Nice 1981 Chevy Corvette
Sale price: US $1.00 Make an Offer
| Condition: | Used | Year: | 1981 |
| VIN : | 1g1ay876xbs417941 | Mileage: | 110000 |
| Options: | Leather Seats, CD Player | Fuel Type: | Gasoline |
| Interior Color: | Tan | For Sale By: | Private Seller |
| Body Type: | Coupe | Warranty: | Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty |
| Model: | Corvette | Exterior Color: | Green |
| Transmission: | Automatic | Disability Equipped: | No |
| Number of Cylinders: | 8 | Power Options: | Power Windows |
| Make: | Chevrolet | Vehicle Title: | Clean |
| Drive Type: | RWD | Engine: | 350 SBC |
Maineville, Ohio, United States
Vehicle description
Hello everyone!
I am selling my 1981 Chevy Corvette. It turned 40 this year and is in super shape for its age. I will be listing everything good and bad about this vehicle, so you can make an informed decision.
We"ll begin with the outside: The car is a repaint; done before I acquired it. The trim tag says it was originally Cream colored. The paperwork I was given when I bought the car says that the new color is called Dupont Yellow-Green. I call it Dark Green. The paint is well done, but you can see where there were some body prep issues, and it has some cracks and bullseye marks in it. Also, a few flaking areas where it looks like there are impacts from shopping carts, parking lot dings, etc. Viewing the car from five feet away or further, though, and it"s beautiful. The door jams were also done, so none of that two-tone repaint stuff. The rear antenna mast is missing. The driver side window could use some adjustment and new wipes. Rolling the window up while moving pulls the glass just outside of the weather-stripping, so doing it while raining is not a good idea. If you come to a complete stop and roll it up, no problem. Still, not a great seal, but not unexpected for a 40 year old sports car. The windshield has a small mark where there was a nickle-sized bullseye which I repaired with a kit. You can see a tiny leftover where it was if you look closely. Also, the lamination between the panes of glass in the windshield has minor bubbling, which is not readily apparent, but you can see it when you sit behind the wheel. The t-tops are glass, not mirrored, and are in excellent shape. I have covers installed with double-sticky tape on the inside to help protect from the heat. Anyone who has ever had a t-top care in the middle of summer will understand why I did this. The sticky tape is removable if you just want to look through the tops. Currently, the left (driver) headlight does not want to pop up on its own. If you lift it manually, the passenger side also pops up. They both go down just fine. I believe it is a relay. I have the replacement relay, but have not installed it yet. It may or may not fix the issue.
Moving to the interior: The leather was all redone by the previous owner. The seats look brand new. There are no cracks in the dash. I removed the center console and dash panels, cleaned them up, and repainted them. I think they look great as they are, but the panels can be outlined with a silver paint marker if you want the original look. The is a well-worn aftermarket armrest included. The lighter and ashtray are gone. I installed an accessory port module with 2 USB ports and a lighter socket on the side of the console. This is easily removed with no damage to the console. I made a home-made panel to mount some speakers in the space between the seats, which allows for music to be heard when traveling at highway speeds with the t-tops off. I have the bags for the t-tops, but they are a major hassle to use, so I keep one in the car as a pad between the tops when I take them out. The package areas behind the seats are not factory-fresh, but still work and are very presentable. I have some aftermarket door lock knobs which are not great, but usable. The pocket on the driver side door has a wear-through portion where the toe of my shoe had rubbed against it one too many times climbing in and out of the car. Steering wheel is in great shape for a 40-year-old car. Some minor cracking in the leather, but no tears or wear-through spots. I replaced the lock in the glove compartment because it did not function, which means there is an extra key on the keyring, now. Oh, and for some reason, the tunnel cover carpet on the driver side does not fit exactly as it should. I am guessing it will require a little moving and trimming to make it just right. I haven"t done so, because you need to remove the drive side seat to get to it, and I just haven"t gotten to it, yet. The car has power windows but does NOT have power locks or power driver"s seat. The driver side sun visor does not move up or down.
Mechanical and Electrical: The speedometer wasn"t working, and the cruise control is inoperable. Replacing components did not fix the issues. I finally went with a GPS speedometer I installed in the dash. It is very accurate, and works about 90% of the time. Sometimes it fails to find any satellites, and I use my phone for my speed. The engine is the original 350 but has had the computer components removed. It now has a standard HEI distributor, and I installed a Jeg"s remanufactured Quadrajet. I also did a tune-up last month consisting of new plugs, wires, cap, rotor and coil. It runs great! Before the carb swap, the plugs showed that the car was running a little lean. The carb is now dialed in just like it should be, and the operation of the car shows it! The air conditioning is currently unhooked. One of the lines looks like it was pecked to death by a flock of woodpeckers. I removed the compressor, and I have new lines. I have not installed them yet, because the hood should be removed to do that, and I haven"t gotten around to it. Last time I tightened up the bolts on the AC brackets, I put a little too much He-Man into it and snapped off a bolt. To do the job right, that broken bolt should be extracted and the hole tapped. I replaced the heater hoses where they were leaking at the vacuum-controlled valve (removing it). I spliced in new hose, because the heater core was not leaking, so I didn"t want to risk breaking it. I have a new heater core to go with it, in the box, though. The transmission shifts just like it should, although the torque converter lockup is gone because the computer is no longer in use. The rear end was leaking a little bit, so I removed the spare tire tray (it is frozen, and not working like it should), refilled the differential with fluid, posi-additive, and a seal restorer. It still has a tiny leak, but the restorer is still working on it. I hadn"t put too many miles on it since the change. The radiator sprung a leak as well, so I replaced it with an aluminum unit that "almost" fit perfectly. It does a super job cooling, though. As far as wiring goes, there are going to be some repairs that some people may say are "bubba", but they work well, and are safe and secure. Just not exactly like it came from the factory. . I replaced the alternator and battery last summer. The driver side door locks and unlocks just fine, but the passenger side door only locks from the outside, and only unlocks from the inside. I have no idea why, as I have not pulled off the door panel to investigate, but there it is. Annoying, but works.
I have been doing my own oil changes, using Wix filters and Castrol Edge High Mileage. I change the oil somewhere between 4500-5000 miles.
When the speedometer went bad, it read 98,814 miles. I drove it off and on for a couple of months before installing the GPS speedometer, which reads just over 1,200 miles now. So, mileage is unknown, but realistically under 110K. It"s over that magical 100K mark, though!
Reliability? You could drive this thing across the country if you wanted to, and I am sure you would reach your destination without incident. Maybe a little sore and cramped feeling, as this is not a super-roomy car! Expensive, too. It gets right around 22 mpg on the highway. I gave up trying to get any sense of mpg in the city. I guess it depends on how you drive it.
This is a nice, solid classic car that can be used as a daily drive if you want, without fear of getting a rock pinging off of your hood. I always get compliments on it. You can just hop in and drive it as-is, or have a drive it while you restore it classic. It just feels good to drive.
So, why, you may ask, am I selling it? I have some arthritis which has been getting progressively worse over the past year, and my days of lying on my back on the concrete and turning wrenches may be over. The car really is in excellent shape, but there"s always something to tinker with on it, like you would expect from a 40+ year old sports car.
So, there you have it. Probably the most honest and comprehensive For Sale ad for a car you may ever see. Email me if you want to know anything else.
On Apr-23-21 at 03:09:33 PDT, seller added the following information: Man, I hate that I can"t go in to the description to fix typos!
On Apr-23-21 at 07:40:14 PDT, seller added the following information: I forgot to mention that I have the clear title in-hand. There are no liens / loans on the vehicle. All I need to do is fill in your name and address, then get it notarized.
On May-01-21 at 07:28:23 PDT, seller added the following information:
Relisting because the winner cancelled just minutes after winning. Who knew you could do that? Seems rather ignoble. .
Anyway, the relay for the headlight is not the issue, and I have a new actuator on order. Not sure if it will get here before the auction ends. If not, I"ll forward it to the winner.
I took the car out for a little jaunt last night, and it is truly amazing just how well it runs. Oh, and one other "bad" thing: it seems to have some kind of parasitic drain where the battery will be too low o start if it sits for more than a week. I"ll toss in a digital battery charger if I can"t track it down before auction end.
I am selling my 1981 Chevy Corvette. It turned 40 this year and is in super shape for its age. I will be listing everything good and bad about this vehicle, so you can make an informed decision.
We"ll begin with the outside: The car is a repaint; done before I acquired it. The trim tag says it was originally Cream colored. The paperwork I was given when I bought the car says that the new color is called Dupont Yellow-Green. I call it Dark Green. The paint is well done, but you can see where there were some body prep issues, and it has some cracks and bullseye marks in it. Also, a few flaking areas where it looks like there are impacts from shopping carts, parking lot dings, etc. Viewing the car from five feet away or further, though, and it"s beautiful. The door jams were also done, so none of that two-tone repaint stuff. The rear antenna mast is missing. The driver side window could use some adjustment and new wipes. Rolling the window up while moving pulls the glass just outside of the weather-stripping, so doing it while raining is not a good idea. If you come to a complete stop and roll it up, no problem. Still, not a great seal, but not unexpected for a 40 year old sports car. The windshield has a small mark where there was a nickle-sized bullseye which I repaired with a kit. You can see a tiny leftover where it was if you look closely. Also, the lamination between the panes of glass in the windshield has minor bubbling, which is not readily apparent, but you can see it when you sit behind the wheel. The t-tops are glass, not mirrored, and are in excellent shape. I have covers installed with double-sticky tape on the inside to help protect from the heat. Anyone who has ever had a t-top care in the middle of summer will understand why I did this. The sticky tape is removable if you just want to look through the tops. Currently, the left (driver) headlight does not want to pop up on its own. If you lift it manually, the passenger side also pops up. They both go down just fine. I believe it is a relay. I have the replacement relay, but have not installed it yet. It may or may not fix the issue.
Moving to the interior: The leather was all redone by the previous owner. The seats look brand new. There are no cracks in the dash. I removed the center console and dash panels, cleaned them up, and repainted them. I think they look great as they are, but the panels can be outlined with a silver paint marker if you want the original look. The is a well-worn aftermarket armrest included. The lighter and ashtray are gone. I installed an accessory port module with 2 USB ports and a lighter socket on the side of the console. This is easily removed with no damage to the console. I made a home-made panel to mount some speakers in the space between the seats, which allows for music to be heard when traveling at highway speeds with the t-tops off. I have the bags for the t-tops, but they are a major hassle to use, so I keep one in the car as a pad between the tops when I take them out. The package areas behind the seats are not factory-fresh, but still work and are very presentable. I have some aftermarket door lock knobs which are not great, but usable. The pocket on the driver side door has a wear-through portion where the toe of my shoe had rubbed against it one too many times climbing in and out of the car. Steering wheel is in great shape for a 40-year-old car. Some minor cracking in the leather, but no tears or wear-through spots. I replaced the lock in the glove compartment because it did not function, which means there is an extra key on the keyring, now. Oh, and for some reason, the tunnel cover carpet on the driver side does not fit exactly as it should. I am guessing it will require a little moving and trimming to make it just right. I haven"t done so, because you need to remove the drive side seat to get to it, and I just haven"t gotten to it, yet. The car has power windows but does NOT have power locks or power driver"s seat. The driver side sun visor does not move up or down.
Mechanical and Electrical: The speedometer wasn"t working, and the cruise control is inoperable. Replacing components did not fix the issues. I finally went with a GPS speedometer I installed in the dash. It is very accurate, and works about 90% of the time. Sometimes it fails to find any satellites, and I use my phone for my speed. The engine is the original 350 but has had the computer components removed. It now has a standard HEI distributor, and I installed a Jeg"s remanufactured Quadrajet. I also did a tune-up last month consisting of new plugs, wires, cap, rotor and coil. It runs great! Before the carb swap, the plugs showed that the car was running a little lean. The carb is now dialed in just like it should be, and the operation of the car shows it! The air conditioning is currently unhooked. One of the lines looks like it was pecked to death by a flock of woodpeckers. I removed the compressor, and I have new lines. I have not installed them yet, because the hood should be removed to do that, and I haven"t gotten around to it. Last time I tightened up the bolts on the AC brackets, I put a little too much He-Man into it and snapped off a bolt. To do the job right, that broken bolt should be extracted and the hole tapped. I replaced the heater hoses where they were leaking at the vacuum-controlled valve (removing it). I spliced in new hose, because the heater core was not leaking, so I didn"t want to risk breaking it. I have a new heater core to go with it, in the box, though. The transmission shifts just like it should, although the torque converter lockup is gone because the computer is no longer in use. The rear end was leaking a little bit, so I removed the spare tire tray (it is frozen, and not working like it should), refilled the differential with fluid, posi-additive, and a seal restorer. It still has a tiny leak, but the restorer is still working on it. I hadn"t put too many miles on it since the change. The radiator sprung a leak as well, so I replaced it with an aluminum unit that "almost" fit perfectly. It does a super job cooling, though. As far as wiring goes, there are going to be some repairs that some people may say are "bubba", but they work well, and are safe and secure. Just not exactly like it came from the factory. . I replaced the alternator and battery last summer. The driver side door locks and unlocks just fine, but the passenger side door only locks from the outside, and only unlocks from the inside. I have no idea why, as I have not pulled off the door panel to investigate, but there it is. Annoying, but works.
I have been doing my own oil changes, using Wix filters and Castrol Edge High Mileage. I change the oil somewhere between 4500-5000 miles.
When the speedometer went bad, it read 98,814 miles. I drove it off and on for a couple of months before installing the GPS speedometer, which reads just over 1,200 miles now. So, mileage is unknown, but realistically under 110K. It"s over that magical 100K mark, though!
Reliability? You could drive this thing across the country if you wanted to, and I am sure you would reach your destination without incident. Maybe a little sore and cramped feeling, as this is not a super-roomy car! Expensive, too. It gets right around 22 mpg on the highway. I gave up trying to get any sense of mpg in the city. I guess it depends on how you drive it.
This is a nice, solid classic car that can be used as a daily drive if you want, without fear of getting a rock pinging off of your hood. I always get compliments on it. You can just hop in and drive it as-is, or have a drive it while you restore it classic. It just feels good to drive.
So, why, you may ask, am I selling it? I have some arthritis which has been getting progressively worse over the past year, and my days of lying on my back on the concrete and turning wrenches may be over. The car really is in excellent shape, but there"s always something to tinker with on it, like you would expect from a 40+ year old sports car.
So, there you have it. Probably the most honest and comprehensive For Sale ad for a car you may ever see. Email me if you want to know anything else.
On Apr-23-21 at 03:09:33 PDT, seller added the following information: Man, I hate that I can"t go in to the description to fix typos!
On Apr-23-21 at 07:40:14 PDT, seller added the following information: I forgot to mention that I have the clear title in-hand. There are no liens / loans on the vehicle. All I need to do is fill in your name and address, then get it notarized.
On May-01-21 at 07:28:23 PDT, seller added the following information:
Relisting because the winner cancelled just minutes after winning. Who knew you could do that? Seems rather ignoble. .
Anyway, the relay for the headlight is not the issue, and I have a new actuator on order. Not sure if it will get here before the auction ends. If not, I"ll forward it to the winner.
I took the car out for a little jaunt last night, and it is truly amazing just how well it runs. Oh, and one other "bad" thing: it seems to have some kind of parasitic drain where the battery will be too low o start if it sits for more than a week. I"ll toss in a digital battery charger if I can"t track it down before auction end.