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Looking at buying a 1978 corvette. It was originally yellow and repainted grey. Owner says it has rusted floor panels and "minor rust" elsewhere (i will be seeing it soon) Also the brakes need to be bled. It was essentially sitting for 2 years but runs and drives (doesnt stop well). Anything i should look out for? Since the floor panels are rusted, should i be worried about frame rust/bird cage rust?
i will try attaching photos
Looking at buying a 1978 corvette. It was originally yellow and repainted grey. Owner says it has rusted floor panels and "minor rust" elsewhere (i will be seeing it soon) Also the brakes need to be bled. It was essentially sitting for 2 years but runs and drives (doesnt stop well). Anything i should look out for? Since the floor panels are rusted, should i be worried about frame rust/bird cage rust?
Short answer... yes. Without knowing what the seller is asking for the car, it is hard to advise you. I would personally pass on this car. Even if you are doing the work yourself, it is going to cost a lot of money to put this car back right. I will bet the birdcage and frame are rusty too. There are nice driver condition '74-'82 Corvettes that can be bought for not a lot more than it would take to make this car right on top of its purchase price. Sometimes the purchase price is the cheapest expense of one of these. My $.02.
The car may not have bad rust in other areas...BUT...other areas need to be seen/photos taken so forum members can advise you.
As for brakes...optimistically...maybe they only need to be bled. Reality.....the entire brake system MAY need rebuilding before it fails completely.
Just keep in mind. ALL of these C3's are old. So unless you purchase one that has been completely redone, (still no guarantees). You WILL be working on it. Maybe some more than others. But they are never done. I've had mine for over 30 years. It's a hobby. I enjoy and take pride in constantly working on it. Sometimes I even get to drive it!
Check out the frame and bird cage VERY carefully. Rusty floor pans often mean rust in other areas as well.
What you have been told is bad and what you will find will also be bad or worse. Don't buy this car. I don't know what the price is, but even free, it may not be worth owning.
Just because a vehicle has rusty floor pans does not always assure rusty cage. Who knows its past history? Maybe a window was open a bit because the glass will not move.
T-Top seals maybe wonky, but again, may not always affect the cage.
And last but not least. A "heater core" issue has ruined many floors, carpets and kick panels.
Myself, I would pass on this car mostly because of its color combo regarding resale value.
Perhaps the hood will not latch properly? Common. Or not unlatch? More common.
Larger than normal gap between rear tire & wheel well. Somebody changed the spring.
And maybe the headlights refuse to close? IDK
Rear tire camber seems to be off a pinch. Fixable though.
At one time this likely was a pretty sharp car with yellow ext & tan int.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Jun 24, 2021 at 09:19 AM.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...orvette-6.html roll down to post 107 and read. especially the rust stuff. is this car close enough to go see? if so, do so. not to buy it, but to use as an example of what you do not want. are you buying a corvette to own and drive? or to brush up on your welding and fiberglass skills? take your time. look at a bunch of them. if in doubt, pass. it is way better to regret the one you passed on 6 months ago than to regret the one you bought 6 months ago that turned out to be far more work than you planned on. or worse, are capable of. DO NOT buy a car YOU cannot fix. 100 bucks an hour and your new toy ain't so much fun any more.
Buying C3 Corvette - Need help!!
