Quick Summary:

• Use Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner
• Do a "tune up" (Replace PCV valve, spark plugs, oil, oil filter, air filter and O2 sensor(s))
• If you removed or blocked off your EGR, you need to put it back on and hook it up, but you can leave the block off plates in place.
• Make sure your Check Engine Light (CEL) is not on (if it is, remove the bulb or better yet, fix the problem causing it)
• Drive around enough so the cat and O2 sensors are hot enough to do their job better (normal temp)
• Find a place that doesn't use a lift to look under the car (hard to find)
• Try "Test Only Centers"
• Having a lowered car made it harder for the tech to look under the car in my case
• Arrive ~15-30 min. before they close (hopefully they won't raise the car if they're in a hurry)
• Act dumb
• Have CARB numbers for any aftermarket parts you have installed
• Make a custom Heat Shield to cover up an "illegal" header or anything else on the car
• Paint your cat and header black to look more like stock and harder to see.
• When all else fails, bribe the guy =)

CARB #'s I used:
Iceman -- D-446
Mopar PCM -- D-265-18
Leach Street Header -- D-401
*NEW* Pacesetter Header -- D-439-4

The problem with California Smog Tests is that not only do you have to pass the sniffer test (usually no problem), you still have to pass a stupid visual test. Which means that if something looks "different" you fail.

Well, the dreaded day finally came to smog my car and I started looking through the phone book for coupons. I figured I'd find a "Test Only Center" so if it didn't pass they wouldn't have to fix it. The first place I went (Cedar & McKinley) put the car on a lift and checked out the underside of my car. Unfortunately, I was told that my header (Pacesetter) was illegal as was my Catco cat. Well, I pulled out my trusty CARB numbers, but the guy said that they had to be stamped on the product itself in order for it to be legal. (WTF ??? That was the first time I've heard of that!) I even tried offering him an extra $40, but he wouldn't take it =(. The second place I went to did pretty much the same thing.

Driving around, feeling depressed and wondering what the hell I was going to do, I went to Costless Smog (Blackstone & McKinley) just for the hell of it. I pulled in and noticed they didn't have a lift. The tech pulled the car up on the rollers and had a look under the hood. He tried hard to look under my custom heat shield to see the header and cat, but just gave up. Then he got on his hands and knees and tried to look under my car (having it lowered ~2" helped). He said he thought the cat looked aftermarket, but I just played dumb and said I didn't know anything about cars and that my trusted mechanic in town does all the work. He said yeah, it's probably okay since I'm not getting any CEL codes. He put the sniffer in the tailpipe and I barely passed the #'s. I paid the guy and got the hell up on out of there. Safe for another 2 years !!