I have an '81 Vette with the stock engine in it. It has a 109000 miles and still runs strong. I'm considering this years' projects and I think I'm going to pull the stock engine, set it aside and put in a crate motor. That being said, because it's an '81, I have a few questions:

I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'm either going with a Year One crate (400HP) or working with my local machine shop to build a 383 similar to: http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...wap/index.html

At the same time, I was planning on installing a Corvette Central true dual exhaust.

Which bring me to the questions:

1) Should/Can I retain the CCC and use the same carb, distributor and trans? If not, besides the transmission (separate question), do I just need a carb and distributor to rip out the CCC?
2) I'm not sure I'll have the bugdet to do the engine AND the trans at the same time. I do plan on swapping the trans but could it could be another 12 months before this gets moving. What are the major ramifications of sticking with the stock trans if the engine is swapped?
3) Are there any other major concerns I should be factoring in?

As a side note, I don't have emissions concerns as the vehicle has passed emissions and Illinois only requires you to pass 1 time if your vehicle is older the 1994.

 

You can use the same transmission (I'm assuming that its the standard THM350), but you don't want to "lean" on it with the new crate engine--it's just not made to handle that kind of torque. If you do, it will hold up for a while...but not for very long. If you can keep your foot out of it until you change the tranny-- [yeah, like that's gonna happen ]. My advice would be to wait until you can do the engine AND the transmission at the same time.