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Hi guys,
Trying my best to become a (early) C3 owner, but...
Let me tap the brain trust about the visible rust on this (once was a) 1971 LT-1. Note that I'm in Europe where nice 'Vettes are not so easy to find. This car is too far away for me to easily check out in person. Thanks a million for your help/advice/guidance in advance:
On the frame rail at the very top of this pic' (above), does it look like rust has tried to push the seams apart? Is that a deal-breaker?
Is that rust on the frame rail (seam) at the far left (above) an indicator of excessive (deal-breaking) rust?
Just above the wall pic' of the Porsche, is that a rusted-through hole that I see? (I'm aware of the rather wet power steering stuff)
Zooming in on the 2 factory holes in the frame (above) allows one to see the internal rust there. Is this a deal breaker or can I soak the innards with Waxoyl/Dinitrol/whatever and sleep well at night? Other factory holes show similar rust.
I see nothing in those pictures from a frame rust standpoint that would cause me to walk away from a purchase. All normal for a 51 year old unrestored frame.
I agree with Mr. D that I don’t really see anything too bad there at all. Having said that, I could never recommend anybody buy an old car without getting knowledgeable eyes on it. The birdcage should be inspected, as repairs there can be worse than frame replacement. I know where you are might be tough to find someone that can inspect it for you, however a sight unseen purchase would be too big of a gamble for me.
If you pull off the kickpanel and look at the body mounts you will be able to check the birdcage structural integrity. If you see rust there it will be VERY difficult to repair.
For example - just light surface rust here is not an issue. If you see a pile of rusty chunks down in there around the body mount cushion you should probably just walk away.
I see nothing in those pictures from a frame rust standpoint that would cause me to walk away from a purchase. All normal for a 51 year old unrestored frame.
I see nothing in those pictures from a frame rust standpoint that would cause me to walk away from a purchase. All normal for a 51 year old unrestored frame.
Thanks Mr. D! In that case, I will go inspect the car (especially the bird cage, which scares me) and hopefully make an offer in about 3 weeks on my back from vacation in that country (France).
I agree with Mr. D that I don’t really see anything too bad there at all. Having said that, I could never recommend anybody buy an old car without getting knowledgeable eyes on it. The birdcage should be inspected, as repairs there can be worse than frame replacement. I know where you are might be tough to find someone that can inspect it for you, however a sight unseen purchase would be too big of a gamble for me.
Bill
Thanks Bill! In that case, I will go inspect the car (especially the bird cage, which scares me) and hopefully make an offer in about 3 weeks on my back from vacation in that country (France). Trying my best to become as much of an inexperienced expert as I can for the reason ("...tough to find someone...") you mentioned.
If you pull off the kickpanel and look at the body mounts you will be able to check the birdcage structural integrity. If you see rust there it will be VERY difficult to repair.
For example - just light surface rust here is not an issue. If you see a pile of rusty chunks down in there around the body mount cushion you should probably just walk away.
Thanks stingr69! Good advice. I just hope the dealer allows me to pull the kickpanel off. He sent a pic' of the VIN which (in that small area) showed no obvious rust. So, there's hope!
Good for you, and I hope the car works out for you. Before you go, spend some time here searching for pre purchase inspection threads and read up. Or maybe start a thread and you will get a ton of info to go into the inspection with. Good luck!
Good for you, and I hope the car works out for you. Before you go, spend some time here searching for pre purchase inspection threads and read up. Or maybe start a thread and you will get a ton of info to go into the inspection with. Good luck!
Bill
Thanks Bill. I've spent a ridiculous amount of time reading this and every other forum, inspired, mostly by the fear of owning a rusty frame and/or birdcage. I won't be able to deal with that. I've made a Word document of things to check, differences in years and options, etc. Feel like I'm back in grad-school earning a second PhD... And, don't worry, I will be bugging the crap out of you guys if I ever manage to get a C3 home.
Be sure to pull the #3 body mount covers off in the rear wheel wells and inspect the #3 mounts also.
Thanks pspicci. Good advice, no doubt, but I fear the dealer isn't going to want me going that deep into the car without first making a deposit... What you're suggesting requires pulling the rear wheels off and removing the access panels, right? Even if the dealer let me, I doubt I'll have time as I'll have my family waiting to continue home from vacation... :-/
Yeah I was thinking the same thing that the frame isn't that bad. I have seen pictures of frames that have large chunky rust all over. This frame looks oily even - which helps! Like you say though, the seams look suspect. I would just take a close look at them but judging from the overall condition I would think they are OK. Hard to tell from here if the seam is splitting. Note that the welds from the factory were not all that great to start off with. Good luck!
Yeah I was thinking the same thing that the frame isn't that bad. I have seen pictures of frames that have large chunky rust all over. This frame looks oily even - which helps! Like you say though, the seams look suspect. I would just take a close look at them but judging from the overall condition I would think they are OK. Hard to tell from here if the seam is splitting. Note that the welds from the factory were not all that great to start off with. Good luck!
Thanks jim-81. I guess I'm at the point, now (thanks to earlier responses) that I need to find out how best to preserve what's there (if I get this car). Just spray Waxoyl/Dinitrol/whatever stuff all up in there or first try to convert the rust somehow? I think the waxy stuff works ok, but only if you re-apply it with some frequency. I could be wrong...
Hi OP, first of all, welcome to the crazy world of C3s! They are beautiful, iconic cars. Pretty easy to work on. Might have some troubles finding parts in The Netherlands, but good people here will help. I've shipped parts to AU to help a fellow forum member out, and there are some great people on this forum who are happy to help.
I agree with the advice you're getting: nothing looks out of the ordinary for a 50 year old car; check out the mounts and other areas of the cage you can; if it checks out, then the real fun begins!!
BTW, before covid hit I was a regular visitor to your country. Been there many times and you live in an amazing country with wonderful people.
Let us know what happens, and happy vacation! Best, Paul
Thanks KC2X. Did you see the nastiness INSIDE the frame through those factory holes? That and the surface rust at the frame rail seams are what worry me most, as in they might indicate that things are rusting from the inside out. I hope to share your lack of concern if/when I get the car up in the air at my man-cave.
Thanks, again.
Hi OP, first of all, welcome to the crazy world of C3s! They are beautiful, iconic cars. Pretty easy to work on. Might have some troubles finding parts in The Netherlands, but good people here will help. I've shipped parts to AU to help a fellow forum member out, and there are some great people on this forum who are happy to help.
I agree with the advice you're getting: nothing looks out of the ordinary for a 50 year old car; check out the mounts and other areas of the cage you can; if it checks out, then the real fun begins!!
BTW, before covid hit I was a regular visitor to your country. Been there many times and you live in an amazing country with wonderful people.
Let us know what happens, and happy vacation! Best, Paul
Thanks Paul! Indeed, one thing I like about the C3 is this forum is clearly a wonderfully powerful tool in the fight to keep them going.
The car is certainly a (former) LT-1, but the dealer doesn't know how to confirm, like I do, thanks to this forum. But it has a '84 truck engine in there at the moment... :-(
Well, I don't know how wonderful this country is - it's cold and rainy much of the year - but I like it for many reasons besides the crappy weather. I'm actually an American who brought my '72 BMW 2002tii over here from USA 20 years ago. But now, I'm lusting for a C3 like I did as a teenager.
Are you a parts dealer that I should keep in mind?
Thanks, again.
Too much frame rust to buy?
