I need to know what areas on a 1979 Pontiac Firebird Formula are the most fatal and susceptable to rust. I'm looking at one right now, and, its nice (Cause it needs work) but, its a bit rusty in some areas (But nothing I can't fix so far). But what I need to know, is, where should I be looking for the most serious, car totalling rust? Like I said in the Topic, I know its kinda O/T, but, I figured that since there are alot of you that post here that own 2nd Gens, I could at least get a brief Idea.

BTW, went to the Indy Car Homestead race today, my first ever race of any sort. Freaking incredible, but what was even cooler was at the end, the Rolex 24hrs cars came out, and amidst the McLarens, Ferraris, Lamborginis, Porschese, Corvettes, and other incredible driving machines, I noticed 2 very familiar cars. At the back of the pack were two 4th Gen Camaros.... Not that I'm one that would want to own a 4th Gen or anything, but, there still part of the Camaro Legacy, so, I just kinda swelled up with pride seeing them out there with all these multi-million dollar vehicles. Almost wanted to cry .

Well, any help would be appreciated guys!!

Thanks in advance

Adam

 

GoldenSword,
Well I restored a 2nd gen that was in pretty poor condition when I got it. There are a few places that you need to check very carefully:
1. The bottom of the front fenders, behind the wheels towards the door. There is a piece at the bottom with a piece of sheet metal on the inside - and that is a spot prone to collecting sand/water etc. that will eventually start rusting.
This is not cruical though, as the fenders can easily be replaced.


2. The rear quarters, along the bottom and about 3-4 inches up from right behind the wheel and back to the bumper. Same thing here. It is prone to collect moisture and eventually rust out.
This is also a decent place to fix up if you're good with the welder.

3. The doors - all around underneat the door seal. The original door seals were made of a material that would hold water, and therefore rust under them is a problem. If this is rusted out - another door is your best bet.

4. The floorboards, especially if the car has T-tops that may have leaked over the years.

5. The B-pillars. At the upper rear corner of the door openings and in a straight line to the upper rear window corners. The roof is welded there and if the car has been abused, they sometimes flex there, cracking the paint. If this is the case, I'd recommend looking for another car, because this is very difficult to get fixed in a good long term way. All the other problems can be fixed fairly easy - but this one is tricky.

6. The trunk. I have seen some nasty rust in the trunk of these cars. Mine was healthy - but they are known to rust, especially right inside the center of the rear panel, where the little bump for the filler neck is.


Those are the things I can think of that you should check out on a second gen.

Hope that helps,


Ken

 

Underneath the rear bumper cover. It's the piece of metal that the actual bumper is connected to. Not just a 2nd gen problem, but also common to thirdgen cars.

 

Also check around the rear window ,rear frame rails(if severe, forget it),around the tail lights and trunk lid.

 

my buddy has a 71, and the rear quarters are shot, we were discussing this morning how much its gonna cost to get them fixed, correctly.