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I have the opportunity to buy a 72 Stingray Convertible. It's been sitting, but garaged. I'm decently handy with motors etc. I've been scraping this site for a couple weeks looking at common issues. One of them that comes up is rust in the A pillar. I got a closer inspection today, and there is definitely some rust going on in the driver side A pillar. Passenger side is completely clean as far as I can tell. I don't have a lot of experience with body work, so my question to anyone who knows better, is "how bad is this"? Should I pass, or is this probably not that big of a deal?
Thanks for all the free advice you have all given so far!
If'n'it were me, I'd keep looking. The cavity above the trim tag can be pretty nasty looking without huge issues elsewhere, but the part of the pillar just to the left of the upper silver dash screw looks pretty flaky and deteriorated. You could see if the owner will remove the inner pillar trim to get a better idea of the rust extent. With a bright flashlight, you should be able to see some of the metal structure through the edge and top of the windshield.
If the pillar looks this bad, the body to frame mount below this will be pretty rusted as well. This is behind the kick-panel just to the left of the hood release handle - and may be viewable with a cell phone or inexpensive bore scope.
To remove the interior trim pieces I mentioned above isn't quite a simple as it sounds. Other pieces need to be removed first, so an owner may not want to do that. Get a bore scope off Amazon or someplace - I have an inexpensive one that works with my iPhone that has been adequate for this sort of inspection.
Don't know where you are located because your profile is incomplete.
Get some pictures of the frame rails, kick-ups in the rear, body mounts...... pretty easy to see if not covered with paint or undercoating. Should tell you more about the car.
Your photo looks a bit scary, but build quality was so poor back then that you need to be sure this is RUST. On my '75 coupe, there is fiberglass slathered all over this area and it is original paint car. Just lousy assembly quality. My car has no rust and a perfect underside.
I'm in Wisconsin, Madison area. The car belongs to a friend. Was his dads. 8 years ago the engine was maintained by a shop that got the car running after sitting for a while in a garage in Michigan after his dad passed. He drove it for 3 summers, and it's been parked for the last 5 years. At this point, he is moving and just needs to get rid of it. I've never owned one of these, but as I said, motors and electrical doesn't scare me. It needs some other work, and I've pretty much been able to look up parts needed for most things. Seats, new top rear window, etc.
He will let me take apart anything I want to, and I knew I should have taken the kick panel out. How did I forget that?
I would read post #107 of this thread for more places to check and general buying advice.
IMO if that one spot is that rusty I don’t have high hopes for the rest of the car.
I actually did read that. I've been stalking your forum for a bit now. This is kind of an opportunity. Was/am not shopping. I had no idea he had it lol, and I've been to his house many times. Could be a fun project, but if the frame is shot, that's the level of body work I've never done. Honestly, not sure I want to learn.
You could remove the interior kick panel above the floorboard to investigate the condition of where the birdcage bolts to the frame. Based on the condition of the upper birdcage in your picture, if there is any rust there, it is probably throughout the frame on that side and creates a major issue with the car. If there is no rust, you could spend further time investigating the of the birdcage and decide whether you are still interested in the car. Rust, anywhere on the birdcage requires a considerable amount of time, skill, and effort to repair.
I wish I had a friend with a secret ‘72. Repairing the birdcage means removing the body from the frame, and debonding the front clip. About as involved as it get for repairs on these cars.
Who knows, maybe the rest of the car is mint. I would definitely check the kickup area of the rear wheel well though. That seems to be the most common spot for debris/water to build up and eat it from the inside of the frame rail.
I wish I had a friend with a secret ‘72. Repairing the birdcage means removing the body from the frame, and debonding the front clip. About as involved as it get for repairs on these cars.
Who knows, maybe the rest of the car is mint. I would definitely check the kickup area of the rear wheel well though. That seems to be the most common spot for debris/water to build up and eat it from the inside of the frame rail.
He wants/needs to sell it in the next few weeks, so if someone here wants to make an offer, I'll pass it along. Won't hurt my feelings.
Just adding to your knowledge: the windshield's top trim seam in front of the driver's sun visor should have sealant along that edge. It appears to be raised a bit which would have allowed water to enter the windshield frame. Check the pillar that's exposed around the VIN tag. On the inside, you should be able to get an idea of top corner rusting by poking between the vinyl trim and the chrome/stainless. If you pull the sun visor screws, their state of rust on the threads can also provide some clue as to what's happening inside the structure.
If ok with owner scrape this area with a screwdriver and a wire brush. If you have rust holes, since this is a base eng I guess, I would not be interested unless I got it cheep, like 5 or 6 cheep. It is a lot of work to fix rust holes in this area and takes a long time if you do a repair like this yourself. I hope others work faster than me, ha! If you pay a pro, way upside down since this is not a big block or LT-1. Agree with above check the rest of the frame too. And if the owner will let you remove the interior plastic trim around the windshield then look closely where the glass mates up to the windshield frame for problems too. If just bad surface rust, you might could just use a rust convertor and go if you have some decent metal left. Hope this helps and a nice 72 Vert I hope worth saving.
Hey Ande, I'm located right in Madison by the hospital and would be happy to help go over the car with you and your buddy if you'd like. I'm always itching to mess with a C3 since mine is back in New Jersey right now. I'm probably not a good person to help price it out, but I can help you locate and determine the usual problem areas if you want. Let me know.
That will eventually require an extensive, time consuming, and pricy repair.
But it won't stop you from driving it like that for the next 5 or more years.
Since you know the owner and honest history you're in a much better position than 99% of buyers.
It'd be a nice driver for a while if you keep it garaged.
Be sure you check the frame by the kickups, as mentioned. I was able to get my C-2 at a low price because the frame was obviously bad. When we lifted the body, and went to pull the chassis out from under, here's what happened:
Is the car worth saving?......Absolutely! Are you the guy?.... Maybe. Do you have extra money to throw down the rabbit hole? It's a convertible so it brings a little extra, but don't be bitten. I wouldn't go over 7.
How Bad is it?
