Momma said she didn’t want the 81 4spd vette I was going to give her (at first). So I decided to keep it for myself. Now she is interested in it again but I have a few things to fix before she gets turned loose with it. The usual Corvette woes like steering assist leaks, carb needs adjusted, brakes need bleeding and parking brake adjusted. I received the original invoice from GM Canada (sold in Longueil, Quebec). It is a factory 4speed car with the Gymkhana suspension. And only a handful of options. AM/FM cassette, rear window defroster, power driver’s seat (replaced with manual), aluminum wheels w/255/60 R15 tires (replaced with factory steel wheels), power mirrors (replaced with manual). Now I can fix the squawks with stock parts or I can make it better. Better brakes, change to the Borgeson steering conversion (12.7:1 ratio no assist valve), maybe a sniper EFI conversion, and definitely aluminum wheels. But do I go road race width and mod the wheel wells? 5 or 6 spd trans? The power seat and mirrors missing doesn’t bother me. Maybe new lights to the front (halogen or brighter) I can hook the AC back up and see if it works. No belt marks on the compressor which makes me think it was disabled early on. I have considered a LS with turbos as I have a very healthy 5.3. It already has a Borla exhaust system but side pipes are cool. which way should I go? It has to carve corners and eat up pavement no mater which way I go. View attachment 6408173 As I picked it up. Tires have 1000 miles and 6 yrs since new tires
Having had a couple C3 Vettes over the years I personally don't see an 81 Vette as something I would dump a boatload of money into. If it's something for the wife to enjoy just get it running well, fix the A/C, add some nice wheels and enjoy.
i sourced a 81 in the uk for someboby by the time we were half way home we decided it was gutless and sold it on.the new owner didnt take long to blow the motor and replaced it with another with higher compression cams the new guy loves it . and stainless side pipes..the car still looks great but gained 200 hp in the rebuild..goes like a scalded cat.my advice stick a ls2 in it and enjoy.uprate the brakes with willwood stuff then you might have a handbrake that works dont expect much from stock handbrake
I agree on the lack luster performance of the stock powerplant. When I was in flight school in 83, I bought an 80 Vette to take to Germany. We swapped the engine out with one from a SCCA car (more power, more RPMs) replaced the 3 speed auto with a 4 speed auto. I wound up chasing Aero problems once I was cruising in triple digits. I opened the fender vents, put brake vents on the chin spoiler to limit the air there even added a cowl hood. It was a fun toy on the autobahn. I can't remember what brakes I wound up with on it, but it could move out. I sold it when I was embarrassed by a Ferrari and my lack of enough gear to stay with him (the whole when in Rome thing). I bought a 911 and then played with euro cars for the rest of my tour there. Thus, my desire to build a play toy for me. Momma has the need for speed affliction like a lot of us, but how much do I put in. Doubling the factory HP puts it at 380 which is pretty easy to get to today. She will drive it for sure, especially since I have a hard time getting in it with my back (too much doing Armystuff)..
on a trip to florida drove my first c5 and a prowler.no more c3 vettes for me i bought a c5 and never looked back.quick enough to get myself put off the road any day of the week and economical on long runs just keep out of built up areas and it goes a long way between fuel stops .of course i love my vintage stuff too.
I had a 79, which was probably a little worse than an 81, I think it weighed a bit more. I owned it new, till 1992. 2 engines, 4 transmissions (the last one was a 4+1). You can make them a pretty nice little car without going overboard. Typical engine upgrades, right gears for your usage, a touring car more than a sports car I suppose. The best and cheapest thing I did was change the FE7 springs for the standard ones. Kept the front bar and shocks, put a bigger rear bar in. My 30 miles to work was a rough 2 lanes, and it chattered on these springs. Softer was better. That will depend on your roads and usage. Those are unlikely to see the kind of price appreciation other vette’s have, so spend the money on stuff you use and appreciate. Bragging rights and ragged idle don’t count (at least for me) in drivers.
If I had a C3 I'm sure I would start down the rabbit hole of suspension, brakes, engine, transmission, etc just trying to make it as good as a C5. I'm sure I'd have the same conundrum with a C4.
Just wanted to mention that an 81 is also going to have the newer (not better) style rearend in it too. I'm pretty sure the 1979's were the last year with the 63-79 style center sections. It's been a long time since I turned a wrench on a c3 but back then stiff gears were non-existent for that newer style rear.
I had a 78 four speed Vette, it had been well cared for before I bought it. It was a DOG. I got that itch scratched and sold it after three or four years, and actually broke even, the best I have ever done.
I’m in this one very reasonably. If momma had pitched to big a fit, I would’ve flipped it and spent even more money on something else to upset her. So I’ll work on this one as I have time and eventually I’ll let her drive it. It runs and drives now, but not how I want it to. I’m thinking seriously about removing the unnecessary stuff from under the hood and replacing it with a few more ponies. I don’t think the car is rare enough to justify leaving it stock. Nor is it special enough to bump my other projects down the list.
I had a 81 Claret with Claret leather interior. It was pretty...pretty monotone, pretty expensive at the time, pretty damn slow and as I recall pretty hard to sell. Don't spend much on it.
I have no love for the malaise era C3s. Don't fit, not comfortable, they don't do regular car things well and sure don't do zoomy car things without serious cash infusions. Price out all the upgrades, add 10-50%, and compare price of later ones that work better in every way. You already got beat up about buying something for momma without her input, so that should factor in too. If it was bought right and can be flipped well, try again, this time with her input and your knowledge so everyone is happy.
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