71 birdcage issues
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 99
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Hi 346,
The area around the frame kick-up in front of the rear wheel and the pocket that the trailing-arm mounts in is a good place to begin looking at the frame's condition.
This area had a lot of road debris and moisture thrown up at it and had areas susceptible to rust.
Regards,
Alan
The area around the frame kick-up in front of the rear wheel and the pocket that the trailing-arm mounts in is a good place to begin looking at the frame's condition.
This area had a lot of road debris and moisture thrown up at it and had areas susceptible to rust.
Regards,
Alan
That is what my undercarriage looks like. "in my dreams" Wow, what an awesome looking undercarriage.
Dean
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,755
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From: Lafayette Louisiana
Agree and smart advice.
never seen a rusted out birdcage that did not have a rusted out frame.. extensive body work, paint, all the while I'm at it... you are talking almost total dissassembly of the car for the birdcage.. not 10K, it will be 30K plus...
total front clip removal, firewall, everything rehung and alligned... thousands of hours of your own work.. and if you don't do it all yourself, then you won't find a shop that will do it and not take them 2 years and want 5 figures up front..
that is reality.... if you are going to spend 30K then sell your car for 8 and buy you a really nice one for 38, be on the road immediately, no headaches, no gray hair....
total front clip removal, firewall, everything rehung and alligned... thousands of hours of your own work.. and if you don't do it all yourself, then you won't find a shop that will do it and not take them 2 years and want 5 figures up front..
that is reality.... if you are going to spend 30K then sell your car for 8 and buy you a really nice one for 38, be on the road immediately, no headaches, no gray hair....
Agree, smart advice here, and lets see, your wife would buy another LT-1 Steel Cities Gray in a heartbeat? this would be a no brainer for me but we all have different viewpoints. Good luck with whatever direction you go.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Huntsville AL
Your biggest issue is cost, if you pay somebody to fix this car be prepared to drop upwards of $30,000 plus just for the body repairs and repaint. Given the amount of rust damage you are looking at a complete birdcage replacement which will require every fiberglass panel to be remover from the body.
Lots of man-hours at $75 -$110 per hour labor plus parts.
Dennis
This is the part you need to get started.
Last edited by Mr D.; Apr 25, 2017 at 04:30 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 99
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Dean
Your biggest issue is cost, if you pay somebody to fix this car be prepared to drop upwards of $30,000 plus just for the body repairs and repaint. Given the amount of rust damage you are looking at a complete birdcage replacement which will require every fiberglass panel to be remover from the body.
Lots of man-hours at $75 -$110 per hour labor plus parts.
Dennis
This is the part you need to get started.
Your biggest issue is cost, if you pay somebody to fix this car be prepared to drop upwards of $30,000 plus just for the body repairs and repaint. Given the amount of rust damage you are looking at a complete birdcage replacement which will require every fiberglass panel to be remover from the body.
Lots of man-hours at $75 -$110 per hour labor plus parts.
Dennis
This is the part you need to get started.
Are these readily available? Maybe I attempt something like this when the kids go off to college.
I'll see if I can get pictures of the undercarriage tonight and post. A remote camera would be nice to go up the kick panel area to see what I have up above.
Dean
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 150
Likes: 42
From: mountains of N.E. Georgia Georgia
The car has suffered some pretty serious structural damage. I personally would not drive it on the street. If it's in an accident, I'm concerned about the safety of the occupants. Sorry!!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 44,693
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From: Huntsville AL
No they are not, you have to hunt to find one or repair yours to look like that. If you think you are going to do this start looking now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,030
Likes: 72
From: Seminole, FL
Birdcage replacement parts
I have a 72 that has suffered serious rust from sitting for many years.
I purchased my parts from a guy named Randy, at Randy's Corvettes in Iron Station, N.C. 704-689-7526
See my photos.
And his price wasn't bad at all.
FYI
I purchased my parts from a guy named Randy, at Randy's Corvettes in Iron Station, N.C. 704-689-7526
See my photos.
And his price wasn't bad at all.
FYI
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Joined: Oct 2006
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It is a shame that these cars look so decent from the outside and so horrible on the inside that you can't even see. This is certainly an eye opener for me. Very discouraging to see these beautiful cars suffering this kind of rot. If this is so popular, it seems as if someone should be making bird cages. I know they would not be original, but my guess is that the supply of good birdcages has to be pretty low. If the demand is so high, I just don't see why some after market company is not making some. Just seems like a lost opportunity. Maybe it is because many don't know about this rot and because it is such a huge job that not many people attempt it. Very sad.
Dean
Dean
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,303
Likes: 4,391
From: Westminster Maryland
Hi Dean,
The pictures of the frame you posted look encouraging.
But that doesn't diminish the birdcage situation you're facing.
While I don't think anyone is making a complete birdcage, the reproducers have started making "repair sections" of the areas of the windshield frame, hinge and lock pillars, and rocker channels, that most often need repair.
That MAY be an option for you. It still requires a good bit of SKILL, time and work to do the repair. BUT, again, it might be an option for your car.
You really won't know until the car gets 'opened up' a little more.
Regards,
Alan
You can look at Zip Products, Corvette Central, Paragon Reproductions, and Caledonia Classics in Belding Michigan, to see what sort of things are currently being reproduced.
The pictures of the frame you posted look encouraging.
But that doesn't diminish the birdcage situation you're facing.
While I don't think anyone is making a complete birdcage, the reproducers have started making "repair sections" of the areas of the windshield frame, hinge and lock pillars, and rocker channels, that most often need repair.
That MAY be an option for you. It still requires a good bit of SKILL, time and work to do the repair. BUT, again, it might be an option for your car.
You really won't know until the car gets 'opened up' a little more.
Regards,
Alan
You can look at Zip Products, Corvette Central, Paragon Reproductions, and Caledonia Classics in Belding Michigan, to see what sort of things are currently being reproduced.
Thread Starter
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Alan,
Thanks, that is very encouraging. I will take a look at those companies, but I guess I won't know what I need until I look into this further.
What did you think of the cross member? I think the picture looks better than it really is. I assume that is an easier replacement. I didn't look, but does the exhaust have to come off to replace that part?
Thanks again!
Dean
Thanks, that is very encouraging. I will take a look at those companies, but I guess I won't know what I need until I look into this further.
What did you think of the cross member? I think the picture looks better than it really is. I assume that is an easier replacement. I didn't look, but does the exhaust have to come off to replace that part?
Thanks again!
Dean
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,303
Likes: 4,391
From: Westminster Maryland
Hi Dean,
I think you're referring to the crossmember the transmission tail mounts on?
If so you're in luck because although the exhaust would need to be removed, the crossmember itself is bolted in place on automatic transmission equipped cars. (On 4-speed cars it's welded to the frame rails)
There appears to be a lot go "gunk" on the crossmember, so it's a little difficult to tell what condition the crossmember itself is right now. Scraping the gunk off will be necessary to determine whats going on.
Regards,
Alan
I think you're referring to the crossmember the transmission tail mounts on?
If so you're in luck because although the exhaust would need to be removed, the crossmember itself is bolted in place on automatic transmission equipped cars. (On 4-speed cars it's welded to the frame rails)
There appears to be a lot go "gunk" on the crossmember, so it's a little difficult to tell what condition the crossmember itself is right now. Scraping the gunk off will be necessary to determine whats going on.
Regards,
Alan
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,106
Likes: 168
2018 C2 of Year Finalist
After looking at your frame I have to say it doesn't look that bad. I expected much worse based on your other photos. Not sure what you will decide to do but don't let anyone tell you that your car isn't worth anything. A '71 convertible is a desirable car. If you have an emotional attachment I would keep it and fix it. Many on this forum have started with much worse. If your car were a rubber bumper coupe I probably wouldn't go through the hassle but I hope you will decide to hang on to it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,030
Likes: 72
From: Seminole, FL
Your frame appears to have been undercoated at some time.
From what I'm seeing in your pictures, I'd say that frame is in Great shape.
As for the birdcage, There are many used Corvette parts sources out there.
I'd look over in the southwestern states, Arizona, New Mexico, California.
I bought my birdcage local, here in N.C..
I bought my interior out of California just this week.
I hung the nose out of the way.
Although my birdcage is "FRIED", my frame is as solid as a frame gets.
Not undercoated, and only surface rust.
The front of the frame has the usual engine oil etc., leaks stuff, so when I blast that clean, I'm betting it'll look new.
If you decide to attempt this, I'd recommend a couple of books.
"1971 Corvette Assembly Instruction Manual". I have the 72 one.
BRB
From what I'm seeing in your pictures, I'd say that frame is in Great shape.
As for the birdcage, There are many used Corvette parts sources out there.
I'd look over in the southwestern states, Arizona, New Mexico, California.
I bought my birdcage local, here in N.C..
I bought my interior out of California just this week.
I hung the nose out of the way.
Although my birdcage is "FRIED", my frame is as solid as a frame gets.
Not undercoated, and only surface rust.
The front of the frame has the usual engine oil etc., leaks stuff, so when I blast that clean, I'm betting it'll look new.
If you decide to attempt this, I'd recommend a couple of books.
"1971 Corvette Assembly Instruction Manual". I have the 72 one.
BRB
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,030
Likes: 72
From: Seminole, FL
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 14,428
Likes: 8,232
From: Napa Valley California
You can find several cross members, both weld in and bolt on at Bowtie Overdrive, VBP, Corvette Central and other vendors for under $300.00. Your frame looks pretty good and Like Alan71 said above, your birdcage may not be all that bad. Look through some prior threads here on the Forum. I remember reading a thread about rust issues on the birdcage where water sits and deteriorates only isolated areas. I believe that one article referenced pulling back the side interior panels and also looking at some areas accessible up under the dash. I remember reading a thread about what to look for before you buy a C3 that had some easily accessible inspection points as well. Keep looking, but at some point you may need to remove some parts to access what is truly going on.
Last edited by OldCarBum; Apr 26, 2017 at 07:01 PM.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 448
Likes: 21
From: Klein Texas
Have you pulled the passenger kick panel? Does it look the same?
I am surprised the body mount bolt looks so good while the birdcage around it is rusted away.
It's a big repair but I think the car needs to be saved.
I am surprised the body mount bolt looks so good while the birdcage around it is rusted away.
It's a big repair but I think the car needs to be saved.
Last edited by David Mc; Apr 30, 2017 at 04:03 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 151
Likes: 12
From: Burleson Texas
I have not bought anything from this business yet. However If you need a bird cage this might be the way to go. http://www.corvetteusa.com/windshieldframes.html