In recent news here in California, SB 1239 is legislation to extend the current pre-1976 law to pre-1981 for vehicle emissions inspection exemption. For many gearheads, that could mean that some late 1970s vehicles would be great platforms for building a musclecar – like the Fox body Mustang.

But before this legislation is passed, and before you go out and find a clean six cylinder car to start your project, there are some conditions and points that need to be made.

For starters, the “emissions inspection” is the exemption, not “emissions equipment,” there is a difference. Quite often, we see cars built between 1966 and 1975 on Craigslist here in the Golden State that say “SMOG exempt,” and that’s just not true. These vehicles are exempt from biennial inspections, and the same would hold true for vehicles up through 1980 should SB 1239 pass.

The other condition of SB 1239 is that vehicles under this amendment would only be exempt from testing if the owner submits proof that the vehicle is insured as a collector vehicle. And if that condition is met, it’s still only a two-year trial that would require separate legislation in order to continue.

While it is good news for many, it’s still a little misguided because traffic officers, should they feel the need to exercise their jurisdiction, can ask you to open the hood so they can see if you’ve removed any of the OE smog equipment. It doesn’t get done often, but they are well within the law to check under your hood if something is suspicious.

The current legislation has been postponed, and is now scheduled for Monday, May 9, 2016. It’s not the glaring victory that many of us had hoped for, but it’s still worth supporting and the SEMA Action Network (SAN) is encouraging us all to continue to fight for this legislation. For more information on how you can help to get this amendment passed, visit the SAN website and contact lawmakers to let them know you support SB 1239.