67 undercarriage/frame assessment
 

I've recently been in the market for a driver quality mid-year coupe and looked at a '67 coupe this morning that appears to be a good candidate. I've uploaded some pictures of the underside of the car that I took while laying on the ground. This is not as good as putting it up on a lift. but I think the pictures are good enough to assess the important stuff. In my non-expert opinion, the undercarriage looks like there isn't anything to be concerned with in regards to rust. What I'm unsure of is if the black paint on the frame is original from the factory or if someone sprayed in on there many years ago. I ask the forum to provide opinions about the originality of the paint and/or the general condition of the frame.

Thanks,
Rick

More undercarriage pics...

Am I missing something? I don't see any pictures, and I tried your albums too.

Got them. Your pics came up at the same time I was posting this!

There's no doubt that somebody went under there and spray bombed everything at some point. In the third and forth picture in the first set, and the second picture in the second set, there's definitely a lot of pitting in the frame, cross members, and trailing arm. I'd suggest inspecting the area a little more closely, in particular the trailing arms and the frame up around the #4 body mount. It's tough to see up in there, and I've found a few cars with otherwise good frames, that were rusted on the back side of where the #4 mount is. Otherwise, I don't see anything too alarming, though there does seem to be some oil leaks to address.

Good luck with your potential purchase!

I can see the side pipes were added and not done very well. I agree it looks like a spray bomb resto with poor prep and now the paint is failing and looks bad. I would take a screwdriver poke at the frame and see what you find

Thanks for the feedback. You've pointed out some things I didn't notice. Here are a few more pics.

Nothing really stands out beside the obvious. Do you have any questions.

To me it looks like an old semi-restoration on a '67. The master cylinder appears to be a replacement, the rear main spring bolts look newer (not original) and the spring might be a replacement. There may be other little things unseen. As suggested, look a little deeper. :cheers: Dennis

Post#5 picture #1. Is that a crack in the differential on the left upper area?

Looks to be but that's in the cover. But most likely the bolt holding the spring is too long

Wouldn't that crack be large enough to have drained all the gear lube?

I'm on my phone and I can blow it very large and I can see its not very long and doesn't go into the cover

If you look at the light, it cast comparable shadows on that side of the area. I don't believe it a crack. :cheers: Dennis

Thanks all that have reviewed the pics and/or offered opinions. I wasn't able to take a someone else with me to inspect the car, but the CF form is acting as my second set of eyes!

Don't forget that there's another frame that's just as important if not more so than the chassis. I'm speaking of the birdcage. You need you crawl under the dash and look at the areas where the windshield meets the body. Also see if the owner will allow you to remove the kick panels (just a few screws) so you can check the A pillars. If you're serious about this (or any C2) I suggest that you invest in one of those cheap borescopes (sp?) from Harbor Freight that will allow you much more access to hidden problem areas. Also, I wouldn't even consider buying a car that I couldn't put up on a lift as well so you can poke around (and mean that in the literal sense) and REALLY have a good idea of the overall condition of the underside. JMO. Good luck.

Gary

I absolutely agree Gary. The problem is that the car is being offered at an estate auction. My inspection yesterday is all I'm going to be able do. I won't be able to put it on a lift and won't be able to drive it. The auctioneer will start the car before the bidding starts. I understand this is a risky proposition to buy a Corvette like this, but I currently own a '71. My point being that I am familiar with old Corvettes and the areas where they are prone to rust. My maximum bid amount will be lower than market value due to the unknowns of the situation. We'll see what happens.

Nothing looks terrible to me. I'd say that frame is in above average condition for a car that has not been body-off restored. What needs to be looked at closer is the birdcage. The lower channel over the frame rail is visible in one of the photos, and there is a lot of surface rust in that area. It's not uncommon to see some surface rust/scale there, but it looks like a lot on this one.

Dave, are you referring to this?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9fdee722d6.jpg

It could be a crack in the ear of the differential cover. Not a big deal if it is, considering the over all condition of the car.

I would certainly consider it a solid driver, one that has had some cosmetic restoration done, based on the pictures. On the other hand, based on what we can see, I would say there is nothing that would scare me off if it's priced as a driver.

Good luck Rick and let us know how it goes... GUSTO

I just got home from the auction
 

The car was auctioned off this morning. Before the action, I learned that the car was owned by a collector with a 27 car collection. This was the first car sold from that collection. This matching numbers car was purchased by the collector in 1978 in Virginia with 21K miles on it. The car was painted with black lacquer (originally silver) sometime before that 1978 purchase. Since then, it has spent most of its time on jack stands in a heated building in Ohio. The car now shows 26K miles. Since the collector passed away 4-5 years ago, the custodian of the collection took it upon himself to go completely through the car to get it roadworthy. I read through the thick folder of receipts yesterday. This was a very well sorted out car and everything worked properly on the car. This is one of the things that appealed to me is that the car needed nothing (at least in the near term).

I did bid on the car during the auction, but I was not the winning bidder. My search goes on for a driver quality mid-year. Thanks to all for being my 2nd set of eyes which helped me feel comfortable bidding on this car.

Regards,
Rick

What did it sell for?

For the sake of privacy for the car's new owner, I don't want to state the selling price in a public forum. I will PM the selling price to you Nowhere Man. If anyone else wants me to PM the selling price to them, I'll be happy to do so.