1981 vette sitting 16 yrs
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 787
Likes: 295
From: Middleton, Id
Got a white 81 myself. Took it for a drive today and was reminded how fun it is. Have some engine/suspension work done on it and I like it as much if not better than my C5. Just more raw somehow. Brake booster on mine went out too. Bit of a challenge due to space to replace. I'm sure you'll like it!
Last edited by RC81; Mar 10, 2018 at 03:51 AM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,853
Likes: 81
From: Hamilton Virginia
The best way is to jack it up, remove the wheels, take them to a tire shop and get new tires installed. Return and install them back on the corvette.
Sitting 16 years, I am sure you do not plan on driving around on the old tires.
Sitting 16 years, I am sure you do not plan on driving around on the old tires.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,970
Likes: 4,521
From: Virginia
If you can't change the tires from the side, you may be able to jack up the car from the front and rear enough to slide the dollies under the tires, then roll the car out of the garage.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 25
Likes: 1
So for those wondering, we took off all the fuel lines leading to the carb, put some carb clean down it and it fired up and ran till the stray was out. We lifted it and all the suspension work is fantastic. There is no rust on any metal parts, no cracks on any body panels, and only minor leaks. We pulled all the gas from the lines and tank and there must have been a fuel stabilizer or something in there. We drained the brakes out with ease and replaced the brake lines. Brake pads and rotors look new to the car. The only issue after getting the car on the lift we noticed that some sensors were disconnected for some reason. Small electrical stuff. But all in all this was a great buy.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,992
Likes: 56
From: Antioch IL
Congrats on you new to you vette. From what I can see in the pics the CCC has been disconnected and the distributor had been swapped for a non-computer controlled one. That can be a good thing as you don't have to deal with all the sensors . check to see the trans as to what they did with the trans as the 81 had the th350C with a lock up converter.
Good luck with your build.
Good luck with your build.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 25
Likes: 1
So the vette now has the brakes done and stopping power. Time for the fuel and stuff. But now that I'm this close to the finish line, there is one cosmetic piece I really need. The front plastics under the bumper. Anyone got anything? The full thing has a split straight down the middle. I'll get pictures of it when I can to show what I'm talking about.