JP66

Looking for advice on my 66' frame. Just got under the car and inspected the rear kickups (end of the side rails). What do you guys think? New Frame needed? I'm located in central Florida. Does anyone know of a good place to have it inspected or a place to get a good replacement frame near me?

How much does this decrease the value if everything else matches?

Pics are attached. Thanks in advance for all the advise!

Gary's '66

That's pretty ugly, to say the least.

Have you, or anyone else, inspected the birdcage?

I hope for your sake that's ok or, you may be in for a LOT more than just a new frame.

Btw, those aren't the kick ups. Those are the rocker ends.

Gary

JP66

Thanks Gary - Is there anyway to inspect the birdcage without removing the body?

Powershift

The birdcage is basically the steel frame for the fiberglass body. It is completely separate from the main steel car frame. It is the "bones" that the fiberglass is bonded to to make the full Corvette body.

Yes...........get a GOOD flashlight (LED) and get your head under the driver side and passenger side dash areas. Maybe lay upside down in the seats.

Look at the condition of the metal birdcage at the base of the windshield along the entire front of the car. That will tell you a lot. You can also check around the outside windshield chrome trim to see if it looks rusty and has paint/rust bubbles or defects.

Pull the carpet back around the door sills and check the metal condition at these areas.

You can search for "birdcage rust" or "Corvette birdcage rust" here or using Google and many pics and info should appear.

Larry

EDIT: I searched for these pics for you: https://www.google.com/search?q=c2+c...=1920&bih=1058

jrm5657

Frame looks like toast to me. Of course, anything can be fixed with enough time and money. I do know of complete 66 frame that may be coming available in the next few months. Personally, I would replace the frame as long as the birdcage checks out to be OK. It is a fair amount of work and expense if you have to pay someone to do it for you. Depending on the car and options, you may end up way upside down in the car after you are done.

Gary's '66

Yes, absolutely!

I know you're new (welcome btw ) so, here's an excellent way to find information on not only your birdcage but, lots of other things as well.

At the top of the home page you will see "Sticky's".

Click on the one that says: "Sticky C1 and C2 FAQ thread".

Then scroll down to "C2 birdcage rust". There's lots of info and pics regarding how to look for it and repair. Good luck

Gary

PS, I suggest that you buy a cheap borescope (sp?) from Harbor Freight for around 50 bucks. It's $ well spent. I bought one before buying my car to use as a tool so I could do a thorough "birdcageoscopy".

gccch

My 64 had similar frame rust. I am a novice and did a frame off. I was able to repair similar rust with patch panels. I learned to weld on this task. For me, the rust was severe but very localized. I posted the pics of when the body was removed and also after sandblasting. It looked a lot worse than yours.

AkrHack

Northern cars with rust in the area you have that were driven on salted roads will more than likely have accompanying bird cage rust. If your car was not exposed to road salt, the chances are better that the rust is localized to the frame end cap area. The area you show in your pictures can be patched without removing the body from the frame. Pre-made frame section patches are available for purchase. I've seen that very same area cut out on mid-year cars (10" from the end if the frame rail) and patched. I was surprised and impressed with the outcome. Good luck.

Rick

Gary's '66

Going by what his frame looks like, if I were the OP, I wouldn't spend another nickel on that car until I was sure that the birdcage was solid. My .02

Gary

new vette 62

I like to pull the glove box This is relatively easy and you can really look at where the windshield sits on the birdcage. I've passed on every car that was rusty there. And there are a lot.

Revfan

I agree with the others who say not to spend any more $ until you find out the condition of the birdcage....

If you are unsure, you could contact your local club, or see if there is somebody on this forum close enough to come over and provide and extra set of eyes ( and hands )

You can take out your glovebox to get a decent look at that part of the cage....

I don't know how deep your pockets are, but frames show up from time to time... mostly from folks doing resto-mods. There is a 66 rolling frame in the classifieds here, but I think its a coupe frame ($5K)

Keep us in the loop, and I got my fingers crossed for you.

Westlotorn

A tip my son taught me. Take your cel phone. Reach up under the dash and snap pictures or better yet take a video of the underside of the dash where the windshield is attached. The phone is small and takes pretty good film and most of us carry one.
I was working under the dash on my wifes BMW, trying to install a new temp sensor on the HVAC. My son walked up and laughed at me. Told me to get out of the way. He stuck his arm up there took a picture. Then while looking at his phone screen reached up blind and installed the dang sensor in about 2 minutes. I had been on it for 20 minutes and still had not figured out how to remove the old one.
Kids come in handy some days! Good luck with your frame and dash.
Mark

ricks327

I'm still trying to figure out on how to use my phone.

Westlotorn

That video is funny, I expected the phone to fly out the window at some point.

TJefferson2020

I had the same problem 12 years ago on my 64. I would bet dollars to donuts the TOP side of your frame is rotted. On mine you could not see it with the body on.

I replaced the frame.

Easy Rhino

Rick,

Where did you get a video of me?