Pro tip: check the frame rails before you get excited about the paint

Went to look at a 1968 Camaro listed at $19,500 down in Modesto last month. Paint looked great in the photos and even better in person, but I got under it with a flashlight and found the front frame rail was patched with a plate and covered in undercoat. Seller swore he didn't know, which I stopped buying once I saw fresh seam sealer around the patch. Pulled the valve covers and the block stamp didn't match the trim tag either. How many of you walk from a deal the second you see a patched rail, or is that something you can live with on a driver?

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james_torres13d ago

A patched rail with fresh seam sealer would end it for me right there, and the stamp being off just seals it. Funny enough, my uncle bought a '69 once with a "rust free" claim, so we jacked it up in the driveway and the rail folded like a taco. Bad metal hides under good paint way more often than people want to believe.

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