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Birth of Garaged 81

cstarr89

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2007
Messages
23
Location
columbus,ohio
Corvette
1981 charcoal grey coupe auto
Hey guys,

I was just wondering...I recently just bought an 81 from a relative that now lives in florida. He garaged it for around 6 years and only took it out once in awhile around the block to keep it running. The car is in excellent condition everything is original.

My question is what should i be doing as far as maintenance and replacement after it has been sitting for 6 years or so and is there anything i should be looking out for after i've driven it a little bit? I am by no means an expert on historical cars but I have great respect for this car seeing as I fell in love with the curves :D the first day i saw it. I have some knowledge of corvettes just from doing a quite a bit of research on them in the last few months. I plan on replacing plugs, wires, oil and filter change, fuel and air filter change, most likely brakes possibly rotors. Brake lines?? If anyone has any advice or comments for me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanx
 
cstarr89, welcome to CAC. You should introduce yourself in the New Members area.
I would definately think that all fluids and filter changes would be a start. You could replace the plugs. Does everything work on the Vette like the guages and the lights etc.? Do you have any documentation on the car to give you a history of what has been done in the past? I have been in the Corvette world now for a whole 1 yr. I have done nothing but research but I continue to learn something new almost every week. I love it! If you have a pic let us see...
 
Welcome to the forum!
I would do fluids: oil, tranny/ coolant system flush, top off rear end.
Also change the rubber brake lines on all 4 corners and flush, fill and bleed brakes. See where that gets you. The rotors should be ok unless the brakes were severely abused. Have them checked for runout.
Then drive it a while and figure out what you want to do with the car before making any modifications
 
Welcome to the world of 81's

CSTARR89...welcome to a great world. My '81 has been in the family 24 years and I am still impressed with the looks of this car. It's not the fastest kid on the block but it sure is fun to drive. And I get more looks than many guys with the newer ones...now don't get me wrong...I hope to grab a C5 someday...but for now...I'm loving it.

You have gotten great advice so far. One thing I did was to take off the catalytic converter on my Vette. In my jurisdiction, the device is not required on antique cars (25+ years old) and this has improved performance and mileage.

Make sure you join the L81 Registry as well, it's affliated with the Corvette Action Center website. You'll find it here: http://www.l81vetteregistry.com/

Carver81
 
Welcome... can't wait to see the pictures.
I found that after mine had been sitting for a year and a half I needed to:

1) Change the fuild in the rear differential and do reverse figure 8's to get the posi clutches to loosen up
2) Steam clean the gas tank. (sludge build up)


I would also advise:
1) Look at all the bushings (they may have cracked over time)
2) Look at the side walls of the tires. Tire manufactures are looking at putting an expiry date on tires as they dry out over time and develop cracks. There have been a number accidents where guys have taken thier classic cars on the highway and blown a tire... resulting in a crash.

Congrates... and welcome!
 
cstarr - welcome to the Corvette Action Center and congrats on acquiring your Shark!

We have an adminstrator (Rare81 aka Bud aka Yoda) with a charcoal grey '81. Here's a photo of him arriving at CF06 in Bowling Green.

HPIM0989_A.jpg


If you want to post an introductory thread here's a link to the New Member forum mentioned above - Click ME

As you can see, our members are knowledgeable and more than willing to help when asked for advice on all things Corvette!

I would replace fluids, filters, plugs and wires, hoses and belts.

Enjoy!
:wJane Ann
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I appreciate it. I posted an introduction thread if anybody wants to check it out in the new members area. it has a little bit more info on the car and history. the car is being delivered to ohio from florida as we speak so i don't have any pics right now but i will post them asap. As for the corvette registry i will definetely join but seeing as i don't have the car in front of me to get the info and numbers i guess ill have to wait......:bash I hate waiting.
The car is one owner, nothing has been replaced besides normal stuff, oil change, filters etc. not sure about tires or brakes but i'll check them when it gets here and decide if i need to replace.
 
You have gotten some great advice so far. Make sure you take those tires off and get a good look at the inner sidewalls. They don't tend to get the same kind of attention as the outer sides in terms of preservation. When I bought my L81 two years ago, the tires looked great, but the inner sidewalls turned out to be dry rotted and I nearly blew one apart coming back from Florida on the interstate. Fluids first, brakes, steering and suspension, then cosmetics and comfort. Have fun and use this forum.
 

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