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Hi C,
I sent you a PM. Did you see it?
It does look like water has been laying IN the soft trim and rusted it.
What concerns me is how lumpy the birdcage itself is AND the fact that it's black.
This MAY well mean that the header is rusty and has been painted over to try to stop or conceal the rust.
I'm not concerned about the trim at all, but rather the header.
The pictures I'll post are sort of ideal but does show what the birdcage, sealer, glass, and soft trim can look like.
Perhaps you can understand that what's showing in your pictures is concerning.
Regards,
Alan
This is what that area of the header looks like with everything but the corner casting removed.
This the a-pillar but illustrates how the various material should look and fit. This is a restored car but note how smooth the birdcage a-pillar is.
Interesting photo, I had no idea there was a "damping strip" between the windshield and the frame! Does it go all the way around? I'm guessing the glass guy is not going to have this!
Hi W,
Because the thiocol sealer that was used at St.Louis to seal the windshield was 'pump-able' it also oozed.
The damming strip was used to help prevent the sealer from spreading out on the windshield to a point that it could be seen.
Something like this.
Regards,
Alan
the trim across the top of the windshield is only held by trim screws. replacing my header right now. pull the center trim up, leave rear rivets alone, and you'll see all you need to see above the windshield. replacement header is a little over $200.
The rust in the photo appears to be rust on the metal backing for the trim; HOWEVER, that trim is on the inside of the car and that water got there somehow.
I be willing to bet that you're going to have windshield frame issues on this one. Most of these cars that have seen any use in wet weather are going to have issues to varying degrees after 40+ years. There really wasn't a whole lot done to protect this area... The frame wasn't rust proofed, there were a few pieces of strip caulk thrown into the upper frame channel, and that's about it.
I guess the point is that if you can see potentially serious rust issues just by casually looking at the outside of the car, odds are that there is a much more serious problem lurking underneath all of that windshield trim.
I unfortunately didn't catch this when i bought my C3. The interior needed replaced when i bought it When i pulled the carpet out i found mold on both sides where the seats would be. Luckily it cleaned up easily and the floorpan still had the factory white paint. Going to take it to a Corvette restoration shop to find out how expensive it will be.
Originally Posted by rvzio
How serious does that look? Be careful is what I would say. Let me show you. In your picture you can already see that there is something going on. You could be looking at something like this. Fixable sure but why if you can help it. In my case this was all hidden with no sign of a problem like what you see. Good luck
r
You can see in the last picture no signs of damage. I can show you the finished pictures if you are interested.
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