I looked at another car, this time a '69 that was intact, but had enough things that needed doing that I think I'm going to pass:



For sake of reference, though, I was wondering if anyone could identify the kind of rust-damage I'm looking at. As a newb to checking these things out, I just wanted some help interpreting what I'm seeing.

These are the rear body-mounts in the rear wheelwell:





It looks like there was a sheetmetal "cage" around the fiberglass that has rusted away; am I correct? Is that some kind of structural support? What would be the standard fix for that?

Under the floorboards, the sheetmetal cage around the nut for the seat-track bolts had rusted away:





It looks like these were originally riveted to the floorboards. Are replacement pieces made for this?

The rest of the frame was solid, but with surface-rust in places, and the core-support had one bad spot:



so it would eventually need replacing. Windshield frame was surprisingly good, except for one troubling spot on the post just below the VIN tag, which looked like it bubbled and maybe even rusted through; the rest didn't even show surface-rust.

In any case, I think it's probably worth the $10k he was asking, but it's simply more than I'd like to take on. I can pass on the CL listing if anyone's interested.

 

I think you are wise to pass on this car. Keep looking, $10k is much more than I would pay for this headache.

I suggest that you carefully examine a known GOOD car even if it is WAY out of your price range. A known good car will give you a standard for judging potential problem areas on other cars.

This car has significant rust damage.

The #4 body mount cage is a sheet metal part riveted to the body. The cage is completely rusted away. It is most likely that the #4 mount on the frame is rusted away as well. You would not be able to see the extent of the damage until you remove the mount itself, but it is likely rusted out with only the edge having normal thickness.

Unless you took the interior facia off the windshield frame, you cannot assess rust damage. You have to remove front kick panels to assess potential damage on the #2 body mount.

Rust damage on the radiator frame is common (and expensive).

Buy the best car you can find, it is more expensive to buy one to "fix-up".

 

Those parts you showed are replaceable and easy to get. The problem is there is more rust on this car than you can see. The surface rust is everywhere in the pictures you show and to me that means it is much worse in some areas.

 

Howdy,

A reality of playing with 40+ year old iron (meaning casr/frames/etc.) is that it oxidizes. Particulary so in the Northeast, where we salt the roads come wintertime. When the snow melts, some of the salt stays, only spray on the underside of your car when you drive on a wet road. That doesn't help.

Don't expect to buy a C3 without having to do some rework. Unless you double or triple the amount of this car. None of the things in the photo are all that much of a big deal to fix. Sure, they add up, but this is cheap stuff to fix.

Don't fixate on rust. If you do eventualy buy a Vette, plan on pulling the body and fixing a few parts of the frame. Once you do that, rist repairs are insignificant.

Unless you can't weld, or don't have any friends who can weld. Or, unless you have no mechanical skills. In which case, one might want to rethink owning 40 year old cars as a hobby.

I've owned these cars since they were new, have owned 7-8 Vettes, 50+ other muscle cars, hot rods, race cars, you name it. Every one represented a unique project.

Like I used to tell my Marines, grab your B..lls and jump. Buy a DRIVER Vette, and DRIVE it. Make the repairs as you go. Unless you win the lotto or have a rich uncle leave you a ton of cash ( that you can keep from your wife and kids college fund), stop looking for a perfect car. If it is perfect, you'll fork over $30k+. More than likely, no owner sells his perfect car.

Buy one, drive it, and have fun.

Doug

 

Fixate on rust. A bad "birdcage" and the rust shown on this car can equal the purchase price to repair. If you are both a sheetmetal fabrication expert, and a high zoot fiberglass worker, this repair is doable and not cost prohibitive. If you must farm it out, look out because you'll wish somebody would just shoot you or your bank account and get it over with!

 

the front clip has been repaired/repainted....poorly.

 

I'm not going to fixate on some kinds of rust, if it's easily repairable, but I'm also not going to spend lots of money for a car that needs a lot of work if I can spend a little more money for a car that doesn't need that kind of work. If I've learned anything over the last 30 years, it's that the cheapest cars are usually the most expensive cars, and that unless you're familiar with a model, it's hard to tell the good deals from the bad ones.

That car I posted was a good starting point for a restoration, but more of a restoration than I'd want to do at this point. It would be perfect for somebody else. I don't mind mechanical and electrical work, but I'd have to pay somebody for welding and paint work, so if I get a project, it would be one that has the body and frame/birdcage all done.

There's a lot of cars out there to choose from, so I've got time to learn about them from the board and in-person, and then fork over the cash when I find the one that's right for me.