Reader-Owned 1981 Corvettes

Thank you for your efforts in showcasing the C3 Corvettes, still the best looking of them all. I just finished my build this year and have won World of Wheels in my class and have an upcoming article in Vette Magazine.

I am not sure how to start the story of 'Beauty and the Beast'. The project did not start out the way it ended up, but I am sure many other restorations wind up the same way. What started out as a nice street cruiser turned into a street beast. The early corvettes are difficult to find in an unrestored condition needed for my project, so I decided on the last years of the C3 series and in my mind the last years the Corvette actually looked like a Corvette.

I found the body in St Pete, FL and hooked up my trailer and made a not stop 23 ' hour round trip to pick it up. Upon arrival I found a beautiful car that had meticulous body work and flawless PPG 3334 GM Corvette red paint. It had a complete new interior, dash, door panels, carpet, seats, T-Tops and glass. It was perfect and all I needed was the engine, transmission, and rear end to have my ride.

What started out to be a nice driver began to take on a life of its own. Deciding on a 540 engine with 600+HP and 668 ft lbs torque that I had in my shop, this created a whole host of new issues to deal with. What transmission should I use to handle the HP and did I want to have an overdrive gear for highway cruising? A Monster Transmission 700R won out over the 4L60 because of the control unit. The Vette has a tiny dash and I already had plenty of new stuff to stick under it without another box to worry about. The 4 speed 700R also required a change in the stock shifter so I chose the Hurst Competition Plus. It looks nice and performs well.

Now to the rear end assembly. After some research on the wonderful WEB, I found RaceFab, the only company I know of who makes a unit especially for the C-3 Vette. Gutting the rear suspension and rear end is not a task for the faint hearted but if you are a car guy and have a welder and a machine shop, it is a piece of cake. However, a word to the wise, mock up is absolutely critical as there is NO room for error. You will also need to be mindful of the small driveshaft tunnel in the Vette. I chose a heavy duty GM 12 bolt truck rear end with Auburn Posi and Richmond 373 gears. If you're not headed to the track every weekend it will handle all you can put to it with street tires. I topped it off with Baer brakes and slotted and drilled rotors.

After stuffing in the big block there was no way the hood was going back on without a whole lot of modifications. I soon found out there were a few more things that needed to be done before things would fit. First I had to remove a 4' section of the driver's side firewall so the extra tall valve covers would fit. If you remember, a big block did come in the C3 Vettes until 1974, but not with roller rockers, so they came with short valve covers. Second was the cross member. In a Vette it is forward and when you use a long water pump, have AC and alternator you will need a three belt crank shaft pulley. Well, the only three belt pulley for a big block comes with an oversize outer drive that hits the cross member. No big problem, get out the torch, cut about 9' width and 3' deep notch in the cross member and get some ' steel plate and make a brace. Once you get all the modifications done the ole' big block drops right in. Oops, forgot about the headers. Thank goodness for Mack Jack on the west coast.

If you are using the rest of the original Corvette parts you are good to go, connect the wires, hook up the belts and hoses and your done. However you may want to consider a heavy duty aluminum radiator.

II decided to make a few more minor changes, like rewiring the whole ignition to NASCAR switches and push start. I also replaced all the gauges with AutoMeter Phantom. I spent a month with a wiring diagram, a circuit tester, wire ties, heat shrink tubing, and multiple rolls of color coded wire. I must say it turned out pretty cool. The ignition switches are where the ash tray was and the headlight dimmer is a rocker switch on the console.

I won't even get into the aftermarket AC system that they do not make for a late C3 Vette that I installed under my dash. I told you it was crowed under there.

The Swoops front drive system is a must for a big motor in a Vette. It keeps the components in front of the motor because space is limited on each side of the engine. Only two things left to do. One is the exhaust system. Driving on the street I needed to have mufflers, but I also wanted to have some big ole' 4' side pipes running down the side to give it some attitude. If you have ever had a Vette with side pipes you know you do not want those things HOT all the time. There has been many a curse word said when you get out of the car and touch the pipes. So I decided to use electric cutouts for the side pipes. I could close them off on the highway and open them up in town. You should see the looks I get at the car shows when I fire up that big old motor and open the side pipes. Wow! That huge cam in the Barrett 540 also sounds awesome loping through the side pipes. The second is the hood. I know it would never go back on with the high rise intake and tall air cleaner so I decided to copy the Stinger hood from the 67 427 Vette. Ecklers makes a stinger hood but it does not have the cowl look I wanted. So I purchased another hood just in case I screwed it up and I did not want to match paint on another hood. I took it all to the body shop. We discussed what I wanted and a month later after extensive scoop modifications to widen and lengthen it, the hood was finished and what a nice addition. It adds that little extra performance look that is not over kill.

It has been quite a project but all-in-all it has turned out better than my expectations. It drives like a dream and by the way, I forgot to mention the Steeroids power rack and pinion steering. The car cruises down the interstate at 70 mph at 2,000 rpms.

Greetings from Hamilton, Ontario! A very nice site you've put together indeed. I'd love it if you would add my 1981 beige/bronze beauty to your line up. I read your bio and broke out laughing a couple times, either I'd been there too, or you were just darn funny. I could tell you many stories about the '64 289/4sp Mustang, '66 Mercury Maurader 390 convertible, '69 Firebird 400 and many more that I had in those young crazy days when we drove like we knew we would never die. Luckily for us, well me anyways, I believed it because there were times....ah forget about it. In 1971 our steel making plant here in Hamilton hired me at 19 years of age and I was there up to 2007 when I thought enough was enough and I retired. Like you, the muscle cars were traded in for Dodge caravans and such because life and mortgages and kids got in the way. Not that I minded, it's been a great life. But in 1978 when the Corvette pace car came out, I just about crapped my pants. I needed that car more then anything in this world. Of course, the closest I ever got was posters and magazines out in the garage I shared with a 3-4 year old son. As life got easier (money wise in the mid 80's I picked up a '70 Buick GS /ram air, a gorgeous '74 Monte Carlo landau which I custom painted with Kenny Kay. But the car that was not the fastest, nor the most comfortable was the 1979 corvette I 'stole' from a guy who was broke. That car did the same to me, it stole away my soul. Never before did I ever drive a car that drove like that. The virus caught my now 10-11 year old son and he's been addicted ever since. BUT...life gets in the way again, a daughter arrived, a brand new house apparently was more important to the wife then a 'hot rod' so, from about 1989 till 2007, the pace car posters went back up in the new garage and SUVs and 4x4's were the cars of the day once more. The kids, now adults in 2007, and my wife encouraged me to get the 1978 pace car I had always wanted when I retired. Believe me or not, I just wasn't that crazy about going after one anymore. But then, my good buddy and neighbour brought home his C4 crossfire. I told him what I thought of it (looks like a pregnant Mazda RX7 to me!). I now have come to respect the C4's upon closer observation.

But watching him drive up and down the street for a half summer got my juices flowing again I guess. After telling (asking) the wife I was going to get a Corvette, off I stomped (tip-toed) to the computer to do my vette hunting via internet. I looked at a million '78 pace cars. Many, after wasting time and money to travel to see them were either NOT what the seller had said or worse, they were '78's decorated up to be a pacer clones. I became frustrated and bogged down and the ones that were real and nice were just way too expensive for me. However, one vette kept popping up quite frequently, a 1981 beige/bronze two-tone which I did not like at all. But, it grew on me the more I seen it and did some info checking on it. I learned it was a rare color combination, was 168 th off the Bowling Green line and belonged to a woman in Ohio who bought it new at 19 years of age and had just traded it in at the original dealership for a 2008 vette. After a thousand phone calls I made it down there, liked what I saw and bought it. The car finally got to Canada last February with 50,340 miles on it. I have driven it this past summer more then I should have (approx 5,500 miles but I just couldn't help it. So my friend, just a short note to say I enjoyed your site and I would love to have you include my beige beauty on it.

Binnie writes:

Larry is a member of the Stoney Creek Corvette Club in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada

History on my car is pretty much unknown. I acquired it from a nearby repair shop in the spring of '07. The shop's owner informed me that the owner was unable to pay the repair bill. It was damaged by a busted u joint on the inner dog bone during a race in southern N.M. The previous owner did modify the engine and the car is set up for racing. The body had a big hole where the dog bone snapped. It spent three years under a tree where rodents entered and made it home for a while. I had to completely strip and redo the interior. It is now road ready and I am looking forward to cruising this hot rod this summer. It has been my project for two and a half years. I had to redo the brakes, new interior including carpet, racing seats, vinyl material in the dash and other interior parts. It is looking great. Ebay helped with the necessary missing parts. I did most of the restoration myself with special thanks going to my friends and brother for all their help. I did the body work and picked the color jade for the paint. A friend and I sprayed the car in my garage. This is my first restoration and It has been a challenge but an enjoyable one. The car is not perfect in any way but It does look a whole lot better than I expected. I still have work to do. I have to pull the engine and redo some leaky seals. I don't know where the wheels are from but they do have Corvette center caps. Most 81s have the black rocker molding. It came from the factory fully equipped but some options like the A/C, cruise control and computer were removed with MSD wired in along with a double pumper carb and electric fuel pump. I believe it to be a challenge to install a roll cage. It was a Texas car. I live in Edgewood N.M. and I am soon to be 45. I am a carpenter by profession. I an kind of sad that my project is near the end but I am really looking forward to a Sunday ride. The speedometer was upgraded to the 140 mph unit. I am unsure of the horsepower or what all was done to the engine or tranny. It is the original 350 with headers. It will squeal the tries as it shifts.

I found this car on a Craigslist posting and I sent the information to a member on the Corvette Forum to have it checked out. The car was located in Ft Pierce, Florida and it looked like a good one. It is an '81 with computer engine, auto tranny and left the factory with gold color and tan interior. The second owner hated the color and promptly had it repainted black so that it looked more sinister. The last owner bought it about 10 years ago and made it into a street and strip car. He replaced the rear gears with 3:90s, added beefier side yokes and shafts, hopped up the engine and tranny and got it into the 11s. He liked things to be mechanically perfect and tough. On this '81, he decided to return it to street trim and replaced the motor with something more streetable. It now sports a 350 that has been decked and blueprinted. It has a Z28 spec roller cam, Holley double pumper and Edelbrock manifold. It idles nicely with that classic 60s Z28 sound. Even though I wanted to buy this car, both parties felt that it best that it be inspected by a third party. I contacted a Corvette Forum member in the US and gave him my checklist and had him inspect the car. He was blown away by the amount of work that the owner had put into the car. New (and not just new - but first class heavy duty parts) included: Fuel tank, shocks, complete brake system to include rotors, calipers, lines, hoses, billet distributor, aluminum pulleys, air conditioner compressor, radiator, water pump, mechanical gauges, Hooker long tubes, stainless 2 1/2" exhaust system, Eckler high rise hood, power steering system, front and rear suspension rebuild and urethane motor and tranny mounts. The frame was like that of a one-year old car. The door pins had been replaced along with all weatherstripping. The paint had no chips with only a small scuff mark on the front and year bumpers that you really had to look hard to spot. The wheels and tires looked new even though the tires were 10 years old. The car was always stored inside and had never left the Ft Pierce area. This was an exceptional example of a 1981 Corvette with 60,800 on the odometer. I believe the mileage to be accurate. It runs beautifully, kicked out the rear to the left on the 2nd gear shift at full throttle, steers straight and stops on a dime. Even though it has a 2,700 stall "Saturday night special" converter in it and drag front shocks it drives nicely, idles decently and does not overheat.

Binnie writes:

This is a wonderful story about how Corvette enthusiasts living in different continents come together to help each other. Steven and Karine live in Brugge, Belgium. I have a special place in my heart for Belgium as my wife and I have a very 'special family' living there. Hey Jasper ole buddy, you better keep your eyes open for this car and if you see it, please say hi to Steven for us!

Our Vette is a 1981, 350 - 4 speed with 70,000 actual miles. It has factory air and glass T-tops. We just installed a set of hooker super competition headers and side pipes. We live in the mountains and enjoy long rides in the country and going to cruise-ins/car shows. It definitely draws a crowd everywhere we go.

Here are the pictures of my car, I just got it and I love it. It is an 81 with a 350 cid, auto trans., electric seats, windows and mirrors. Paint is ok but I will have it painted later. It runs good now after I fixed a few of the vacuum lines, got a small oil leak on the transmission, the seat and carpet need to be replaced. When I got this beauty, it was so dirty and been left setting for a long time, it is a shame for someone to do this to a car like this. But that's ok, I have it now and I am giving it the TLC it deserves. I live in Lovington, New Mexico (southeast desert part of the state). But we have very nice driving conditions most of the year so I get to enjoy it all year around.

Hello, I saw your request and if you have a look on my site you will be able to pick up some pictures of my 81 and a some of a few of my friends Vettes over here in the UK. I'm not too much into the originality idea just looking good and going fast. I hope this is of some interest to you.

See more of John's Vette here

I wish I could give you a big long history about the car.......the thing is, I just bought it last December from a guy who had it sitting under a carport for the last 10 years. It had a car cover on it but it still wasn't good to just let it sit there and not drive it. He bought it in '95 from his neighbor who bought it from the original owner. He drove it for 2 years and then parked it. (That's all I got from him). So, I offered him $5,000 for it and he actually accepted it. I even drove it home after about 45 minutes of draining the old gas and changing the spark plugs. Unfortunately, after about two weeks of driving it, the motor starting knocking. Since it was the middle of winter, I decided to take that time and build a nice little small block 406 for it. (Around 425 HP) The stock transmission wasn't in the best of shape either so I had a TH350 built for it and used a 3000 stall converter. The stock rear end gears were changed out for 3.55's to give it better low end torque. When I wasn't working on the engine and tranny, I was busy bringing the paint back to life. Also, the interior was in pretty good shape, it just needed a lot of leather conditioner and carpet shampooing. I replaced the center console panels and leather shift boot, as well as installing a new brushed aluminum steering wheel. I also bought a brand new set of 15 x 8.5" Centerline "Convo Pro" wheels, and Cooper "Cobra" tires. (295/50/15 Rear - 265/50/15 Front). I still have plans to lower the car some, but all in good time. I'm going to include a before picture of the car and engine, which is sometimes nice to see where it actually came from. (In 6 months).

I live in South Africa. This is my '81 Corvette. It is stock standard with matching numbers.

Binnie writes:

It is so nice to see some of these fine cars in other parts of the world. Kuven, you must get lots of 'thumbs up' when you are out cruising.

This is my 1981. The car has a Turbo 400 fitted so it is definitely not a matching numbers car. When I bought the car (I love the 80-82 shape) although structurally very sound, it needed a lot of work. I would have thought if left, it might have survived 18 months, possibly 2 years before it would have been a breaker. I wasn't looking to build a nut and bolt correct trailer queen. I wanted to build something that looked how a Vette should look (in my eyes) and be fun to drive. All the interior was taken out, and I've repaired or replaced and then repainted. I had the Fiero seats redone in black leather with silver piping. The armrest was dyed black and I had silver piping fitted to it (to match stripes). On the seats I had the '81 badges copied, made up and sewn in below the headrests. I had a new dash surround fitted because the old one was badly cracked and damaged. I've yet to start on the doors properly. Various parts need cleaning, checking and some parts need replacing etc. A lot of work that has been done is stuff you can't really see but was essential. I prepped the car in the garage behind it. A very good friend of mine, his boss who owns a body shop let me borrow it for the weekend so my friend could paint it. The list goes on as I'm sure you know. It has taken longer than I planned but I've done a lot of other stuff in between. When I get a spare moment, I go outside and do some more and slowly it comes together. As soon as interior is finished I will send some pictures including the engine bay.

Binnie writes:

Great color George and I love your choice of wheels.