Rusty 72 pillars

[Brent Bourne]

My question, how big a deal are rusty wndshld pillars on my 72? Bought it about a year ago for $6500, lots of driveline (non orig. motor but very detailed), suspension, and interior work done, good body and great black paint. I'm not a vette pro, wasn't too concerned with the pillars at the time. Also, passenger side t-roof doesn't seem to line up right, squeeks alot. Did I make a big mistake buying the car? Can it/should it be fixed if it's just a driver? Frame, etc. are rust free, car drives great, doesn't look like it was ever in an accident. Thanks, appreciate any and all advice. Brent

[George Daina]

The choice is yours to make.....

if you're handy with tools, especially r & r the windshield, using a cut off saw and a mig welder. The job is simple if you answer yes to the above question, expensive if the answer is no, but either way, the job is a simple one, cut out the cancer, and weld in new pillars. Now, if the rot has affected part of the structure.....then it gets involved, even for the experienced shade tree mechanic.


Should you do it? Yes, to contain any further spread of the cancer, if the remaining structure is sound, if not, then you will have to ask yourself, how much do I like my car, and how deep are my pockets.

[Joe L.]

Re: The choice is yours to make.....

Brent----


This is a common problem with 63-82 Corvettes. Like George says, the only cure is to remove the rotted sections and weld in new material. If the entire pillar posts are rotted, the job becomes much more complex and expensive. Also, the parts to make the repair are long-since GM-discontinued. CSC Reproductions of Rocky River, Ohio currently reproduces the top header frame section and the two upper corner pieces. They are in the process of reproducing the pillar posts(which include the side windshield frame)and, I believe, a complete windshield frame assembly which was never available from GM in this form. Currently, they are working only on 68-82 models(due to the size of the market), but, I also understand that, in the next few years they will be producing similar parts for the 63-67 model years.


Interestingly, just last week I purchased an NOS set of pillar posts, header bar, and corner pieces for my collection. It was quite expensive, though.

[dennis trayes]

Re: The choice is yours to make.....

My '68 has rot on both sides too. It's been that way since i bought it in '82. I was always told don't bother with it unless you need a windshield. Don't know if that was the right decision. but i have left it alone

[Michael W.]

Re: Rusty 72 pillars

Brent,


If the rust is not too bad, ie.not causing structural problems, you may want to just live with it. I'm not sure your ill fitting t-top is an indicator of that.


HOWEVER, you should at least make sure that the rust doesn't get worse, particularly if the car ever goes out in the rain. The most common cause is bad sealing around the sides of the windshield. Remove the exterior SS mouldings and have a look.


Mike

[George Daina]

Been there, saw their stuff....

place is in my back yard, good quality products, also, another source is any vette bone yard. If ya need some phone #'s, give a shout and I'll publish them. Also Gary Gruhala (sp) on our board has a bone yard.

[Juliet P.]

Re: Rusty 72 pillars

Brent, You have discovered a common problem as many others have already said. You really need to assess the extent of the rust and determine whether it's just in the upper pillars, or if it's traveled down into the birdcage. You definately should remove the stainless trim and check for extent of damage, you can also remove the interior trim. There are also access panels under the dash which you can peer through to see parts of the birdcage from. I have a convertible so I'm not sure what all comes off on coupes. But if it's at all like mine, a screwdriver and an hour is all you need... just don't forget to stop disassembling!


My understanding of the cause is that as the body moves and flexes the adhesive behind the windshield is supposed to take out some of the relative motion, protcting the windshield. The older black gooey stuff behind the glass sometimes broke away from the frame instead of just flexing. If the car has an original windshield it's been my observation that it's more likely for w/s rust as opposed to the car whose adhesive didn't break free and instead cracked the original glass in the flexing process (and has since been replaced with non-original glass). When the black stuff (not sure what it's called) separates from the frame, it allows water to get behind the glass and it runs down the windshield post and into the birdcage. Very little of it is visible to the casual viewer, even if you know where to look it's difficult to assess damage without disassembly... and when shopping for a vette it's kinda tough to do that. You can however peer upwards in the area below the door hinges (if the car's on a lift it's somewhat easier) and view some of the birdcage. A very bright flashlight and serious studying of the area around the VIN tag is one of the few areas you can check without disassembly.


At minimum you should pull all the trim off which is removable and actually look at it. Only then can you answer your original question. ~Juliet