Need some experienced opinions, please.

I’m on the hunt for a nice 69-72 lawn-show quality C3 with solid birdcage and frame. I thought I found one, only to learn the insides of the frame rails back by the doglegs were kinda scaly. Outside of the frame rails looked good, but the insides not so much. All felt “solid”, though.

But then I found a rather randomly placed rust hole on the inside vertical wall of that same rail. I can stick just the tip of my finger through it back near the gusset. Everything and everywhere else looks & feels super solid. Is this something that makes me walk away and continue my hunt elsewhere? It’s priced very fair market value and the seller said he’d come down to offset such a repair. I wouldn’t be tackling it myself, as I’d have a pro do it. Not sure how cheap it’d be because I don’t want a bandaid style repair. I want it done correctly so it’ll outlast me.


I’ll try and attach a pic. Thanks everybody!

 

Have you thoroughly checked the birdcage for rust?

 

I think so? Care to list the most prone areas I should be looking closest?

 

Every section of frame is available. Minor welding project for some, and others see it as a major catastrophe.
How much rust is too much is definitely a personal decision. But finding a car over 50 years old that hasn't had any panels replaced and has zero rust could prove to be very difficult.

 

Check out the #2 body mount, by removing the interior kick panels. is a good place to start.

 

imo this area is one of the most important.

 

My frame looked like yours and had rust at the kick ups. I bought the 12" patches, cut out all the old tusy metal, welded in the new , then had it all sand blasted and powder coated: good to go!

 

You see that above, that's my point. Every section of these frames are available.
on my frame my kick ups were/are fine. But the bottom under the door was rusted. Just the very bottom. Sectioned in replacement panels. You would never know if you didn't know.
But, I can weld.
A perfect frame? It's out there. Best of luck.

 

4-vettes,
I think the question is valid. Frame rust beyond an acceptable level can be a serious issue, leading to significant additional costs for lot of people in the market for a Corvette C3.
I've personally walked away from several C3s with severe frame rust issues, even though I have the means to handle it—whether by keeping the costs reasonable or doing whole job myself. But honestly, it'll be such a pain (for me) that I’d rather avoid it altogether if possible.

Now, consider the perspective of an average buyer who can only check fluids and handle very basic maintenance at best. They might not have the workspace, skills, or resources to tackle anything beyond that. So what are their options? Taking the car to a shop for such repair? With the current labor rates—especially when dealing with classic cars—the costs can quickly add up, potentially making the whole endeavor financially unfeasible. And that’s assuming you can even find a shop that 1) is willing to take on the job and 2) actually has the expertise to do it properly.

Just my 2 cents

 

Only way I'd dive into that car is if it had some sort of sentimental value or it came real cheep.... A hole in the frame you can stick your finger through!!! Keep looking... There are tons of frames out there with no holes, maybe surface rust that can be easily delt with...

60

 

The only car I restored was a 64 and it had rust in that location. I could not put a finger through until I started probing and hitting it. Ended up learning to weld and replaced a small section on both sides. It came out fine for me. Built the car and didn't look back. If you don't want to pull it off the frame I would pass on it.

 

First off, thanks so much to everyone here for their sage words of advice, especially those who've lived through similar scenarios and shared their tales. It's a tough one for me since I'm seeing all sides of the situation now.

Secondly, I'm in something of a transition stage in my life that makes a quick, clear answer difficult. I'm a shade-tree mechanic who fiddles in my spare time. I've restored a couple cars in the past, mostly done with my own sweat, blood and skinned knuckles. (and money, of course) I farmed out certain portions of those projects to those better equipped. (paint/body work, etc.) Could I do it again?... yes. Is it convenient or physically realistic?... no. I'm advancing in years (limited my strength/dexterity), and my time and responsibilities to elderly parents and adult children have rendered my "spare time" virtually non-existent. That's more a statement of fact vs. it being a complaint. Therefore, all heavier style repairs will be outsourced to a local Corvette specialty shop near me who's done everything under the sun to every gen Corvette made. With that comes cost. Money isn't so much an issue as is time. I want to enjoy this car, not wait for a shop to pull it all apart and do some serious work on it for the next half year while making me upside down on it in terms of investment. I'm not looking for/buying a C3 for investment purposes and am fully willing to even lose money on it as it'll be the cost of bringing happiness into my fledgling car hobby life. I just don't want to be way upside down due to an uninformed purchase.

You guys have brought pretty significant clarity to my dilemma and I am extremely grateful. Thank you so much. Suffice it to say, I'm gonna keep looking. Anyone have a nice C3 they'd like to sell? Ha ha!!

 

Windshield header, base and A posts, #2 and #3 body mounts, u- channels under the sills.

 

Good move. That frame was full of course rust scale in every picture I saw. Frankly I'm surprised nobody brought that up.

 

Every picture??? There was but one picture.
One small hole? One small welding project for some.
AND, As I stated earlier, a catastrophe for others.
If it was a really nice car otherwise, and we really don't know. One small hole wouldn't have fazed me.
How much rust is too much? We all have different levels of acceptance.