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Hello, all! I am still a newbe for the Corvette world.
Last year I bought a 1981 as an impulse buy, and I keep finding suprises.
The car did not come with a spare wheel, and I am trying to find the missing parts, but I am having a hard time figuring out where the back 2 bolts of the spare carier are supposed to go ...
It looks like I am missing a frame cross member?
The front two spare tire hangers are bolted to the differential's aluminum "bat wing" crossmember, and the front of the tub's "Y" brace hangs from the loops at the ends of the front hangers.
Below are the pages from the Assembly Manual showing the installation of the front hangers and the page showing the rear lock bolt (though 1981's no longer came with a spare tire lock).
You have an 81 with a steel spring, yet I don't see a rear sway bar.
Gymkhana Suspension wasn't the only 81's that came with the steel spring in place of the composite one. 4 speed 81's came with the steel spring, and I think ZN1 trailering package used it too, but I'm not sure that's an OEM steel spring either. OEM springs usually have a slight upturn to the end of the leaves, and were painted gray.
Last edited by gbvette62; Jul 8, 2025 at 08:59 AM.
Gymkhana Suspension wasn't the only 81's that came with the steel spring in place of the composite one. 4 speed 81's came with the steel spring, and I think ZN1 trailering package used it too, but that's not an OEM steel spring either.
81 spare tire mounting issue
