Hi All !
I've had my 81 for just about a month now and have had time to study and admire the car as it sits and also to study the shop manual I bought for it.
My new toy only has 46K original miles and as near as I can tell it's still got 100% of the OEM smog crap on it.
Everything appear to be working fine right now and the check engine light stays out so for the time being I'm good to go and in no hurry to change anything.
It does have a slight miss at idle that I'll need to chase down. Probably a carb or vacuum problem. The previous owner who only put 4K miles on it in 10 years had replaced plugs and wires already.

Anyway, as I look to the future and begin making out my "Do List" and "Wish List", I'm interested in the opinions of the folks on this forum.

On one hand, I'm inclined to gut out the smog pump and the miles of hoses & all the other associated smog crap. This looks to be pretty major undertaking since this model has the Computer Command Control system that controls the carb choke, timing advance and even the transmission lock-up. I know that removing this stuff will make the car perform better and probably even more efficient. I live in Nebraska, so emissions checks and inspections are not much of a concern. I know I will open up the exhaust, but not sure if I'll go all the way to headers and true duals. I for sure want to hear more V8 sound from the exhaust!

On the other hand, this car is pristine and keeping it 100% OEM has some desirable aspects too. I suspect that it's value will hold better if kept original. However, I'm not sure I will want to mess with the troubleshooting and parts availability as it ages and things begin to fail and or deteriorate.

I'm on the fence and will certainly stay there for a while, but am curious what the opinions are of longer term Vette owners to the question of whether or not to keep it originial when that means maintaing all the nasty smog crap!
Thanks,
Dehn

[IMG]local://upfiles/3298/4C2FAA1879E24F9787BD5EA999C78816.jpg[/IMG]

 

If you want to maintain the "stock" value, you can put all the stuff you take off, into wooden boxes. Now, if you ever sell it, you have the original equip. to sweeten the deal.
If you want to drive it, a lot, you will want it to perform to some degree.
Personally, I'm gonna build "my own" monster, and don't care what the "next" guy gets. Probably my grandson. (when I'm gone)
You might say, My way on the Highway.

 

I replaced my Q-jet with a Holley setup, which required getting rid of the EGR and alot of the emissions goodies. Someone had already taken care of disconnecting the smog pump and assorted exhaust side stuff. The power difference is definitely noticeable.

I agree with starship, take the stuff off, box it up just in case. I have a couple tupperware tubs full of original parts just in case anyone ever wants to put things back to stock. So far, a stinger hood, holley street avenger series carb, pro-flo air cleaner (removed all of the ducts for the original), AC and heat (replaced with an R134a HotRodAir.com setup to keep the wife cool/warm), and Hooker headers and sidepipes coming for my birthday.

You never know when you might find that your toy has become a gem. There was recently a hemi-cuda convertible "discovered", and the owners had modified stuff over the years. Getting parts for it was difficult to get it back to original, since there were only like 11 made. The upside is that the pricetag after a 6-month restoration was well into the 7 figure range. Just a lesson to keep in mind.

bill.

 

I agree...get rid of it!!!! These cars need all the help they can get. Taking the emissions crap off will free up some needed power. You may also want to look into getting a true dual exhaust setup for it. That definately increased my bottom-mid power. I kept all the original equipment as well but to be honest these 74-82 vettes aren't bringing good money stock or not so to me it doesn't matter much about originality.

 

Hi dpeterson1, It's your car to enjoy any was you want!
Like everyone else says just keep everything you remove.
The cost of maintaining these cars goes beyond there value, but how can you put a price of the pride of ownership, or a two hour Sunday drive?
My car has the cast manifold into duel under car chambered exhaust, it's plenty loud and I love it.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

I'll be leaving it pretty much OEM for the short term since everything seems to be working OK.
Will concentrate fiirst on routine maintenance stuff as flushing coolant and brake fluid plus address some leaks due to dried out seals.
I'm looking forward to getting to know her inside and out [IMG][/IMG]!

The AC doesn't blow cold and I'm sure due to lack of R-12.

To WRWALKE - I'd be interested in hearing more about your R-134 set up from HotRodAir.com.
Did you replace everything with the complete kit they have on the website?
Did you install yourself?
How much ???'s did it set you back?
That will be somewhere on my "Wish List" behind more important items like lower restriction exhaust. Just got to get more of that beautiful sound out!
Thanks,

 

I got the whole kit, including a new heat/AC control unit. They said they could rebuild a stock unit to work with their kit for $80 or so, but I haven't gone there yet. I have a spare console, so I'm planning on a couple modifications there as well just to experiment a bit. I might do the stock unit next year.

Total cost with shipping was around $1200 (if i recall correctly). That includes evaporator, condensor, compressor, drier, hoses, duct work, adapters for flex duct to the dash vents, wiring, vacuum hoses and t-s... basically everything to replace the whole heat/AC front to back.

I'm 2 bolts from getting the outside heater box and blower out. The dash is removed, the old compressor is gone, the duct work is sitting in pieces around my driveway. If you have AC, removing the old crap is a NIGHTMARE!!! Lots of black gooey sealant everywhere, screws and bolts where no human can reach without removing bodywork, 25 year old dash foam just waiting to crack... you get the picture. Fortunately, the installation looks ALOT more straightforward than the tear-down. The unit and plumbing is ALOT smaller and convenient. The whole "inside" unit fits up under the dash, directly under the defrost vent. It is actually smaller than the old plastic duct work!! Amazing.

So yes, I am doing it myself, but then again, I do have a couple weeks of free time to kill (long story). I'm probably 4-5 hours of actual time into the job so far. I'm taking my time with the wiring and vacuum crap. I was replacing my hood anyway, so that is out of the way, making things much easier to reach.

Gawd, the car looks like a total wreck with all of the dash crap out of the way!!

bill.

 

Hi wrwalke, sounds like your well into the A/C project. Just keep telling yourself it'll be worth it in the end, It will be!
How come we can look into an empty engine compartment and say no problem but when the dash is out of a Vette it realy looks hopeless. I had my dash apart and I felt the same way.
By the way I removed both side kick panels and found a vent door on each side, do you no what there for?
Good luck with the the A/C. PG

 

Those are vents. When you set your heat/AC controls to "vent", it opens the vacuum line to an actuator that opens a flap on them.

Since the hotrodair setup doesn't include an external air opening (recirculating only), I'm rigging those back into functional condition as part of the install.

bill.