Hey guys, I was looking at a 67 camaro and the guy told me that it has some sheet metal done to it. It was around the driver floor pan and trunk panel. Is it bad that it had to be replaced? I am looking at a car with all original sheet metal, but this car is priced pretty good and was wondering if that lowers the value of the car. Thanks Tony

 

were the pans replaced or was metal just welded in?

 

Most of the first gens have rust issues in several areas. Typically they start at the rear quarters, rear window and trunk areas, but can migrate to the floor pan as well. Replacing these areas with NOS or reproduction parts is pretty common, however it still needs to be done correctly. You can't just have patch panels (or even full panels) welded in, they need to be trimed and fitted accordingly. I've seen many hack jobs that guys have tried to do themselves only to come to find out they messed up and now they're trying to off load their problems to someone else by saying the panels were replaced. If you know the work was down by a reputable shop, I'd say you were probably safe. However if you don't know, I'd rather start with a car with original panels and some rust and have the panels replaced by someone who knows what they are doing.

However if the car is real cheap... then you might want to risk it.

If you're not in a hurry I'd say keep searching. I found my blue 67 a year ago. It had sat in storage for 20+ years and is the straightest rust-free original sheet metal 1st gen I have ever seen. Of course its no longer completely original.