Hello all. I need some help. Tomorrow, I'm going to look at a '66 LeMans. It's a 3 sp m/t, 400 cu. in. motor, and it runs. The owner says it needs an exhaust, choke plate and body work. I need to know what are the areas should I concentrate on when it comes to looking for rust? Also what kind of things to stay away from.

Hello all. I need some help. Tomorrow, I'm going to look at a '66 LeMans. It's a 3 sp m/t, 400 cu. in. motor, and it runs. The owner says it needs an exhaust, choke plate and body work. I need to know what are the areas should I concentrate on when it comes to looking for rust? Also what kind of things to stay away from.

Rod, Look at the front fenders. About 3" in front of the doors is a support that runs down the inside of the fender. These will rust out from the inside. Check the rear quarters. Anywhere that snow and salt could have accummulated. Check the trunk floor. 66's had a habit of leaking and rusting out the trunk.

Bud is correct , also you want to check the frame . The torque boxes front and rear tend to rot from the inside out . The rear crossmember above the rear axle is an area you want to check for cracks . Good luck .

Thanks for all the tips guys. I have new a question. What's are torque boxes? I'd assume they are located near the trans and rear.

I think I'll be taking some pictures. That should help catch things that I may not notice. Again thanks for all your help.

Look at the frame in the aera of your rocker panels . Where the rocker panel panel ends front and rear , the frame will bend inward to the center of the car . At the bends is the torque box . There is 4 on a frame .

Check the area where the metal dash meets the front windshield. You should check this from above and below! Take a long hard look in the trunk under the rear glass area. I failed to check these areas closely and got a very unpleasant suprise!

Good Luck!

Better take a magnet with you for the body panels. If a decent prep man covered up a big bondo job you wouldn't see with faded paint or primer. Stick a magnet (even a refrigerator magnet will do) on the body all around the car. The bad stuff is blisters, bubbles and holes, but they don't always show from the surface. That's where I start thumping panels.

Ditto to all the places everyone mentioned, especially around the window frames. I always figure if the car has rust up high, chances are reeeeeal good that there's rust down below.