RE: [Chrysler300] Gas Chemistry

["Bob Jasinski" <rpjasin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve and list,

I live in California I see Ray's post as being very germane to the interests of this board. You've really struck a nerve here, and as a California car hobbyist I can readily tell you I support Ray's position.  Yes, the air is cleaner and that is a very good thing, but if it was left up to CARB and the Sierra Club, we would all be driving electric cars and bicycles, and living in high density apartments.  CARB is a government bureaucracy that must constantly find new ways to generate revenue for itself by forcing the liberal environmentalist agenda down our throats, whether it makes sense or not.

Take a look at the MTBE scandal.  CARB, with the full support of the Sierra Club, pushed through the requirement for adding MTBE to California gas while the conservatives, (yes there are some in CA) supported by experts, (Dr. Bill Wattinberg for one) advised against it, citing studies done in other states on MTBE negative effects.  The tree huggers knew better of course, and MTBE became a requirement, polluting the groundwater as a result.  It has now been removed from the gas, now that "they" know better.

California smog laws are draconian and getting worse. What happened to our promised-by-law 25 year rolling exception for older cars that would have exempted them from smog testing?  Well, it was changed to a 30 year exemption, and just 3 months ago, under pressure from CARB and the Sierra Club, the 30 year rolling exemption was eliminated entirely!  From now on, any car built from 1976 on will have to be smogged, forever, period! No exceptions. Even if you drive the car 10 miles a year! The worst part of it, is that you can never do any modifications to the engine of the car ever. No non-stock carburetor changes, air cleaners, nothing. It must stay stock, forever.

Case in point.  I owned a very low mileage 1979 MGB that I enjoyed immensely, and I was looking forward to the day that I could get rid of the crappy factory Zenith carb that is difficult to keep in tune, and inadequate for the demands of the engine.  I was planning on installing the Weber upgrade kit that included a new intake manifold, Weber carb and header pipe.  I was anxious to get more reliability, better mileage, and more performance.  That has all changed now because of CARB and the Sierra Club pressure to eliminate the rolling 30 year exemption. Oh, and guess what...I only drove the car about 1,000 miles a year.  I'm sure my little MGB was a major contributor to global warming, and the we know whats-best-for-everyone mentality of the Sierra club members are happy that my MGB will no longer be polluting California's air, because I sold it on eBay to a collector in St. Louis.  One other point...my last smog test with the MGB was a CARB Dyno required test, not the static tests it always managed to pass before, and the price doubled to $90 as well.

This topic is of importance to this list.  It is important because if we as car collectors are not vigilant, and if CARB, the Sierra Club, and other tree huggers have their way, our right to drive our 300s freely as we please will be taken away and our cars turned into static displays, being trailered to car shows.

The car collector has NO friends within CARB and the Sierra Club.  As far as I'm concerned, they are the enemy and the sooner we all realize it, the better off we will be.

Bob Jasinski
Danville, CA (Near the Blackhawk museum, with many beautiful static car displays) 




------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Give the gift of life to a sick child. 
Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/5iY7fA/6WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/8LmulB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

To send a message to this group, send an email to:
Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/