Hi
I am new, first post. I have 1974 Vette T-Top. I am in the process of removing the paint for a new paint job. I am doing it the old fashioned way, Razor blades, sandpaper and muscle. Nuts I know.
I have found rust stains in the door jambs just below the windshield posts. Everything seems solid but I am wondering If this is a big issue. I have not found any rust YET. I don't plan a full blown restoration I just want a decent looking Vette but I also don't want it to self destruct when I leave it to my Grandkids. (I'm a little old)
Her is a picture of the rust stain. Left front pilar

Here is the car and paint removal process so far. This took about 3 hours. paint only tho. I know I still need to sand off the primer Once I remove the paint. It seems like there are two coats primer. redish brown top coat and gray beneath that. Should I remove both layers of primer.
I will also be installing the original 1974 rear bumper.

BillinNashville2010-07-15 15:54:51

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

I have a white 74 as well and I have the same marks in mine also. Was wondering the same thing so I will be anxious to see what replies you get. Let me know how your paint stripping goes. I may have that job in  the near future!
Rodney


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Have you pulled any of the window (windshield) mouldings off yet? I sure hope that's not tell tale signs of the birdcage rotting away.......

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LIFETIME MEMBER 151

Rodney
From what I am reading this seems to be a common problem. This car is from Michigan and I don't know if it was Garaged before I got it in 2004. I have always had it Garaged and never drove it in rain or snow but who knows how it was treated before I got it.

Ebo
I hope not too. I am not up for a full blown restoration on this Vette. Just can't justify the expense right now. But I will pull the moldings and see what is under there. I checked the rocker channels and from what I can see there is no rust there so I am hoping this is only the beginning of it. If so I can stop it before it gets worse.
BillinNashville2010-07-03 21:29:16

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

I'd suggest carefully removing the interior windshield trim - header and pillar post(s).

Thanks Kevin
I plan to pull the trim tomorrow and see what's under there. Mine's a driver to but I want to look good when I drive it :)
BillinNashville2010-07-04 18:27:47

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

Bill, do like Kevin says......he knows "Stuff".

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LIFETIME MEMBER 151

From the pictures, it looks like the original paint cracked, and rust formed beneath it rather than rust flowing down from above.  If so, it is a minor problem.  Just clean all the paint off and treat it with POR 15 or equivalent.

Larry

So far it looks like those rust stains are localized. I removed the cracked paint and only found surface rust on the metal but there is some small pitting there. I will grind it down to clean metal. There appears to have been some filler added there but they didn't do a very good job of it. Not contoured nice at all. You can see that in the picture above. I will rework that so it looks better. At the very top just below the chrome cover there is no rust.

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

There would be a filler of sorts in that area, since there are a couple of panels welded together there...so you're not really looking at some kind of "Bubba" repair.
Pull the kick-panels off and have a look behind them. Water will pool up in that area, and rust big-time. If there isn't any major rust in the kick-panel area, then what you see in that first pic is basically surface rust, prolly just as Larry said, from cracked paint, and water getting under it onto bare metal.
Hope that's all it is, anyway!


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Joel
I am looking at the color of your 74. Medium Red Metalic. Since I am not going to paint my vette with the original Silver Mist I am free to go with any color.
I've narrowed it to Blue or red. I don't care for the Bright reds like your 1985 I prefer the darker reds.

Can you be more specific on the color. Paint brand, Base coats, etc. I really don't think I am going to try painting my Corvette myself but I'd like to be specific when I get to the paint stage.


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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

Ok
now for bad news. Well sorta I think. I have the kick panels off and as everyone has suggested I found rust. It is at the bottom around the mount. I don't know how severe it is. I can't poke a screwdriver through it but there is a fair amount of loose crusty rust in there. I will scrape as much loose as I can and vacuum out the loose stuff.
Now the question. How does the water get in there. What do I have to do to stop it from getting worse. If I never plan to remove the body from the frame can I just fill it with fiberglass or bondo? Looks like POR-15 will be the solution.

Any ideas?

Here is what I found. I scraped all the loose rust away and this is how it looks. It isn't rusted through but there is rust there. One small hole. but the rest is pretty solid. Also I think that is the vent door to the right. It won't open. It looks like it has been glued shut.

BillinNashville2010-07-15 15:58:37

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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

A/C cars will NOT have a vent door on the driver side, so no worries there.
That appears to be a fair amount of rust, but....mine had about the same amount in that area, too. Cleaned it up and coated it, and I quit worrying about it. Nothing I can do anyway.
The water gets in there from the fresh air system(look at the ends of the area where the wipers are, under the hood, and you'll see the wire-mesh grills to keep stuff out). If the drains in the bottom of the cowls are stopped up, and they usually are, water will pool up down in the kick panel area. Water leaking past the windshield seal will also run down there, and also rust the windshield header out.

I can't give you any specifics on the paint on my '74, other than it is a base/clear, code 74L. I think it is a PPG paint, but it's been so long ago I just can't remember.
I can remember this..."ALL Corvettes are RED...the rest are mistakes!"


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Mine looked very similar too, agree - clean it up and treat it as best you can, not much room to work in there - and move on. It should last for a long time. If it's like mine, it  generally only gets wet when I wash it and I can't remember the last I washed it, other than the tires. Willis762010-07-14 11:01:48

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I can remember this..."ALL Corvettes are RED...the rest are mistakes!"

Ha. Good one. I'll remember that.
I haven't looked under the windshield yet. That will come later. I will be replacing the windshield anyway. It has some really bad wiper scrapes in it. and it's pitted. Glares pretty bad.
I wonder who the engineer was who decided on the placement of the fuse block. I can barely get to it. The wiring in there doesn't look too cobbled up so unless something isn't working I think I will leave it alone. But there are screws missing and things that are not attached under there and some knobs that I have no idea what they do. Guess I better look in the book.
I will decide the color when I get ready for paint and that's a ways off yet.

Thanks for the advice on the rust. I found a little more rust on the back side of the plate the rocker panel attaches to but it isn't too severe. I will coat that as well.
I ordered the rust coating stuff.



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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

______________
It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg

[QUOTE=BillinNashville] [/QUOTE]

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I did the reading. Yes, I will wait on that. It can be done anytime and I don't think removing the bolt will do any good at all.
I suppose there is no way to repair that rusted section. Maybe with a frame off job but that isn't going to happen.
Thanks


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It has been over a year since I started. I had to quit the project so the car just sat in the garage. I was able to get started again in May 2012. As of July 27 2012 I have done the fiberglass repairs and applied Slick Sand High Build Primer.




https://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/14401_14500/14470/Doors-off-(Copy)201261111476r.jpg