness adjustment; put it on and leaned out about 2-3 full 
     turns to bring the CO down.  Car would barely idle, ran like sh*t, but 
     emissions much lower.  Now we started the test in earnest, with 
     rolling road...and it passed EASILY, something like 5% of allowable CO 
     and maybe 60% of allowable HC.  Of course if the owner wants to change 
     the mixture back to richer after the test out of the smog station's 
     view so it will be drivable who's to stop him...
     
     Moral is, if your engine is in good condition, you should be able to 
     pass smog by leaning the mixture.
     
     Doug Bender

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