The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2

General Category => Totally Off-Topic Discussions, Rants, Tire & Oil Threads, Etc. => Topic started by: Dizerens5 on October 07, 2011, 01:04:04 PM

Title: Car glass
Post by: Dizerens5 on October 07, 2011, 01:04:04 PM
To get away from motorcycles a little.....classic cars can be lovely and unlike our 2-wheel jobs, they are very costly to keep on the road. That I believe is mostly because of rust. Mechanical and electrical parts can be found or, many classic car owners being not exactly short of cash, can be made singly (if you can find a company willing to do it). Tyres in unusual sizes may not be available off the shelf, but wait a little and some maker will produce a batch. But what if a stone hits the windscreen (windshield) and a spare is no longer available? I can't imagine our big glass companies making just one. And even a small crack in the screen would make a car fail its MOT (annual roadworthiness test). Would that make my million $ Bugatti classic just so much unusable (and ugly) scrap metal? Does anyone know?
Title: Re: Car glass
Post by: Barry on October 07, 2011, 01:23:58 PM
I'm sure someone can do a custom windscreen at a price which wouldn't be a problem for a Bugatti.

Might be more painful for a man with something ordinary.

Title: Re: Car glass
Post by: DeeG on October 08, 2011, 10:36:49 AM
Spouse has been doing auto glass for ~25 years.  There are one or two companies out there that will custom fabricate glass (tempered or laminated) for ya, but you best have a large wallet, 'cause it's gonna be $$$$$$$.



 

Title: Re: Car glass
Post by: Ed Miller on October 14, 2011, 02:22:05 PM
Depends on the rig.  Replacement glass and metal body parts are readily available for my '58 Chevy half ton pickup, though not bed sides for a Fleetside like mine.

Title: Re: Car glass
Post by: nhmaf on October 14, 2011, 02:30:25 PM
I wonder if it would actually be financially feasible to make custom auto glass parts out of a modern acrylic or polycarbonate material - some of these are pretty hard/scratch resistant and don't require the furnace temperatures of glass processing
Title: Re: Car glass
Post by: Dizerens5 on October 15, 2011, 03:08:26 AM
I would imagine that forming the actual screen is only part of the job. Male and female formers or moulds would have to be made from the car itself, no drawings or patterns available presumably. And most probably no old screen to work from, if it has shattered into tiny pieces (as they do).