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Hey everyone! For a while I've been dreaming about buying a restoring a C3, mainly including paint, general mechanic maintenance, and refinishing interior trim.
I've been window shopping on fb marketplace and I've come across a few listings that sparked interest. I've been wanting to pick up a few tidbits of information as I don't want to make the mistake of buying a complete rust bucket.
I have a listing that I found interesting, and is a '74 4 speed. Exterior body panels look to be aligned well. He's got the door panels off and only that, the rest of the inside is intact. The paint is still pristine on those doors but it looks to me like there is a layer underneath that could degrade. My question is whether there are any addition spots on those doors that would easily reveal rust.
I've done research an seen good spots to look for rust on the birdcage and the frame, but nothing mentioned doors.
Welcome to the forum. Typically, doors are not an issue unless they were submerged. Any surface rust is generally inconsequential. Dig deep on the birdcage and frame!
Doors can be replaced, but the birdcage at the hinges can be a problem. Do the doors line up? Behind the kickpanels are the #2 body mounts, which are usually the important tell in that area, but inspect around the hinges, too.
The photo you put up shows nothing of interest. Body mount number 2, behind kick panel. Body mount number 3. Small plate you remove inside forward edge of rear wheel well and look inside. Body mount number 4, often badly rusted. Behind rear wheel, just look up. Windshield frame. Upper corners. Lower corners.
general condition of the frame.
I have seen c3's have a lot of rust at the bottom of the doors from leaky window seals (or stored / abandoned with windows down a little), but the A-pillar mounts and birdcage were solid...
Take all the advice from above...don't be afraid to hit every inch of the frame with a hammer...You will hear the bad spots...
Let freedom and C3 frames ring!
The photo you put up shows nothing of interest. Body mount number 2, behind kick panel. Body mount number 3. Small plate you remove inside forward edge of rear wheel well and look inside. Body mount number 4, often badly rusted. Behind rear wheel, just look up. Windshield frame. Upper corners. Lower corners.
general condition of the frame.
The photo you put up shows nothing of interest. Body mount number 2, behind kick panel. Body mount number 3. Small plate you remove inside forward edge of rear wheel well and look inside. Body mount number 4, often badly rusted. Behind rear wheel, just look up. Windshield frame. Upper corners. Lower corners.
general condition of the frame.
I agree, I’ll get more photos uploaded once I schedule an in person meetup. For now I’ve got some more seller pics. I’m waiting on a photo from the seller of the rust behind the kick panel.
Engine bay looks to be completely untouched, but it is missing headlights and taillights from the pics.
hard to tell of any rust In the windshield bottom area
Weird paint job as well🤔 I can’t quite tell why it was so lazily painted over
Hard T tops? They look well aligned. I’ve heard birdcage degradation will make leaky t tops and wonky doors.
That engine compartment is far from original, but the mods are old, such that the grime and corrosion match.
Hard T-tops? Are there any other kind?
interesting, i think I picked out some things here or there that are aftermarket like the valve covers and possibly the vacuum distributor. I’m not too knowledgeable on the engine bay layouts of these cars.
You think the modifications would be a good thing? As the vacuum lines would maybe possibly have been redone
Depends on what you want. Mods usually mean that the car was driven, so that's good.
If it is like most other C3s that look like that, every rubber component will need to be replaced. Vac, fuel, and brake hoses to start, and likely every suspension bushing.
Ask the seller for a clear photo of the trim tag. Likely Ontario Orange, that someone was repainting. Is that new primer on top, or was it scraped down to primer?
That engine bay looks atrocious! The plug wire routing is a joke at best. The ign. shielding is missing. And on and on it goes. Didn't even bother to sweep away the leaves before taking the photo.
Run Forest Run.
You think the modifications would be a good thing? As the vacuum lines would maybe possibly have been redone
Vacuum lines are the least of your problems, that car needs everything done, everything... Look at the concrete under the car, it's been sitting there for years... Go find a running/driving car to start with... Walk away from this one...
What is the price and what are your capabilities? I'm seeing a big project car and a lot of sorting out to do. When I rebuilt my '82 years ago I had grand plans, but every time I turned around something else needed replacing and mine was nowhere near as "used" as this one. BTW: it is still not finished after 30 years. On top of that my budget did not take paint into account which was finally done a few years ago. If this car is available for cheap and I had workspace, time and money I "might" consider it, but I would recommend going with a cleaner, running car even if it cost more. Good luck!
Based on what I see here, you will be into this $25-30K with you doing most of the work. It appears it will need powertrain and driveline work, interior, brakes, paint and missing parts. In the end, you will need to assess what your goal is for the car and what you're willing to spend. After that, compare what the car will be worth once it's completed to your budget. You should also research what a '74 in various conditions sell for to gauge the feedback given here from the members who have been through this. Trust me on this..... ANY car needing restoration is like pulling the "sweater string".
Hey OP, it looks like you may live in Atlanta? I ask because as long as you're in the US, there will be many choices for you. Some good advice above. It looks to me like this car has been left out a lot, so you could likely be in for several pretty costly repairs to get it road worthy as mentioned by 72LT1Mike and others. I would be extra cautious of FB and Craigslist offerings - not saying you can't get a good deal there, but scammers are abundant there. A good place to go is the FS section right here on the C3 forum. You need to know that paint will start at $10-15k, and that's if you do much of the work yourself. You're probably better off finding a different C3. The forum members here will help. Best, Paul
Hey everyone I appreciate the replies! I know I wasnt completely clear in my goals for the project.
My hopes in restoring a c3 is not to sell it back to make money, nor is it to restore it to its original form. I was thinking to do more of a restomod. I’m buying it for myself as a project to sink time into, and I have money saved up as well. Although from my other projects, it’s always not enough😂
I have a friend that has painted jeeps, a fiero, and a 300zx so I have plans to do almost everything I can myself. They have a lot of supplies I would need. I myself have also undergone some wrench turning projects, enough to that I’m confident in my abilities to pick a C3 project up.
I understand that I definitely won’t get a c3 not even this one to a completely perfect working order.
I’ll most likely take yalls advice on this one.
Manual and cheap C3s don’t pop up too often on fb, and I started this thread to see what more seasoned players would think of this listing specifically.
I’m going to use this as a lesson to see what NOT to be buying
Last edited by atlantazombie; Jan 4, 2024 at 01:09 PM.
Play to your strengths. My 80 4-speed needed everything, but was white on red (the best color combo), and had acceptable paint. Paint (and rust) were the last things I wanted to deal with. But it sounds like that won't be a problem for you.
If you want a manual transmission restomod, also consider an automatic car. Since you'll be throwing away the stock engine anyway, it is far less tragic to toss the TH350 as well. You'll likely want a 5 or 6 speed manual eventually.
I'm seeing a lot of work, frustration and expense in this one. Don't let this one become someone else's future project lol. It may be just what you want and that's cool if it is, I just know that I would get worn down by the scope of the project and you don't really know what all it needs yet.
Looking around for a c3
You need photos with more detail
