Why do birdcages rust so easily?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 164
Likes: 16
From: Sacramento CA - California
Why do birdcages rust so easily?
Subject says it all.
Reading through older posts here I have noticed that everyone invariably worries about birdcage rust.
Was in an oversight that allows that or just natural wear?
Just curious.... No problems there that I know of in my '74 but I'll take another look tonight.
Reading through older posts here I have noticed that everyone invariably worries about birdcage rust.
Was in an oversight that allows that or just natural wear?
Just curious.... No problems there that I know of in my '74 but I'll take another look tonight.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 54,121
Likes: 9,429
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
to add these cars leak water when water leaks it goes and lays on the birdcage. the water has no where to go. so rust starts
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 12,706
Likes: 329
From: Scottsdale Arizona
in fact, the body being made of fiberglass made this more insidious. If you remember cars of the late 60s and 70s, they used to rust out horribly. The corrosion perfection was ineffective. Although the birdcage is thicker than body panels, the metal was hidden from view and so surface rust was never dealt with.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 54,121
Likes: 9,429
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
in fact, the body being made of fiberglass made this more insidious. If you remember cars of the late 60s and 70s, they used to rust out horribly. The corrosion perfection was ineffective. Although the birdcage is thicker than body panels, the metal was hidden from view and so surface rust was never dealt with.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
Along with the above answers, you have to consider that the automakers never intended their cars to last 40+ years. Back in the "old days", just long enough to make it through the warranty period, was considered "good enough".....
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
YEP...drive the car in salty conditions and the fact that the sealant GM used...in time would get hard and crack and allow water to get into areas it originally was beign stopped by the sealant....and WHAM...you have rust.
So much of it obviously depends on how expose the car was to certain substances.
DUB
So much of it obviously depends on how expose the car was to certain substances.
DUB
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 979
Likes: 258
From: Maryland
Good answers all. Do you all think garaging a C3 with little birdcage frame is sufficient? Never take her out in the rain (much less snow) but I do worry about moisture in the air such as found on
a rainy/foggy day.
a rainy/foggy day.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
I got rather fortunate with my car....it was an old show car, so customized a good bit, and then cut back some and repainted and put on street......NICE paint job.....that was done all over the window frame, and far as I could tell the entire bird cage......even the chassis was redone with GOOD welding all over up front in the usual spots .....so when redoing the car some 24-5? years ago, I pulled off ALL the stainless trim, and interior trim, it's a convertible......and while that was off, I filled ALL the hollow spots with the good black RTV, and then reseated the stainless trim on it, then sealed/packed solid the fenders to the steel cage....in this function I also wrapped the top stainless with black vinyl starts under the top trim and wraps around over top of the stainless and is glued down and goes under the interior trim....stone waterproof into a hurry-caine at 80 mph.....still is NOW!!!
the little 'bucket' square clips that are just under the top hatch hinges, that also attach to the frame were rusted out though, when I redid them, I painted the hell outta them with some poly can't pronounce it paint from a marine supply house......no rust......
the little 'bucket' square clips that are just under the top hatch hinges, that also attach to the frame were rusted out though, when I redid them, I painted the hell outta them with some poly can't pronounce it paint from a marine supply house......no rust......
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,375
Likes: 1,593
From: Western NY
Certainly, anything that you can do, that will keep moisture out of the car, will be of great benefit. The major problem, however, is unless you're the original owner, and know the car's history, you're most likely fighting an uphill battle. You didn't mention what year car you're speaking of, but an early C-3 is now 50 years old. That's a LOT of time, for moisture to have been doing it's thing....
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 465
From: Henderson, NV
St. Jude Donor '19-'20-'21-'22
I was extremely lucky with mine. Bird cage is in great shape for a car that lived it's life in the Northeast. It was obviously a garaged, fair weather driver. Now that it's located in the dry Southwest, rust will not be an issue.
I believe the steel GM was using back in the day was prone to rusting out pretty quickly. I remember my Dad purchasing a brand new Chevy pickup in 1974. The body was rusting out within the first year.
I believe the steel GM was using back in the day was prone to rusting out pretty quickly. I remember my Dad purchasing a brand new Chevy pickup in 1974. The body was rusting out within the first year.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 54,121
Likes: 9,429
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 465
From: Henderson, NV
St. Jude Donor '19-'20-'21-'22
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 54,121
Likes: 9,429
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
that may just speed the procces up. Cars and trucks rust from the inside out. Manly from leaky windows(poor body design) then water gets on the floor the paint is thin or none at all water lays with no where to go and rust forms.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Age period...these are maybe 50 yrs old even in Ca, AZ eventually youll get rust.
Mines been garaged for many yrs and some hardware is starting to get some minor corrosion. Drive em, nothing lasts forever
Mines been garaged for many yrs and some hardware is starting to get some minor corrosion. Drive em, nothing lasts forever
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 465
From: Henderson, NV
St. Jude Donor '19-'20-'21-'22
Dr. Detroit
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 10,097
Likes: 4,027
From: New Braunfels Texas
Not so much the moisture as it being trapped......for years. And once it starts it is impossible to stop if in an inaccessible area.
My 72 was garage kept its whole life.......the birdcage is a 9.8 out of 10 with just a hint of surface rust in the pocket behind the kick panels.......and the frame is beautiful for never being restored........
I am a lucky man as I bought the car here, on CF from a member in SC.
As a rule of thumb.......most times, BUT NOT ALL, one can gauge the overall condition of things like the headlight pop-up assemblies and vacuum can.....things that corrode easy and determine whether or not the rest is worth investigating. There are some pretty chrome bumper cars out there that are rotted out in their bones.......but the visual inspection of ancillary components is usually a tell.....
On a side note.......it appears my 72' was coated around the windshield frame with an epoxy black, semi gloss.........it looks great and there is no repairs in it but I do not remember my 69' 427/400 having a black finish on the windshield frame. Can anyone verify what was correct? My windshield is not original so a smart man could have painted this while everything was off. Anyhoo.....if GM didn't do this they should have.....
Jebby
My 72 was garage kept its whole life.......the birdcage is a 9.8 out of 10 with just a hint of surface rust in the pocket behind the kick panels.......and the frame is beautiful for never being restored........
I am a lucky man as I bought the car here, on CF from a member in SC.
As a rule of thumb.......most times, BUT NOT ALL, one can gauge the overall condition of things like the headlight pop-up assemblies and vacuum can.....things that corrode easy and determine whether or not the rest is worth investigating. There are some pretty chrome bumper cars out there that are rotted out in their bones.......but the visual inspection of ancillary components is usually a tell.....
On a side note.......it appears my 72' was coated around the windshield frame with an epoxy black, semi gloss.........it looks great and there is no repairs in it but I do not remember my 69' 427/400 having a black finish on the windshield frame. Can anyone verify what was correct? My windshield is not original so a smart man could have painted this while everything was off. Anyhoo.....if GM didn't do this they should have.....
Jebby
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,031
Likes: 465
From: Henderson, NV
St. Jude Donor '19-'20-'21-'22
Not so much the moisture as it being trapped......for years. And once it starts it is impossible to stop if in an inaccessible area.
My 72 was garage kept its whole life.......the birdcage is a 9.8 out of 10 with just a hint of surface rust in the pocket behind the kick panels.......and the frame is beautiful for never being restored........
I am a lucky man as I bought the car here, on CF from a member in SC.
As a rule of thumb.......most times, BUT NOT ALL, one can gauge the overall condition of things like the headlight pop-up assemblies and vacuum can.....things that corrode easy and determine whether or not the rest is worth investigating. There are some pretty chrome bumper cars out there that are rotted out in their bones.......but the visual inspection of ancillary components is usually a tell.....
On a side note.......it appears my 72' was coated around the windshield frame with an epoxy black, semi gloss.........it looks great and there is no repairs in it but I do not remember my 69' 427/400 having a black finish on the windshield frame. Can anyone verify what was correct? My windshield is not original so a smart man could have painted this while everything was off. Anyhoo.....if GM didn't do this they should have.....
Jebby
My 72 was garage kept its whole life.......the birdcage is a 9.8 out of 10 with just a hint of surface rust in the pocket behind the kick panels.......and the frame is beautiful for never being restored........
I am a lucky man as I bought the car here, on CF from a member in SC.
As a rule of thumb.......most times, BUT NOT ALL, one can gauge the overall condition of things like the headlight pop-up assemblies and vacuum can.....things that corrode easy and determine whether or not the rest is worth investigating. There are some pretty chrome bumper cars out there that are rotted out in their bones.......but the visual inspection of ancillary components is usually a tell.....
On a side note.......it appears my 72' was coated around the windshield frame with an epoxy black, semi gloss.........it looks great and there is no repairs in it but I do not remember my 69' 427/400 having a black finish on the windshield frame. Can anyone verify what was correct? My windshield is not original so a smart man could have painted this while everything was off. Anyhoo.....if GM didn't do this they should have.....
Jebby
My car was also garaged it's whole life, and I too have some surface rust down in the frame pockets. Still very luck given the 47+ years the car has been around.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,039
Likes: 504
From: myrtle beach sc
Army
You have to remember that GM rushed the C-3 into production. They had to invent the first T-top when the 68 coupe's original one piece roof did not work out.
Just look at all of the roof and door glass B pillar weatherstripping changes made in the first five years to stop leaks.
Oh, and in the early seventies it was a sad joke, but true, that to check your back tires on a Ford, you just opened the trunk because the floor back there rusted
out so bad so fast! Lou.
Just look at all of the roof and door glass B pillar weatherstripping changes made in the first five years to stop leaks.
Oh, and in the early seventies it was a sad joke, but true, that to check your back tires on a Ford, you just opened the trunk because the floor back there rusted
out so bad so fast! Lou.
Dr. Detroit
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 10,097
Likes: 4,027
From: New Braunfels Texas
Jebby