should i really keep all this crap?
Thread Starter
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,357
Likes: 92
From: Press "2" for English
should i really keep all this crap?
as some of you know, i've been rebuilding a late 90's block for my '81. last week, i aquired a richmond 5 speed to go with it.
so now in storage, i'll have a stock L-81 long block and ST-10 tranny. the original diff blew up a few years back so i don't have that (usable) any more.
this is an '81, so it will never be particularly collectable but i really don't want to get rid of all those "matching numbers" components.
but why should i keep them?
i hope to never have/want to sell the car.
so should i sell the long block and tranny and anything else i no longer plan on using on this car? or should i just keep the stuff and put it in storage?
so now in storage, i'll have a stock L-81 long block and ST-10 tranny. the original diff blew up a few years back so i don't have that (usable) any more.
this is an '81, so it will never be particularly collectable but i really don't want to get rid of all those "matching numbers" components.
but why should i keep them?
i hope to never have/want to sell the car.
so should i sell the long block and tranny and anything else i no longer plan on using on this car? or should i just keep the stuff and put it in storage?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,362
Likes: 1
From: San Antonio TX
The car may not be worth much now. But they said the same thing about the 54 Corvette lol. But then again how many years will it take to be worth a bunch. And by then will we even have gas lol. Plus the fact as you state you are keeping the parts in storage. The storage costs alone will cost more than what the parts are worth after awhile. In the end it is really up to you. And as you say you do not plan to sell it.
So in my humble thoughts I would get the extra parts out of your hair and sell them to someone that might need them for there restoration and pocket the funds for more upgrades for your car. But it seems my thoughts are in the minority lol.
So in my humble thoughts I would get the extra parts out of your hair and sell them to someone that might need them for there restoration and pocket the funds for more upgrades for your car. But it seems my thoughts are in the minority lol.
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
If you aren't sure about it, then keep it. At the very least untill the car is completed. I am doing major changes to my 82, but i still kept the block. as far as selling it goes. If you are gonna put that much work and pride into something, why not keep it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,009
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles MO.
i'm in your boat when i get mine started, i'm sellin it all, i'll never sell the car too much sentimental value. i say pocket the dough! an 81 will never be a 54, theres 908324084058 billion of them made, they have nothing that makes them super collectible, and thats coming from a fellow 81 owner.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,837
Likes: 1,028
as some of you know, i've been rebuilding a late 90's block for my '81. last week, i aquired a richmond 5 speed to go with it.
so now in storage, i'll have a stock L-81 long block and ST-10 tranny. the original diff blew up a few years back so i don't have that (usable) any more.
this is an '81, so it will never be particularly collectable but i really don't want to get rid of all those "matching numbers" components.
but why should i keep them?
i hope to never have/want to sell the car.
so should i sell the long block and tranny and anything else i no longer plan on using on this car? or should i just keep the stuff and put it in storage?
so now in storage, i'll have a stock L-81 long block and ST-10 tranny. the original diff blew up a few years back so i don't have that (usable) any more.
this is an '81, so it will never be particularly collectable but i really don't want to get rid of all those "matching numbers" components.
but why should i keep them?
i hope to never have/want to sell the car.
so should i sell the long block and tranny and anything else i no longer plan on using on this car? or should i just keep the stuff and put it in storage?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
Likes: 439
From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
Space permitting, I would definitely keep everything that goes with the car. You never know what can happen down the road...if we did know, we all be millionaires. No matter what happens, you should be able to get your money out of the stuff and then some.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 12,694
Likes: 329
From: Scottsdale Arizona
This is where I'm at as well. Not much question that there is some value to having all these original parts, but i think that we often put too high a value on it. If you sell the extras now, you'll get something for it and the space as a bonus. Too much will change over the years to make any accurate predictions on where the value of a stock 81 will go.
If you want to think only of the money, sell the extra parts now and put the proceeds into a stock market mutial fund. My guess is that you'll do better.
If you want to think only of the money, sell the extra parts now and put the proceeds into a stock market mutial fund. My guess is that you'll do better.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I have crap all over my garage and have been wrestling with this question for a while. At this point, I am tired of stepping around the crap and I believe I am going to go to Corvette Expo and sell what I have. It will not be a lot compared to some of those guys but if I can get it out of my garage, it would make my garage and shelve more accessible to me. I don't plan on selling my corvette any time soon so, what the heck. My room is pretty important to me.
Its a tough decision for me, most of it is numbers stuff too.
Its a tough decision for me, most of it is numbers stuff too.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: Cherry Hill NJ
Keep it all, you may need it someday! I don't know how old you are, but I am 36. I think of all the cool cars and "stuff" I had when I was in my twenties, but I didn't have the sense to keep any of it. Now, it seems that a lot of those things I either want back or they are worth a lot more money now. Maybe an '81 vette doesn't apply to that today, but if you have the space and can afford to keep the parts, then keep'em. You never know, you may come across another vette that you may want to transplant that engine and trans into someday. At least you would have the "original" stuff to throw back into the '81.....