Hello, I'm new here and am hoping to learn a bit.
I'm searching for my first C3 and would prefer an '81.
I like the idea of having one that was built during the last year of production in St. Louis.
My question is this:
Would a car built on the first day of production in '81 (super early serial number) be any more desirable/collectable than a car built later in the run?
I learned about the last C3's that rolled off the line in St Louis and how rare/desirable/expensive they are, how about the first ones produced in the final year of production at the plant?
I'm also curious what the first day on the line was like for workers for a new production run.
Are there reasons to avoid cars built on the first day of a production run, or are they more appealing?
Many thanks in advance.

 

Not really. A very early car would possibly be of interest to some.

New model years typically began in August, but there are known exceptions. The Corvette Black Book shows 775 1981 cars assembled in August, 1980. Since they could average about 110 cars a day, 877 gets close to about one week's work. My hunch says the first 81s at St. Louis were done the last week of August. You could look for a time built code during that time frame.

No.

{quote]...are they more appealing?...[/QUOTE]

That would depend on what you wanted.

Good Luck with the hunt.

 

That would depend on what you wanted.

Good Luck with the hunt.
[/QUOTE]


Thanks Easy Mike, I sincerely appreciate it.
Rather than looking for an example that was built on the last day at the plant, I thought it might be interesting to look for one that was built on the first day of the last year at St Louis. From what I've read, the last day cars are highly desirable and quite expensive. Day 1 cars are probably a little more affordable for me.
I've never personally worked in a plant but would guess that maybe there were some changes/nuances that took place with a new model year. I'm trying to imagine if this would have presented challenges on the line on day 1 and how many cars were produced that first day.
The information you provided from The Corvette Black Book is super helpful, thank you. I don't own it. Does it happen to break down production to how many were built per day?
I know it's specific, I'd just really like to find a first day car.

 

The '81 had an 'odd' engine management system; it was the first year for an ECU. BUT, it still had a carb, rather than EFI; the carb was a 'hybrid' in that it used an electronic feature to regulate the air/fuel mixture.

If the '81 still has this system and it is operational, that's fine. It was an improvement over the [strictly] mechanical carb. However, many of these '81 cars have had that system removed/altered so that it is no different from previous all-mechanical engine system.

The '81 had several 'one-year-only' parts that can be difficult to replace or rebuild, although some are still available. The carb, distributor, and ECU are unique to that year; a TPS, O2 sensor, and wiring harness (which also connected to temp sensor, etc) completed the engine management system's pieces.

The '81s engine could still be modified for more power while keeping that special hardware intact. The Q-Jet was still capable of flowing 750cfm (even though the stock engine probably never used 600 cfm) and the ECU could manage carb and ignition timing, even if new heads/cam/intake/headers were exchanged.

Just thought you should know the "uniqueness" of that particular year. The '82 had the Cross-Fire engine (dual throttle body injectors & manifold) which was the same as was used with the '84 C4 car. Following that, TPI / EFI became the standard induction systems for GM.

Nothing 'wrong' with the 81's unique systems...as long as they are operating properly. When inspecting '81 and later Corvettes, you should verify that the Check Engine Light is illuminated on the instrument panel when the key is turn to the "ON" position; and also verify that the CEL goes out when the engine is started. That way, you know that the ECM system is still operating and is not throwing 'trouble codes'. Otherwise, someone could have just removed the bulb so that the CEL won't work.

 

Order a copy. The Black Book contains a variety of production/option information. For most model years it includes monthly production totals but does not contain daily information.



These are also good:



If you want history and assembly line photos/information, this is good:

 

They ran a parallel production line in '81 for both plants I believe. Production ended in St. Louis on July 31, 1981 and the first car built in Bowling Green was June 1, 1981. See the below production numbers:



Welcome and good luck with your search!

 

As the original owner of an 81 Bowling Green car, I can tell you there was a big difference in these cars, at least when they were new.

The build quality, fit, finish and paint of Bowling Green 81's, was far superior to St. Louis cars. There were many reasons for this, not the least of which was the fact that many of the workers at St Louis were loosing their jobs, or having to relocate, if they wanted to keep them.

You also had a plant that was close to 30 years old, and hadn't seen a lot of updates to the manufacturing process. When it opened, Bowling Green was the newest and most modern auto assembly plant in the US. Also, St. Louis was shooting cars in single stage acrylic lacquer, while Bowling Green was using two stage, base coat/clear coat, acrylic enamel.

After 36 or 37 years, the difference between them is probably not a big deal, or as noticeable. But in 1981, the difference between St. Louis and Bowling Green cars was like night and day.

Is there any special value connected with an 81 built the first day of production, I don't think so. It's still just an 81, and they built 40,000 of them. An early VIN might be an interesting conversation piece, and hold some personal value, but I doubt there would be any extra monetary value for an early VIN.

 

After 40 years of wanting one, I purchased a modified 1981 C3 from a neighbor last fall. He installed a 383 Stroker and 700R4 tranny, so the car has power, I love driving it.

I went into the deal knowing that I would need to repaint the 35 year old body. Turns out my C3 was built in St Louis and the body build quality was not great. The simple repaint has turned out to be rework. The body panel seams were poorly filed with apparently incompatible filler and had to be carved out. We replaced it with SMC compatible filler and resin. The joints now are stronger than the body panels. My body guy is taking the extra time to do a really great job on smoothing out the irregularities in the panels. When it's finished it will be better than new!

 

Forgot to mention that my C3 was among the last built in St. Louis...