Chevrolet Corvette Forum : “Can the 1981 vette engine be hopped up any? not radical, just more street power....”

Hey, I have an 81 but my motor is totally rebuilt and has no computer now. I am pretty sure that you would be fine installing headers and the cam. Also making the car fuel injected can add about 25 hp I read that in corvette magazine a few years ago.

Hello,
The computer will be fine. Unfortunatley, you motor in your ca, is a very low compression engine, with not alot of horsepower. A set of headers, some exhaust work and a hotter cam would really wake that motor up!

Dave

Unfortunately with the lower compression, he is limited on cam choice.

Very true, but in his case, even a mild street cam would make a huge difference.

You could possibly get it fuel injected.

go one size bigger than stock on the cam,headers are fine open exhaust with bigger pipe and flow master mufflers.if you change cam go with double timing gears and chain.you will notice a difference in performace.but this is about all you can do without pulling engine.

you can get a set of headers a bigger cam and if you want you can put an msd ignition kit in it

with a 1981 not much horse power but you can  bore it out, enlarge the pistons, get aluminum heads, comp cams, lifters, headers, MSD ignition, coil, cables, spark plugs..
Get a dual carb, and you could possibly supercharge it go to this site www.YourHotCar.com

Edelbrock do some nice packages to unleash the h.p.! But it's not cheap!

Hi

I have a question on the headers. How do you handle the CA emission smog sensor?