New guy here! I'm getting ready to start my Miata conversion with a 5.0L. Before I got my engine, I poured over PennDot's website looking for any engine swap restrictions and couldn't find any and also saw a few places that said PA didn't have any engine swap laws. Only to hear from someone else last week, that in PA the engine has to be the same year or newer than the car. Who has done this in PA and can tell me what you did and if you had any problems? Thanks

 

Hi and welcome. I think you will have an issue with emissions. You may want to check this thread from when I had a similar question. https://www.v8miata.net/introduction...w-guy-pa-1698/ Mine is a 95 NA and I have no issues getting it inspected because it is OBD I and I have all the emissions components that were originally on the car . It may be possible to title your car as a "modified" or "specially constructed" but there a lot of hoops to jump through. I would recommend checking with an Enhanced Vehicle Inspection Station to see what if anything can be done before you start spending $$. You can find a listing of them on PennDOT's website. Good luck.

 

Thanks! That thread was helpful. I wrote a couple of enhanced inspection stations so we'll see what they say. I saw that thread was six years ago so maybe.

 

I'm in PA and did a Modified title to swap in my LS engine. You will need to document the modifications, include sales receipts (which is new), take pictures and have an enhanced inspection station finalize everything and look over the car. I waited about 4-5 weeks I think for the plate, etc. You don't need an annual emissions inspection but you will have a special license plate, title and registration and are limited to driving the car "occasionally" which is once per week. That may not work for most people, if this is their primary car. In that case, I'd talk to a knowledge station about the swap implications or other options. Curious to hear what you find if there are other options.

 

it sounds like you got a classic tag? I heard that was one of the options but since it's restricted to "once a week" or something like that I decided to go the route of keeping it emissions exempt by keeping it under 5,000 miles a year. I was told once I get it past its first emissions test then I can make the modifications, get it inspected and not have to do the further emissions tests because it would be hard to get it up to proper emissions specs. We'll see what happens when I get to that point

 

Forgot to mention it's a Collectible Vehicle tag. Probably similar restrictions, though intended for when you replace the engine, among other things. I could be wrong, but when you are emissions exempt (under 5k miles) I thought they still checked for the existence of emissions equipment, but didn't actually "sniff test" the car. My M3 is exempt every year b/c I don't drive it enough.

 

Yeah I will still put the needed emissions stuff on the car, but it's different from what is needed to pass the full test from what I understand. I'm following the advice of several enhanced inspection stations and a guy who has done a lot of v8 miatas in PA. How long have you had yours done? I'm going to be looking for a Miata 1.8 engine to get me past the first emissions test (mine has a terrible knock and needed replaced so I bought it cheap to do the Monster Miata).

 

I finished the car in Spring of 2017