Is it possible to find a '74-'79 C3 for under $10,000 with a decent frame/birdcage in PA nowadays? These cars aren't getting any newer and the northeast is stereotypically hard on metal in the winter. I've been contemplating selling my summer daily driver Fox Mustang. Its a solid car but its also becoming increasingly hard to source quality electrical components, leaving reliability questionable. I don't want to let it go and leap into a C3 if there aren't good solid ones available in that price range. I'm pretty well versed in C3 mechanics from years of working on them in the past but haven't been in the market or underneath one in a couple decades now.

 

Not from PA, but i would assume much would depend on where in PA you are talking about. In the northern/western/eastern areas where they get a lot of snow I think you'll have to be very careful, At any rate i would inspect the frame and try to view the birdcage on any car even if it was from the south, You never know where the car originated from or how the person took care of it. I would look in southern PA or into Maryland where the winters are much milder.

 

Ok. I am from southern PA, just over the MD line, so that's a start.

 

I don’t think it matters where a car is now.. depends on how treated and history.
i think 10 grand is possible but will have other issues probably.
plenty of projects that have decent frames but…

 

So is $10,000 not reasonable for a driver quality '74-'79 with a soild frame in the northeast?

 

For those later years, yes. Garaged cars dont take the hit like the ones stored outside. You will just have to look harder for the one you want

 

This ^^^^

Looking for a Corvette usually involves the 3 "L"s....
Look
Laugh
Leave

You will have to look at a lot of cars to find the one you want.

 

Even mine was a garage queen and there is flaking ion the inside of the frame....not much you can do in a humid environment

 

I think that is tough anywhere..not saying possible but i think prices have gone up.

 

For 10K you would have to define what you think is driver quality...and decide how long you are willing to look.

There are decent ones out there, in that price range you will probably be looking awhile and plan on spending 3+K fairly quickly once you have it. A set of tires is a grand, Brakes=4-500, belts hoses fluids, this and that.adds up quick... Just remember, this is something you want, not need, they made a ton of these cars so the inventory is large and prices are not going through the roof any time soon...take your time, your wallet will thank you....

60

 

This is exactly right, and yes, it's completely possible to find a 74-79 with a good frame birdcage for less than 10K - it won't be a show quality example at that price, but a good driver can be had if you look hard and long enough. I think that's true for just about any car though. It takes time to find the right one, especially a C3 Corvette. Just start looking around until you find the right one. No offense to anyone here, but of the C3 generation, these are the bargain-priced years (74-79), with anniversary model cars being the prizes of the bunch. Many buyers tend to steer toward the chrome bumper years (the most valuable) or even the 80-82 model years.

Supply and demand, and the mid year cars haven't caught up (and likely won't until C3s begin to become scarce - there were just too many made). Although all C3s have enjoyed higher values the past several years due to artificially inflated prices exasperated by the pandemic, the mid years are still quite the bargain. This really isn't the best time to be in the market for any sports/classic car, but it's as great time to sell.

A lot of these C3s have been shuffled from state to state so many times over the past 40-50 years, it matters far less where you are or where any car you are looking at is now. Rather, it matters far more where the car lived its first 10 years, and whether it was driven year round, as they often were back in the day.

A majority of the rust damage to the frame and birdcage would have happened during those critical years. So even if you find an early C3 stored under a car cover in a climate controller garage in Arizona or Southern Cali for the past 40 years - if it was driven all year round the first few years in the Rust Belt, the damage would already be done.

e.g. - Driven all year round in Phoenix AZ, but now in Ohio - probably just fine - maybe some insignificant surface rust on the frame. Driven all year round in Ohio, but now is in Phoenix, AZ - much worse....

I would say for a majority of owners nowadays, these cars are purposed for fair weather/recreational use only, so where they are now isn't nearly as important as where they spent those first few critical years. That means for all intents and purposes that any further (significant) rust damage is effectively stopped, but that certainly doesn't fix the damage already done, hence why I mentioned it above.

You aren't going to see me driving my '69 vert in the snow, or even the rain, if I can help it.

 

I've lived in southeast New York my whole life. Depends on the car, not the location. Had a 68 Charger daily driver that literally disintegrated, junked it due to frame rot. Had a 75 Fury wagon that was the Battlestar Galactica, the damned thing never rotted out and ran forever. Same roads.

I wish I still had that huge green bastard. It was tons of fun. Who knew one day it would have value again?

 

Out of curiosity, other than the birdcage structure and associated issues, is there anything about a C2/C3 frame that makes it any more susceptible to rust issues than other full frame vehicles of the era?

 

Yes, there is. The design of the C2/C3 frame was of the box-type and not a good one, IMO, because it easily traps snow and salt, water/moisture, dirt, you name it. There are a lot of openings in the frame, and even more places for that stuff to get trapped, causing the frames to quite literally rot from the inside out. Sadly, that's why rust is such a common occurrence in the C2/C3 gen cars, and exasperated by any salt if the car was driven year round, as they often were back in the day.

Even in places where salt is not used, or needed, if there is moisture in the air (e.g - a seaside town), or places with high humidity, even those examples can rust. I replaced the entire chassis on my '69 vert last year, so I have up close and personal experience with where rust likes to collect in these frames (I still have the original rolling chassis).

With the birdcage, on T-tops especially, water gets trapped, trickles down the A-pillars and and rusts everything on its way down. Removing the kick panels can give you some visibility into the extent of the damage to the birdcage, but to get the full view, it becomes a very invasive endeavor - removal of dash, and all pillar and windshield trim, etc.... Also, look at the windshield frame and see if there is flaked off rust. That's another clue. It's amazing how much steel there is in these cars - even the body has a bunch of steel throughout.

 

You don't have to drive far south, there are plenty in VA in that price range. Worth the drive to get out of the salt belt.

 

Worth the air fare and shipping to get the right car. You need Glenn in San Diego, Jebby and other southwest boys with their local networks. PA is almost the worst state for salt use. Hilly and warm enough for salt to melt ice. North Dakota. Too cold for salt to be effective and much flatter.

 

Finding a driver quality C3 for $10K is not unheard of but why limit yourself to the Northeast?

 

Bought all my C3s in New England. Frames are fine. Two of them were well under 10k.

 

I lived in Cleveland for a while and realized they had some really nice cars up there. They get parked indoors for 4-6 months every year and the "winter beater" gets used instead!
LOL