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Hi All. Always wanted a C3 and am currently considering a purchase of a ‘69. I was provided the attached photos of the birdcage behind the kick plate. Passenger side has some sealant perhaps around the bolts which doesn’t appear on the drivers side. Not sure what I’m looking at here. Any thoughts/comments about the sealant and/or rust condition appreciated.
Looks rotten to me. I'd keep looking. At least get a usb camera and look up from there....may be able to get a look at the upper birdcage..... and get some pics of the underneath too.
Originally Posted by FBIL
Here’s the info I got regarding the pillar/windshield area. Seller noted some rust. Thanks again for all the help.
I’m not overly concerned with those photos. Is the seller willing to remove the interior trim on the A pillars and the header trim at the top of the windshield?
The first two pics of the last set would tell me to move on, I can fix a lot of things, and deal with others, but that kind of rust is called cancer for a reason. Unless this is a screaming deal I would keep looking...
Not to be the voice of doom, but my #2 body mounts looked even better than that, but I had extensive rot in the windshield frame. It would be very invasive to inspect enough of the birdcage to be absolutely sure there was no rot, but not sure how you do that. I will tell you unequivocally, after the extensive work to repair mine, I would not buy another unless I was sure. Below are a few pics of mine.
The way the windshield chrome traps dirt & moisture in that cavity I expect the majority of C3s to have windshield frame lower corner rust.
Trying to find one with zero in the w/s frame area may be like looking for the proverbial needle in the hay stack.
How perfect do you want it to be? How much extra are you willing to pay?
Are you going to leave it outside or drive it in the rain?
The w/s lower corners can be fixed from inside the car without touching the paint or fenders. It can be done. If you need it "leak-free".
But more than likely the t-top seals will leak anyway, LOL
Leigh is right, as you can see in my pics my lower corner rot was fixed from the inside. Just be sure to plan accordingly if buying a car with this unknown.
The very sad fact that we have to deal with, is that these cars are 42-56 years old, and were manufactured during the era when "quality" meant that "it has to last through the warranty period". My wife owned two C-3s, a '76 and a '79. She kept the '79 for about 18 years, and for the first few years, before we got together, it was a daily driver, even in winter. I did a lot of work on the car, during the time after we got married, but I wasn't familiar with the CF, therefore I wasn't aware of the birdcage issues. In retrospect, I feel badly for the fellow we sold it to, because he might have had to deal with those things.....
If the car is nice to your specifications I would not let it stop you. There is NO way you can sure how much w,/s frame rust there is unless you pull the glass windshield. Everyone I know who has done that, has been surprised how much rust is in there. I would go so far as to say they all have some, unless it has never been in the rain.
You do have some rust stains in the #2 mount area, so guess where that water comes from? Above.
That part of the frame is not a structural issue unless the rot is really bad, and your is not bad at all.
Fortunately you can inspect all the other typical rust areas, all in the lower main frame. Those are definitely structural so make sure those points are good. But fortunately they are easily inspected on a lift. #4 body mount behind tire. #3 body mount in front of tire thru trap door. #3 mount and frame area directly beneath it. Also for 2-3 feet in front of that.
If those areas are solid, and as little rust staining you have at #2, I would go for it and not worry about the w/s.
For sure I think to expect no rust in that area would be a pipe dream. Especially since I’m looking for a driver quality example in the 20-25k range that I can tinker with over-time. Part of the goal in fact is finding one that is not mechanically pristine, but knowing my current skill set body work or welding stuff like that would be well beyond my pay grade. Perhaps my expectations are too high for that price range? The above car was on auction so I decided to let it go. But given the feedback from everyone I have a bit more confidence to know what to look for when I see one in person.
Birdcage Opinion Please?
