WHAT IS A "BIRDCAGE" ?
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 4,862
Likes: 118
From: Texas
The birdcage is the frame that goes around the cockpit and windshield. It is covered by bodywork everywhere but the A pillar next to the windshield. Most C2's and C3's have some rust in the area under the A pillar, some worse than others. It's next to impossible to repair substantial birdcage rust without doing a major body off restoration. Fortunately, unless the bircage is wasted, it's not very critical because chassis relys mostly on the main frame for structural rigidity and integrity.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,231
Likes: 7
From: Fort Pierce Florida
Originally Posted by RatRacer
Fortunately, unless the bircage is wasted, it's not very critical because chassis relys mostly on the main frame for structural rigidity and integrity.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 4,862
Likes: 118
From: Texas
Originally Posted by SuprJames
Not critical until you start getting water leaking around your windshield or your doors start sagging. Once it starts to rust it had better be stopped quick. I just finished repairing mine. Luckily it was only the area around the windshield.
So did you just pull the windshield/trim and weld the A pillar up?
Last edited by RatRacer; Sep 7, 2005 at 08:20 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,231
Likes: 7
From: Fort Pierce Florida
I had a friend from a local bodyshop come over and we did the work together. First I cut the rusted areas back to where there was good metal. Then, my friend made patterns and then cut the metal patches. We then welded them in and used duraglass (I think that's what it's called) to fill in to make it smooth. Then, because he's a perfectionest, we ran body filler over it and sanded it down. It turned out better then I ever thought it could. After all that I squirted rust blocker inside the windshield frame with this cool wand at the end of a long flexible tube that sprays the stuff in like 6 directions and forward.
