1981 Chevrolet Corvette

Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

1G1AY8766BS420898

Gasoline

1981 Chevrolet Corvette This a performance modified 1981 Corvette for Sale or Trade. Reason Selling I am only looking to sell or trade this Corvette because it is too small for me. At 6'5" tall, the limited shoulder space during longer trips becomes uncomfortable to me. This is also my daily driver and is not practical to use for that purpose. This car is better suited for driving around town, going to Car Cruise Ins and Car Shows or burning up a twisty back road. I prefer to sell for cash but will consider a trade for something that really interest me. What is that you ask? I am really interested in old cars, (1930 - 1980) and performance cars. If it is a real car of any year, meaning a 2 door, rear wheel drive, V8 engine then I will most likely be interested. This Corvette is for someone that wants a performance, hot rod, type of car. It easily grabs a good second gear and barks the tires. I would advise that you have some driving experience with performance cars before you even consider owning this Corvette. I don't want anyone to get hurt. When anything needed repaired on this car it was usually replaced by a performance part. History I found this car in May, 2011 in Clarksville, TN. I purchased the car because I had always wanted a C3 Corvette. I was in High School (Showing my age, now.) when the C3 (1968 - 1982) body style was new and have always thought that this body style is what a Corvette should look like. The person that I got the car from had been in the process of completely rebuilding it when he lived in Illinois and had a relative that was a master mechanic. He had rebuilt the engine, transmission, differential, front and rear suspensions and repaired anything wrong under the car. Then he moved to Clarksville, TN. and lost access to his mechanic relative. The car sat for a couple of years and no more work was done to it. When I looked under the car everything looked new, like it was put on yesterday. I was still cautious because anyone could claim that something was rebuilt. I asked if he had any paperwork to verify his statements. He produced a large folder of receipts for parts totaling over $6000.00. I still have these receipts. He also had photos of the work being done on the car. I still have these also. Needless to say that I got the car. The driver side front brake caliper was replaced by me, because it was leaking from the seals. This is a common problem for Corvettes that sit for some time. It had a MSD ignition box with an Acel distributor and the MSD unit failed. I replaced it all with a new Mallory distributor. I have been using the car as my daily driver ever since. As far as I can tell the car has never been wrecked. It was involved in a minor accident. On October 1, 2011, a 19 year old girl was not paying attention to her driving and rear ended me. It was a low speed accident and just did cosmetic damage. The entire rear bumper, Corvette emblem and passenger side taillights were replaced and the back half of the car was color matched and painted. The repairs were done through my insurance at a professional body shop that knows fiberglass. The repairs look great. The T-Tops were off and in the back at the time of the accident. They slid across each other and got scratched. That is why the car now has brand new mirrored T-Tops that cost $1400.00 This is currently my only car. I really like the car but have to realize that I am too big for the car and it isn't a practical daily driver. Details The VIN number decodes as: A United States, General Motors, Chevrolet Division,  Model Corvette Coupe built in St. Louis with a 350 4V Engine and was produced about February 18, 1981. Engine Performance rebuilt 350 CID with Performance Cam, Distributor, Headers and Intake. The parts for the rebuild came from Summit Racing and includes an Energizer 278-H10 Cam & Lifter Kit, valve springs, rocker arms, complete Fel-Pro gasket set, rod and main bearings and piston rings. The engine has an Edelbrock polished intake, a Comp Vette S Headers and Mallory distributor. Transmission Performance rebuilt 350 Transmission with shift kit and Torque Converter Lockup Controller. Parts for the rebuild came from Transtar and includes a D. K. 350 Combo 69-86 Rebuild Kit, Steel FWD/Direct Oversize 350, Reprogramming Kit 350 and a B&M Torque Converter Lockup Control Unit. The Torque Converter was also replaced. The Transmission has firm shifts and is capable of manually shifting. The engine has enough power and the transmission shifts firmly so that under full throttle the tires always bark when the car shifts into second gear.  Suspension Rebuilt front and rear suspension. New 4 wheel alignment. Parts for the rebuild came from Chicago Corvette Supply and includes a 1963-82 Super Front End Kit, a Kit S8010 63-82 Bushing-Upper A Arm Shaft (4 R), a Kit S8016 63-82 Bushing-Lower A Arm Shaft (4 RE), a Kit S8036 63-82 Ball Joint-Upper, a Kit S8038 63-82 Ball Joint-Lower, a Kit K8060 63-82 Stabilizer Link Kit Front, a Kit S8072 63-82 Tie Rod End-LH (2), a Kit S8074 63-82 Tie Rod End-RH (2), a Kit S8076 63-82 Tie Rod Tube-W/Clamps, a Kit S8070 63-82 Idler Arm-W/Grease Fittings, 1963-82 Shock Kit - Gas (4 Shocks) Kit S8075 63-82 Front, and Kit S8311 63-82 Rear. All the rear bushings are also replaced. The rear control arms have been upgraded to aftermarket adjustable units. A complete 4 wheel suspension alignment was done in November, 2011. Differential Rebuilt rear differential with 3.25 Positraction gears. The rear U-Joints on the driveshaft and halfshafts have been replaced. The gear ratio was estimated by counting the rotations of the driveshaft as compared to the rotation of the halfshafts. Wheels and Tires The wheels are Classic Industries, Mixed Rally Wheel Kit S. The fronts are 15X7 and the backs are 15X8. They are dressed with classic style trim rings and center caps. The tires are BF Goodrich Radial TA. The fronts are P215/70SR15 and the backs are P255/60SR15 both with great tread left on them. Paint The paint is a dark metallic (metal flake) green. It is several years old and does have some scuffs, cracks and nicks at places. Some of the body work on the doors could have been done better before the paint was applied. The paint shines well and the car looks good from 3 feet away. Interior The Cinnabar color parts are, I think, the original interior. It has held up surprisingly well. The dash has several cracks in the center. The thread in the seams in the seats and door panels are breaking and the seams separating. The black parts of the interior are newer items. There is an aftermarket AM/FM CD player. The speedometer stopped working and displays a little over 113,000 miles but the actual body mileage is estimated at 125,000 miles. Since all of the mechanical items are rebuilt then they are no were near the mileage of the body.There are other items that don't work or just need adjustment but the interior and the car is very usable. Included with Sale Included with the purchase of this Corvette is an original 1981 Corvette sales brochure, a 1981 red Corvette Promo Model, several parts catalogs, a 1981 Assembly Manual, a repair manual, some spare parts, the pictures of the rebuilding of the car and the receipts for the parts.     This Corvette is in good mechanical condition with the amount of rebuilt items that have gone into the driveline and suspension. The problems with the car are mostly cosmetic. I feel that I have priced the car accordingly and fairly. The NADA low value for this car is over $10,000.00. As you can see by the amount of detail in this ad that I am attempting to make a true representation of the car. I encourage you to see the car and ask questions before auction end. This car is an As-Is sale. This is the third listing for this Corvette because the last two winning bidders were non-paying winners. They are Ebay users 757cwinckler and systemsinc and I suggest that you block them from bidding and don't buy from them. BID TO BUY !  Please don't waste my time and yours. I reserve the right to end the auction early if the car is sold or traded locally. Serious inquires only. There will not be any joy rides! For more details, to make a trade offer or to arrange a time to see the car please contact me by email or for fastest response, call me at 931-624-0651.