Hi fellas, long time no post...
Im looking at a 74' L48 4 speed
The one glaring problem is rust through on the frame in front of the drivers side tire.
Not sure if that's an instant NOGO from folks on here, but for a guy who can only afford something that
needs...love, I wanted to get opinions.. I know a pic isn't as good as being there.. and I haven't actually crawled under it yet
to get a better idea of what it looks like...
I'd welcome some thoughts..
I thank you in advance..
~Rich

 

IMO:
*all things for C3s anyway can be fixed with time and money but;
*i would definitely pass on this one and widen your search and be willing to travel to find the right deal as there are better examples out there

Good luck and I always say half the fun is the hunt anyway

 

If that's what can be readily seen, there's probably more lurking in harder to see areas. It's highly doubtful that that's the only rust, but if it is it can be fixed by someone who knows what they're doing. I wouldn't even bother looking underneath before checking the a-pillars, the cowl area/number 2 body mount behind the kick panels, and the number 3 and 4 mounts which can be seen from inside the rear wheel openings. If all that looks good, then would I crawl underneath to thoroughly check the frame.

 

A hard pass on this one. A new frame will cost thousands even if you do all the work yourself. I hate to think what the birdcage looks like. There are too many solid cars out there to think about this one. Keep looking and good luck with your search. Jerry

 

That rust looks like a easy fix. But as others have said. What about the rest of the car?

 

I sold a car over rust, That car has a lot of rust you haven't found yet. I would pass

 

I honestly didn;t give it a thorough going over... the pic was one the seller took.
I was particularly attracted to the 4 speed it has...
But I think I'd better let this one go.
As someone has said here, there are plenty of vettes out there

~R

 

If that's located in MAINE near you, that's pretty much what you can expect. 100% hard pass for me, that's just the tip of the iceburg gotta be much, much more you can't see. It's quite expensive & time consuming to repair.

...

 

yeah, I thought of the "new england" factor.. and I don't know the cars history at all..

I told the seller I'll pass.

Thanks all, for the opinions: it was helpful.
I hope to be back on the forums someday to say I found a decent C3!

~R

 

Run!

 

I bought my car in Franklin Maine and the outside of the frame looked great...you just need to find one thats been in a garage. Widen your search criteria and be willing to drive a good distance. Franklin is 5.5 hours from where I am...I went up once to look at it and a second time to bring it home... JUst be careful if you buy it up there for the typical Lobster man mentality of fixing it with whatever was in the shed....mine had wood screws, lag bolts, one or two metric bolts plus a lot of speaker wire as electrical wire in it...And the convertible top was stapled onto the frame crooked ....she was a complete mess. And the top is still crooked, i havent gotten to that yet...maybe this winter

 

I looked for a C3 for 1.5 years, most were passed on due to frame rust, from all parts of the country, just did not want to mess with it. Keep looking, you will find your acorn, I did.

 

Hello,
Really no reason to get involved with a car that you know has rust and is not already yours.
I was asked to look at a car that had rust but had been repaired.
Regards.....

 

I live up here actually..
So, my travels would be points south & west..

 

Curious ? What is your budget ?

...

 

in all honesty, this would have been mostly a barter + some $
The budget is minuscule: so I’m thinking of establishing a covenant with myself and my poor wife, who has seen 2 C3’s come & go in 3 years.. (1st one I should never have bought, 2nd was damaged in the garage fire)

To not look for one until I have a certain amount in the bank.
I have a big problem with waiting..
and at 57, it feels like the clock is ticking faster every year: I really didn’t want to be grey haired and in my 60’s before I drove my 1st Corvette.. but no one ever said life goes ths way you want it to..
If I had started saving in earnest 10 years ago, I’d probably be driving a real nice car by now..
ok, enough rambling
~R

 

Here is one in Ohio. It is a real fixer-upper but it is cheap. I seem to recall seeing another video posted by the seller that showed the frame being solid. I have no affiliation with the seller.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EGzmsmRpT/

Here is the writeup from the ad:
If any of my friends are looking for a budget hot rod to play with, give a shout. This is a solid foundation for a serious ride. It has 3:70 posi gears in it and a turbo 400 already. Any decent motor is gonna make this a very fun toy, and I have a few motor possibilities for you. I bought it from an estate and I really don't have the time to play with it. 2k Lorain County ohio 440.935.1174

 

That looks to be a super platform for someone..
That someone however, is not me, but I GREATLY appreciate you sending it nonetheless.

See, I had a 74' that I foolishly bought sight UNSEEN a few yrs ago... I went back & forth with the seller a lot, & felt I knew what I was getting....
And although it WAS solid enough...no frame rot etc, it simply needed more than I had time for, with my life stuff...And so I sold it, of course, at a loss...
And told myself I wouldn't go for another project tof that magnitude..
I can turn a wrench ok, but I am also on the spectrum, and part of that is being very 'wait-adverse'...and I'm likely to sell at a loss, rather than work on a car for 10 years before I can drive it.
It's better to at least know your limits, than make the mistake again...
SO.....

So, I have come up with a new plan to help me stick to my guns & wait till I can actually aquire somethign that has a better chance of being driven right off...
It's got $213.00 in it so far...

 

Unless your just kidding around ..................Yikes, you have a long, long way to go. That $200 should get you just about the first 2 tanks of gas to burn ....................Either way give us an approximate budget so we can assist in sourcing something that might work within your time frame, mechanical ability & wallet. Corvette ownership, restorations, & maintenance are not for the faint of heart, lack of patience, or small wallets to say the least.

...

 

so here’s the deal: I had some funds, which are now gone. This last Corvette the guy happened to ask me if I had any sporting items that could be done in trade, to which I said, “well yes I do”.He wanted my whole collection of these “sporting items“($3200 in value) plus $1000, and I was never going to do that even though I hadn’t fully looked at the car. So in other words when we’re talking budget, I’m starting from scratch with $213.In terms of mechanical ability, I’m your classic weekend warrior I guess. I haven’t done an engine swap, but I’ve done timing chains/wayer pump, basically external engine parts: messed with carburetors, some body work, including fiberglass, I do not have a welder nor have I ever welded.. though my son welds some, and I do hope they have a machine on hand at some point because they just come in so handy for stuff.I’m definitely not afraid to dive into something, especially with YouTube these days, it’s almost like anybody with half a brain can do some incolved mechanics.But, with my experience with the 74 that I had, I realized that I was not willing to wait the years it would’ve taken to be able to afford the parts that that car needed, to be even decent.So, the way I figure it, I’m gonna have to save up $5000 as a starting point.I’ve got some connected friends in the auto world up here, so I can certainly have folks on the lookout when the time comes.Funny thing is, long story short I have a number of parts in my basement from the 75 that burned up in the garage that the guy wasn’t interested in who bought it from meI have a rear bumper, headlights , T tops and other bits that actually I hope I’m not gonna have to need: it’s all for sale and I’m hoping it will end up in the kitty.:-)I hope that is helpful