Frame Rust?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,441
Likes: 0
The radiator support frame will give some clues. If the car has been sitting a while, tap along the frame rail under the door with a hammer, if there is serious rust large flakes will drop out from the the factory holes. And speaking of factory holes, stick a finger into these holes and feel around for rust. Surface rust feels like fine sandpaper. The more serious type feels much more coarse, like 100 grit. Look on the back side of the bumpers. With a screw driver poke the frame around the area in front of the rear wheels just below the trailing arm, if it polks through you've got some substantial rusting. Look inside the door jamb above the top door hinge below the windshield frame for evidence of bird cage rust.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,269
Likes: 3
From: St. Charles IL
Cruise-In 5-6-7-8-9-11-12 Veteran
A CI-6 Car Show Winner
Bird cage rust is as bad or worse then frame rot, and more likely to happen. Pull the kick panels, rear wheels, and inspection panels in the rear wheel wells. Look really good at the #2 and #3 body mount locations. piles of rust on top of the mounts indicates rust falling down from above (windshield frame or pillar posts). Rot around the body mounts indicates the rocker channels are thrashed. Those will take a frame off to fix. Take a pick or scratch awl with you, if you can poke though the bottom of the radiator support it would be a good idea to very closely inspect everything else. These cars can be complete rust buckets but still look really good on the outside.
