jamiecantar

Being a new c3 corvette owner, can these corvette frames rust from just sitting long periods of time in a concrete garage? especially people who live in humid zones and snow belt zones? wondering if anyone has had or experienced this...thanks

KenSny

Of course metal can rust.
Not a much as if you drive it salty snow, but steel, iron, etc, will begin to rust just becuase there's moisture in the air.
Try not to make yourself sick worrying about it.
All cars have the problem.

L-46man

Jamie....What you really are concerned with is condensation cycles. Humidity in the air will condense on ANYTHING that is cooler than the air itself.

Keep the garage warm.
Keep the garage as dry as possible.

Use a leaf blower to dry the car, before you put it in the garages.

Entropy waits for no-one.....don't fret too much.

Unkahal

Corey_68

Absolutely, yes.

SEVNT6

You mean like the horror picture shows of C3 frames around here? Of course not.
I bought my '76 new & it's had a garage from day one.
It's spent the last 44 Nebraska winters sitting there & I've never had an issue with even surface rust.
Like L-46man said just keep it dry & as warm as you can.
But if you can't keep it warm in the winter like me, no big deal.........

KenSny

OP
And you probably don't know the car's history.
But most C3's were bought to be driven off hte showroom lot. Most buyers could not probably afford a "Good weather" car and a "Bad weather" car. They drove the Corvette like it was meant to be driven. So it may already be rusting. How bad? who knows? But rust will always happen, especially after 30-40 years, some you will never even see.

jpatrick62

Rust is a chemical reaction that can happen anywhere you have iron + water + oxygen combining to form hydrated iron(III) oxide. Don't sweat it too much, a concrete floor and a good roof will slow the process to a crawl. Use a rust sealing paint the has zinc additives so the electrons pulled from the chemical reaction are the sacrificial ones from the zinc instead of your steel frame.

jamiecantar

Thank you guys for all the replies.

grumman41

It will help if your garage slab has a quality moister barrier under it. I usually run a fan under mine during sudden temperature changes, I usually see moisture pop up on my floor during certain times of the year.

cheapta

I run a big dehumidifier in my garage all summer long. It makes it a lot more comfortable to work in there, as well. I can see moisture creep into the floor if I don't run the dehumidifier, the floor gets dark.
Good luck, Peter

bobby70

MY 1970 been in my garage for 20 years and no rust and I live in RI

Techno

First one is no they can't. Maybe its better to say no they won't rather than can't.

Second one is actually two unrelated questions. Snow belt no they won't rust. Humid zones I suppose this depends on what the humid zone is. It can get humid up here in Rochester NY but it didn't cause my car to rust sitting in the garage. Florida? I suppose it could. but I don't have experience for that question

Third question I suppose is I have NOT experienced this. This being my car rusted because it sat a very long time in the garage on a concrete floor.
My car did not rust sitting in the garage.

Now please don't bash me for saying no the car won't rust. This statement is in answer to his question not if steel rusts. My experience is no it won't rust sitting in a garage for long periods.

mskc3

Rust Never Sleeps....

This type of stuff can help ....

https://www.fluid-film.com/

AllC34Me

I purchased a "Always Garaged" and re-painted 1974 convertible. The frame was in pretty good shape but the #4 body mounts on my body were toast. By toast I mean rotten. How did that happen? Almost 50 years of unknown history and I should have asked myself why shouldn't it have happened. The car is 46 years old and I have owned it for a year, so 45 years of history means I really don't know if it was garage kept prior to me.
As a new owner maybe you can have a fellow Corvette owner friend help you look the car over up on a lift and see if you find anything you might want to address rather than throw a blanket over the car and say good enough.

Never under estimate the value of a good inspection to help you keep from future troubles.

Those are my thoughts.

AllVettes4Me

Haggisbash

I live within sight of the ocean but up on a hill high enough to dodge the salt spray but it is comparatively humid despite the lowish temperatures. I find bare steel will rust here Quite quickly so keep a dehumidifier blowing under the car, since Ive been doing this no rust showing anywhere.

resdoggie

If you have a heated garage that can keep the temperatures in the garage above 0*C during winter, then don't worry yourself about rust. Been doing this for mine for over 30 years in Atlantic Canada. If the garage is unheated, as long as there is some kind of air ventilation, again, you should be ok.

PJO

One good way to help if garage is unheated put a layer of visqueen 6 to 8 mils thick on the concrete floor 2 to 3 feet beyond the cars sides. This will help prevent moisture from coming up through the concrete. In the spring when you move the poly the amount of moisture will amaze you.

KenSny

That could keep the moisture in the concrete and cause other problems to your floor.

ClothSeats

For cars that are stored for long periods in a garage that is unheated and subject to fluctuations in temperature and humidity, it seems like it would be effective to drive the car inside a large plastic bag, then add an adequate amount of desiccant, and seal the bag. It would keep mice out too. I wonder if anyone supplies such a thing.

vettebuyer6369

Agree with this. Be more concerned with not buying a car with rotted kickups and windshield frame due to the previous 50 years of history that likely includes driving in the snow and other misuse you’ll never know about. This will always be far more significant than the years you own and pamper it and not drive it in the winter and tuck it away inside every night.

Ive had 17 Corvettes and I’ve not had one instance where one of my cars “rusted” in my care.