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Model A Window Glass


Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)

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Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)

Will 1/4" safety glass from the local glass company fit the window channels and winshield frame of a Model A Ford? Sure is a lot cheaper!

Also, what does AS1 rating mean?

Thanks,

Hal

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Not to be too contentious this morning, BUT other than Randall's response none of the rest of them make much sense.

What legality are you talking about? All windshields must be made of safety glass. There is no such thing as "polished" safety glass any more. It is all made by the float process. Polished plate glass as a component of laminated safety glass went out of existance more than 20 years ago. What reduces glare, the logo or the polish? Neither do. The polish or float process eliminates distortion, not glare.

Etch markings are rarely required on antique car glass and that includes windshields. What states inspect antique vehicles? If it is new enough to have a curved windshield, then there WILL be a logo on any curved glass made for automotive use. Before safety glass there was no etching on automotive glass, and no state requires that you remove non safety glass and replace it with safety. Of course, you are a damned fool if you don't.

What is meant by "the real thing?" Back in the '20s and '30s the "real thing" was plain plate glass with NO safety component. Model As had plain plate glass in the side windows with safety glass only in the windshield. So what is the "real thing?" The real thing should be laminated safety glass and that is what Hal is talking about.

Now to answer Hal's question. Glass sold in glass shops is NOMINAL 1/4' but it is unlikely to be a full 1/4. It is most likely 15/64 thick. My recomendation is to mic the glass now in the frame and compare it to what the shop has. If they are the same you are OK. If theirs is thinner you can use thicker packing to make up the difference. If it is thicker, then you are going to have to ask for a sample and see if it will work. If necessary, E-mail me for further thoughts on the subject.

hvs

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Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)

Thanks to all. I went ahead and got laminated safety glass for the windshield as well as the four door windows. I installed the windshield glass yesterday with no problem. I have window channels on order for the door glass. I'll see soon enough how it fits. As for the thickness of the old glass, it varied greatly from one window to the next. I think I will be in good shape, though.

Someone had messed with the glass in this car sometime earlier. As Howard correctly states, Model A's had safety glass in the windshield and plate glass everywhere else. When I removed the glass from the car, I found that the rear and quarter windows all had laminated safety glass which was all in good condition. All four door glasses either had cracks or were total busted. They were a mixture of plate and safety glass. I guess that over the years as a window was broken it was replaced with safety glass, but they never got around to all of them. The real surprise was the windshield. It had no cracks, but the frame was shot. I found another frame, but had not tried to remove the glass from the old frame until one day last week. When I got it out, I found that it was plate glass! I suppose that it could be tempered glass, but it sure isn't laminated. The kid at the glass place told me he could tell by the sound it makes when tapping on it. He said it was indeed plate glass. Either way, I wanted laminated safety glass in there, so I had them cut me a new one.

Now for the price. I called around and got the best price. I was amazed at the differences in price. I was quoted everywhere from $40 to $89 for the windshield. One from a parts supplier is $104. $15 extra for etching. Lord only knows what shipping would have been. As it turns out, the best price was also at the most convenient location. A windshield and all four door glasses were a grand total of $128.50. I think I will be glad I took this route.

Thanks again,

Hal

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Sorry if anyone was offended by my comments on safety glass, but I worked in a large glass shop for 4 years, more than 20 years ago, cutting and installing laminated and other safety glass and the foreman always refused to install ordinary safety glass in any flat windshield frames brought in, saying it was unlawful because of glare; polished glass was the only legal stuff. Side or rear windows, no problem.

Perhaps the law has changed, but if so I'm unaware of it. My response made sense to me because of my experience.

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RV ~ No offense meant or taken. I owned and operated a glass distribution business in Baltimore for 32 years up until 1991, and base my input here on that experience.

It is your former foreman who was giving inaccurate information. What he meant to convey back 20 years ago was that windshields by law had to be made of Polished Plate laminated glass or Float laminated glass. That glass would have been marked AS-1. All other glass could have been laminated Sheet glass which would have been marked AS-2.

The difference between Plate and Sheet glass is that Plate glass is made from glass that has been mechanically ground and polished so that the sides are true and parallel. Float has the same characteristics but achieved in a different manner from mechanical polishing. As a result of these true and parallel surfaces you get a glass that has NO distortion. Glare is not a factor as glare will be present or absent in any clear glass depending on light conditions.

Sheet glass on the other hand was made from Drawn Sheet glass. In the drawing process distortion is created in the glass as it is "drawn" from the machine. Whether it is a single piece or two pieces laminated together, there will be distortion. Therefore since laminated glass made from Sheet glass will have a distortion it is not acceptable for use in windshields. It will be marked AS-2. However, in the old days when only flat laminated glass was used in cars, many second rate glass shops installed Sheet glass in windshields.

Sheet glass disappeared from the scene in this country about 20 odd years ago and today all glass as we deal with it is made by the float process. A piece of laminated Float glass is superior to anything made back 50 years ago. There can't be any polishing flaws as the glass is "born" with the sides true and parallel.

My problem with the post was the GLARE factor. Glare is glare in either glass but distortion does not exist in Polished Plate [or Float] AS-1 laminated glass. I believe that the foreman had his terms confused and used the word glare to mean distortion.

Back in the '30s GM began to advertise that ALL of the safety glass in ALL of the windows of their vehicles was "Safety Plate Glass". It was made by LOF and really was superior distortion wise to what was used in other makes. However, even though it was Plate glass in the side windows it was still marked AS-2. I suppose that allowed them some leeway in the overall quality of the glass that was not allowable in windshields.

A final thought. If you buy laminated glass today from a reputable shop it will be float glass and that can be used anywhere. I doubt that anyone has any laminated Sheet glass left around anymore. Remember AS-1 and AS-2 dealt primarily with distortion.

Hal, if you put modern Float laminated all around, you are OK, and I can't imagine you got anything else.

hvs

PS: In years gone by and probably even today the law did/does not require retrofitting of safety glass. If it is plain plate glass it can remain that way, but if it is replaced it must be safety glass. The same applies to shower doors, you don't have to retro with safety glass [normally tempered] but if it breaks you must replace with tempered or a product that meets ANZI standards.

Having said that, anyone who drives an old car still equipped with plate glass to save a buck is a damned idiot.

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Howard, that was a great indepth response. "Wild Bill" as he was known did know his glass but wasn't highly articulate. Very likely that he did confuse the terms, especially since "glare" is monosyllabic and easier to handle for him. I left that shop nearly 20 years ago and he was still refusing to install any of our glass in windshields. It was usually the Jeep CJ frames that were being brought in. At that time I was restoring a '27 T and old Bill wouldn't make any exceptions even for me! You helped bring back some good memories. Bill is gone now but he sure taught me a great deal in the years that I worked with him. The shop also sold auto body paint and he was the color man who learned his craft back in the '30s. He would hand mix the colors, adding all components like base, tint, reducer ("thinner" he called it then) using the old sliding tab and bubble machine that had to date from the '30s at the latest. Those were the days......

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  • 15 years later...

Yep - alternatively, you can order the proper glass from Vintage Glass in CT (google them) - he has all the Model A patterns, and is very reasonable - as in not much more than taking your glass or dimensions to a local shop.  Model A glass is easy peasy...

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