my first corvette, i have a few questions on tune up parts, am i better just going to dealership let them tune up with plugs, cap rotor ,coil, wires, and gas filters and set timing, and adjust carb. or should i buy all msd parts and e3 plugs and better than standard wires , will it increase hp and power, i no its one of the lowest hp of the corvettes and it automatic trans, it not a race car i no just like to boost it what i can could use help what to do thanks craig

 

msd will gain you zero...fill in your profile with location maybe a local member can save you some money the dealer is the last place id go.
Summit brand wires never gave me an issue

 

Learn to do yourself. No dealership will have any tech that can correctly work on a carb. Lots of internet content and youtube videos available.

 

thanks so its all bull they say on msd for better performance and quality? so just go with stock ac delco parts and plugs? the dealership wants $500 to tune it up, it as 42,000 miles on it. thanks again i live in indianapolis indiana, this site seems very hard to post in the right place for certain question

 

I would take it to Wilcox https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...tarts-now.html

 

that's a low mile car .you should have many miles of fun in that car.I would talk to somebody in the local corvette club on where to get the car worked on.

 

thanks, i hate to go to dealerships seems you go for one thing then get it back and then you end up needing something else

 

LOL that is a lot of car repair shops.Find a guy you trust, and theres lots of repairs you could learn to do .I go to the cars and coffee at the auburn auction.Lots of car guys ,all willing to help.I bet there is a few in Indy.

 

The Delco parts are best.
DO NOT let someone that has never done an 81 carburetor mess with it. It's set up very specifically. DO NOT get a commercially rebuilt unit. You need someone that knows them rebuild yours IF needed.

 

If you want more HP, get a MAGNAFLOW exhaust with a modern catalytic converter. 14HP gain. The old sand box converters choke it bad.

 

what about replace converter with test pipe (no converter) ????? and get tuned headers instead of stock headers?

 

Test pipe will help a bunch. Tuned headers, not so much.

 

thanks so much for your help

 

The parts you've listed, MSD, E3, are generally excellent parts, but arguably little better that the AC Delco parts that came on your Corvette from the factory. While I wouldn't hesitate to use them, I probably wouldn't pay extra for them either.

Most of the things you're wanting to do are things that almost anyone with basic mechanical skills are capable of doing with the possible exception of adjusting the carburetor. Unless you know what you are doing there, I would leave that to a carburetor expert if you feel it's necessary.

With only 42,000 miles on the car, I wouldn't expect to see much, if any increase in power. A smoother idle or quicker start-up perhaps, but certainly well worth doing along with a change of any fluids that you don't have proof of having been changed recently. Be sure to add a bit of anti-seize to the new plugs. I would also look at platinum or iridium plugs. They are well worth the added life over conventional plugs.

As for headers and/or removing the catalytic converter, I would just say this about that. It is a federal offense to remove any emissions equipment from your vehicle, regardless of whether it will pass inspection or not. Having said that I realize that many do remove them and there are no consequences. But a modern hi-flow, monolithic converter makes an excellent replacement for the old pellet style converters that came on your car. It also offers little if any restriction of flow over a 'test pipe'. The old pellet style converters were however routinely restrictive by the time they reached 100,000 miles.

As far as headers go, they are not without their drawbacks, and without additional changes such as heads and camshaft, any added power they provide will hardly be worth the effort. I would only consider them worthwhile as part of an overall upgrade to the entire fuel management system.

Good luck and welcome to the Corvette Forum... GUSTO

 

wow thank you, thats really good imfo and thank you so much for the advice.

 

i would take off old cat .gut it out with a long rod.then put it back on .you will know what it runs like with a test pipe or a new better flowing cat.cost is nothing.

 

Hmmm sounds good, what size rod and what comes out, how do i no its gutted out , also the heat tube fell off . thanks

 

You'll know it's got it out because you'll see all the guts come out. First off, what are your emissions rules on 81 cars in your state?

 

when you can see thru the cat you have gutted it out .use a broom handle or any thing that will break up the mess that is inside .you will see why the old cats were so bad for flow.

 

The '81 still had the pan converter on it (assuming it is original) and the inlet and outlet don't really line up so seeing through may not be really possible. I know back in the day, once they started to clog, I never could get the pellets out. The monolithic converter is a much easier matter.

It's probably worth giving it a try however...

Ecklers has a replacement converter available for the 1976-1981, it appears to be the monolith. It's available for $148 and they're having a 10%-15% sale if you spend $150 or more...
https://www.ecklerscorvette.com/?utm...23764359192841


Zip also has it available for just a bit more and they say it is the monolithic converter...
https://www.zip-corvette.com/81-cata...CABEgI4ePD_BwE

Good luck... GUSTO