Hello,

I just bought this car and I am in the process of "reconnecting" some things. That said, is the part that is circled and attached to an actuator designed to ease the throttle when it closes? If so, is there any particular position I sh

ould put it in or just attach it an let it do it's thing?

 

cruise control

 

With that incorrect Carter AFB carb (aka, EDL "Performer") you're not going to be able to hook everything up - that carb doesn't have the correct ports and linkages required to connect everything on your '81.

 

Correct, your car came with CCC..(Computer Command Control).....a primitive computer controlled the mixture on the original Q-Jet that was on your car. It also controlled the timing/distributor. These items have been removed from your car and an older style mechanical distributor and an Edelbrock carb have been installed......The distributor is fine but you eventually will have to get that Edelbrock carb off of that intake because the adapter that is used to do it is terrible......you might get it to run half well but you will never tune be able to tune that carb properly due to that spacer.

Jebby

 

Jebby -
I'm not so sure the CCC distributor has been changed out... I don't see a vacuum advance on it... if there is no vacuum advance and the computer has been disabled, that's a problem... that would have the distributor locked out on all timing advance functions, which is a really bad idea...
Lars

 

Yeah, can't really see from the photo......maybe you are right......if so, there is one advance curve on this unit........none.......as the CCC distributor will not work with the carb disabled......two huge issues here.

Jebby

 

Thanks...What carb do you recommend?

 

A Corvette spec Q-Jet from 76-80 would be great......but do not buy a Commercially Rebuilt unit or from the parts outlets.......they are trash. E-Mail Lars and ask for his papers on how to locate a good Q-Jet core and have him go through it for you.....and if you do not have a vacuum advance cannister on that distributor then you need a new one. One for a 75-80 Corvette or Chevy V8 powered car.....there are hundred of different places to buy them at....but this distributor is key to making it run right......along with the correct carb.

Jebby

 

All correct and accurate statements. But that assumes you are wanting to bypass the CCC controls that came stock on your car. If you want to bring your car back to its correct, factory configuration, you need to locate all the correct 1981-unique components to make it all work. From the looks of your photo, you have a real hack-job going on there with lots of incorrect and missing stuff. Bubba has been hard at work. If your goal is just to make it run nicely, you need to locate a used, unmolested, rebuildable 1978-1980 Chevy passenger car Q-Jet along with an HEI distributor with vacuum advance (assuming your existing distributor does not have the vacuum advance on it). The '78-80 Q-Jet carbs will allow you to hook up your EVAP system should you desire to do so. The '76-77 Q-Jets do not have EVAP provision on the float bowl, but they can be made to run well if you do not want to hook up everything in your engine compartment. All of the '76-80 Q-Jets can be converted to electric choke, which came standard on your car - you should have the electrical wire in your engine compartment to hook it up, although I'll bet Bubba cut the factory connector off of it...
Lars

 

OP has a similar thread started, with a view of the other side of the engine:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...cal-81-c3.html



An 81 should have a wire for the electric choke. No sign of a vacuum advance on the distributor, though.

OP, can you post some better photos? Is the check-engine-light (CEL) on on your dash? Is the ECM still mounted in front of the battery?

 

Yes, the OP has two threads going about the same issues with the car. Let me post here what I posted in the other thread about the same issues:

Let me make a recommendation to you without intending to be condescending or critical:
From your comments, it appears you have no idea what you got yourself into by buying a hacked-up '81 Vette. This is the worst year you could have bought for a car to work on and attempt to fix/repair with a hack-job situation. The fact that you don't know this indicates that you have little capability to rectify all these issues. Hopefully, you bought the car for a very cheap price, and that was the decision factor for buying something like this. Your car, in its current condition, is worth about $5000 on a good day. You can't fix the problems it has for anywhere close to that value. Whatever you paid for it - sell it. Recover what you can out of whatever you paid for it and minimize your loss. You are destined for financial and enjoyment failure with that turd. Dump it, take the money you can recover, and buy a Vette you can actually work on and buy parts for. If you like the styling of the '81, buy a '79 or an '80. You're headed for failure on this project, and it won't be much fun. Cut your losses and get a year you can work on with some level of enjoyment without loosing your *** financially.

Lars

 

Lars...appreciate the honesty brother, and it sounds like you know a ton, so much appreciated and your name is badass. I am just digging into this and I paid less than half of that for it. Guy I got it from was in the military and moved overseas and had to get rid of it. It appears the original owner went down the path of removing all the ECM components. What I don't know is if the ECM is still hooked up. It is still in the battery compartment. There still is a canister of which some of the lines are still hooked up to various components. I have all the original components. She fires up, sounds good, steering is nice, new brakes, brake lines and master, new starter, new battery. The frame has little to no rust and is solid. Body is solid but bad prep for the paint job. The front end body is misaligned and aftermarket from ACI. Interior is gutted but again I have all the original components.

If I decide to keep and move away from the ECM, here is what I would start with based off of the posts:

1. New distributor with vacuum advance. My question was related to which brand of distributor would you recommend.
2. Either install a Rochester Q-Jet on or for the time being keep the 1406 on there assuming the spacer retro kit is adequate for now
3. Address the torque control

I am taking this all in, so please let me know your thoughts.

 

"Fixing" an 81 by reverting it back to 80 specs shouldn't be that hard. There's a steep learning curve, but it seems you are willing to learn and work on the car yourself. That's great! It's the only way this will work. You will bankrupt yourself if you farm this work out.

I would not ever want to discourage someone from saving a (nearly) rust-free Vette. There are many threads on how to do this on this Forum. I'll add some links tonight.

In the meantime, please post more (and higher quality) photos!

 

Thanks Bikespace. One question, do you know what this red coil was quit? Just curious. It does have vacuum ports so I am wondering if it was part of the emission system.

 

egr control solenoid

 

Here are some links.

Until you know the ECM is NOT connected, you may want to check the trouble codes (may or may not work, but a good place to start)
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...k-1981-c3.html

Other folks with 81s
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...81-issues.html

I used an ACDelco 93440806 distributor to replace the failing one in my 79. On top of the purchase price, I had to add an adjustable vacuum can, shim the endplay, and replace the advance springs. For what these cost now, you may want to look at Davis Unified Ignition (DUI) for a complete solution. https://performancedistributors.com/

Please post more photos!

 

Will do. Thank you for your advice. I am going to clean up the engine compartment first so things will be more visable.

 

Question. Again, I am just digging into this and may not get all the terminology, but I am doing a ton of research and I had an idea. If I go with a distributer with a vacuum advance and were to eliminate all of the emissions components and go with electric wipers and headlights (realizing it is a tad pricey) what all would I need to the vacuum system for? I assume the HVAC system and brake booster. Is there anything else that would run off of the vacuum system?

 

Glad you asked!

You do not need vacuum for your wipers. Chrome-bumper cars had vacuum actuated windshield wiper covers. That ended after 1972. Electric headlights are a GREAT idea. Buy a made-in-USA set from this ebay seller: https://www.ebay.com/str/richard454 (who also sells wiper conversions, that you do not need).

Here's what you do need:
Vacuum advance (direct shot, on manifold vacuum)
PCV
Brake booster

Here's what you might need:
EVAP purge (technically an emission system, there is zero reason to eliminate it if it is working properly).
HVAC controls (open and close vents, which you can also do manually, or with electric servos, or not have HVAC at all)

Be sure to delete any automatic transmission you find. A third pedal will eliminate the need for the vacuum modulator, and the ATF cooling loop.

 

Awesome info. A novice with terminology, but when you refer to third pedal you are referring to a clutch?