JCPerformance

It's been there most (if not all) of its life...

Is that a bad thing?

What do I look for?

I plan to restore it eventually, but any problems that I'm not thinking of?

Thanks in advance,

scottyp99

Well, they don't salt the roads down there, which is good, but if it has spent its whole life 10 feet from the ocean, it might have some salt damage. Look for rust on the frame and any metal parts. See if you can remove a kick panel and see that part of the birdcage. If it's not rusty, then the only other things would be the normal mileage related stuff.

Scott

Alan 71

Hi jcp,
I agree with Scott… I generally think of southern cars as having lived an easier life than a car from the north.
I also agree that checking the birdcage and frame for rust is still definitely required.
I'd also look for signs that the car has really been baked by the sun and heat, although those results would tend to be more cosmetic. They'd generally be dealt with with-in the limits of a normal thorough restoration.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

jnb5101

if the owner lived east of federal hwy (us1) there's a good chance that the car has been exposed to air-borne salt spray. check it carefully.
used to live there.

7T1vette

It's a 40 year-old vehicle. Check everything that you wouldn't like to replace. Things break...parts wear; check it ALL. Get under the car, take it for a thorough test drive, and check that all the 'gizmos' actuate/operate as they are supposed to.

wilcar

Any car on either cost of Fla may have been exposed to a lot of salt air. I had a 76 L82 I bought in Orlando that was nice and clean underneath. I lived in Tampa and looked at a few C3' s that had a lot of surface rust underneath and the interiors were pretty baked from being out in the sun. A leaky t top combined with some toasted vinyl inside makes for some monkey butt odors that will take your breath away. Any beach area that allows cars to drive on the beach will add to the rust factor. I saw a nice 70 get a bath one day at Daytona Beach when the owner went into a beach bar and forgot about the high tide. The interior got soaked and then he got stuck in the loose sand and buried the rear end. Beach patrol pulled him out. Am sure he realized what an idiot he was when he sobered up!

Easy Mike

Only for people outside Florida.

Roco71

I have seen that happen at Daytona a few times. I even saw a women washing her car on the beach dumping buckets of salt water on it

7t9l82

yes, the salt spray rain etc can really mess one up. check it well.

oldgto

Remember that Florida is only about 100 yards from the sun.... and when it`s not 100 degrees, it`s raining. If the car has not been in a garage a lot, it could still have rust issues, even if it`s never been near the beach.