Verifying 1981 factory options ordered on car
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 5,005
Likes: 38
From: jackson nj
Verifying 1981 factory options ordered on car
I'm looking at buying a 1981 Auto Cpe and want to find what are the factory options the car came with. It's gone thru a number of owners and even been repainted with an excessive amount of paint on the door jamb plate. I have only been able at this time to verify it was a St Louis car and just want to see what it came with. I thought at one point there was a website where the VIN would tell you but I can't seem to find it, if it ever even it existed, can anybody give me info on this (I don't even know at this time if the NCM can verify a St Louis car's window sticker.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
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From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Go here and see if you can get a copy of the original dealer invoice for the car. https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...formation.html
The NCM has records only for Bowling Green built C3s.
The NCM has records only for Bowling Green built C3s.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826
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From: Lincoln NE Riding and Driving Corvettes since 1967.
Bugredbrad
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,953
Likes: 4,510
From: Virginia
There aren't many uncommon options that mattered in 81 that aren't bolt on. At 20%, you can look for FE7 Gymkhana suspension (a rear swaybar and possibly a steel rear spring are good indicators of this). If the engine is original, an engine code suffix of ZDA or ZDC indicates the car came with a 4-speed manual (13.7% of all 81s). Other things, like the CCC ECM being bypassed and the carb and distributor already replaced, can be a good thing, if the swap was done correctly.
Paint codes are here. The trim tag was stainless, and usually paint doesn't stick to it.
http://corvettec3.ca/interior.htm
One more source for the original dealer invoice may be from the GM Media Archives, for a $50- fee (if they have it). This link is to the GM Heritage Center, which has a phone number to call.
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-...a-archive.html
Paint codes are here. The trim tag was stainless, and usually paint doesn't stick to it.
http://corvettec3.ca/interior.htm
One more source for the original dealer invoice may be from the GM Media Archives, for a $50- fee (if they have it). This link is to the GM Heritage Center, which has a phone number to call.
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-...a-archive.html
Racer
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 451
Likes: 520
From: Chicago Burbs
1981s are almost always hanging on the front of the tank not on top like earlier C3s. There's a group of pics out there showing assembled 1981 chassis on the line and you can see the build sheet hanging there. My 81 I can see it with a scope looking up from the bottom by putting my scope up in front of the spare tire carrier.
Bugredbrad
Bugredbrad
Build sheet on the front of the tank
Last edited by '73and'75; Sep 24, 2021 at 10:06 AM.
