engine on a 1981
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: perkasie pa
engine on a 1981
hi, i recently purchased a 1981 corvette and found out it has a 1999 motor placed in it. the motor cost $1100. i am wondering if ne one knows how many HP this engine would have, just a ballpark figure. thank you.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,194
Likes: 0
From: Tempe AZ
Re: engine on a 1981 (guitar308)
hi, i recently purchased a 1981 corvette and found out it has a 1999 motor placed in it. the motor cost $1100. i am wondering if ne one knows how many HP this engine would have, just a ballpark figure. thank you.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,194
Likes: 0
From: Tempe AZ
Re: engine on a 1981 (Twin_Turbo)
probably a GM goodwrench TargetMaster/LM-1 , they have hecho en mexico cast on them (made in mexico), they make about 225-250 Hp depending on intake & exhaust.
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,446
Likes: 92
From: Press "2" for English
Re: engine on a 1981 (guitar308)
yeah, sounds like the base crate motor. that seems to be around the right price for that. pretty good engine for the money. made as much power as the original L81 ever did, plus the cams probably don't wipe out in 50k miles like the originals.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,743
Likes: 289
From: Chardon Ohio
that's what mine is. Mine was replaced by the PO about 5 years ago. It's a GM crate motor, not sure about the Targetmaster, but it could be. When I called the PO to ask him about it, he said it was 330 HP ... not sure about that, but it is definately more than 200.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
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
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
I once knew a fellow that decided on his auto purchases based on a calculated "dollars per pound" basis. But, I didn't know that there was a similar proportional scaling for the "dollars per horsepower" ratio. 
Anyway, you can't make a good estimate of HP based on what the engine cost. Heck, it could be an LT1 engine out of a Corvette that the PO got from his dearest cousin Earl who works at a salvage yard. Or it could be a POS throw-away engine that the PO paid way too much for. Who knows?
But, if you tell us what rear end ratio the car has, what transmission, how much time it takes for you to run a standing start 1/4 mile, and some estimate of your prowess at running the car through its gears (100% is John Force; 10% is John Q. Public)....we might be able to estimate the horsepower (torque) being produced by that engine.
Or, maybe not....
Anyway, you can't make a good estimate of HP based on what the engine cost. Heck, it could be an LT1 engine out of a Corvette that the PO got from his dearest cousin Earl who works at a salvage yard. Or it could be a POS throw-away engine that the PO paid way too much for. Who knows?But, if you tell us what rear end ratio the car has, what transmission, how much time it takes for you to run a standing start 1/4 mile, and some estimate of your prowess at running the car through its gears (100% is John Force; 10% is John Q. Public)....we might be able to estimate the horsepower (torque) being produced by that engine.
Or, maybe not....
