I'll give a quick explanation of the process.
-Get your car running with all smog gear installed and all smog monitors set. The computer has to see all of the equipment. You can't just install the hardware. It all needs to function with the ecm.
-Make sure you meet all minimum safety standards found on form VP064( one problem you will have to talk your way through. A windshield is not necessary, it has a NA available for checkmark on the form, however, the windshield wipers are pass/fail on the form. My DMV teller was smart enough to see the conflict and go on past, Grant's had to be taught/encouraged and finally had to go to a manager before she would procede. One note, if you have a windshield, you are required to have windshield wipers. We both registered with no windshield. Grant has one now
-Original MCO from DF ( this will give you the VIN number)
-Inspection, form VP064 at a NV DMV rated G3 shop - We used Frank's Autobody on Sunpac in Henderson
-engine inspection at a G2 rated shop. The inspector needs to put the year and model that the motor came out of, along with the engine serial number in the body of a letter with their company letter head. The motor code needs to match the motor used in the donor cars ecm if your donor had an Lnf, Le5, lsj originally, that's what it needs for this inspection. They will determine your smog standards from this info
-DMV Vin and smog equipment inspection. We did this at the Sahara DMV. See Robin. He is very well known in the Vegas smog world and has taught most of the smog classes in Vegas for years. You really need to understand the emissions system on your car. He is used to dealing with people who understand the system. If he mentions monitors or any specific part, you need to know what that is. He will get frustrated if you haven't done your homework. They will assign the new Vin with engine type and tie the two together in the dmv system.
-Get 15-90 day moving permit.
-Smog certificate from any certified smog center.
-Get insurance. I had to have side panels and hood to get insurance, Grant only had a hood. There is no consistancy in this system. We used the same agent and he was accepted and I was turned down. Both of us have clean driving records. I had to use American Modern from and agent in Illinois, he used allstste in NV
-Take everything you have to the DMV to get your title and registration. You will need receipts to show how much the car is worth. They will charge sales tax on any receipt you produce. If you take a stage one receipt only, you will pay less sales tax than if you take a receipt in for stages 1, 2, and 3 combined. We paid nearly $1000 taxes, another Vegas registerer paid $160.
Also, save yourself some trouble and complete the paperwork, inspections and smog tests the same year that you go in to the DMV for title. They get really confused when the paperwork is from a different year than the title date. Killed 20 minutes with them trying to decide what year to call the vehicle.
I have some pics and a little more info in our build log
Jim, surface radiators are used in aerospace and could be good for secondary cooling. Not sure about a primary cooling device (too be effective they need constant airflow to remove the BTUs), but combining this with a heat exchanger could provide the extra cooling needed out here in our desert...
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