Glass

[Guest]

Does anyone know when and in what car the first tempered glass was used in a US car? It was some time between 1930 and 1935. It has been suggested that it was a Hudson or Nash?

[6219_Rules]

Hi, Sig17, and welcome to the forum!!

I have found that generally commerically available safety glass can be traced back to 1932 with the Libby-Owns-Ford ad with Lefty Gomez pitching a hard ball into a windshield that was made with a new laminated glass. Here is the url address for the site on the history of Glass.

Auto Glass History Link

Another great site is the Automobile Glass Repair site. They mention the early 30's but focus more on the developments of the 40's on.

History of Auto Glass Repair

I hope that helps a little to answer your question.

[Guest]

Randall ~ I think what sig17 is asking about is TEMPERED safety glass in automobiles, not (laminated) safety glass which has been around a lot longer.

A quick review on safety glass:

Tempered safety glass is a single sheet of glass normally strengthened by a process of heating and rapid cooling. There are other ways of tempering glass but are not used in the automotive context.

Laminated safety glass: Two pieces of glass bonded together to resist shattering. Early bonding agent was a celuloid type product which was replaced after WW II by vinyl acetate. History of laminated glass-- I know that it was produced in 1912 by the Safetee Glass Company in Philadelphia. They claimed to have originated the product, although I do not believe they were ever suppliers to the automotive manufacturing industry. They were more involved as an aftermarket supplier of automotive safety glass and specialty laminated glasses such as bullet resisting glass. The company is no longer in business.

This is an interesting question for me as I was always under the impression that the earliest use of tempered glass in automobiles in the US was in the curved rear windows of GM [and possibly other makes] in the late 1930s. I do know that it was used earlier in Europe and I believe in Germany it bore the trade name Sekurit.

I have [somewhere in my stuff] books giving sizes and pattern #s for replacement glass for domestic cars dating back to 1930. When it was not a glass that could be cut to shape in a shop, but was a manufactured part such as tempered glass, no pattern # would be given but a reference was made to it being a "manufacturers part." For the record, tempered glass cannot be cut.

I will try to locate the old books and try to find some references to "manufacturer's parts" before the late '30s.

hvs

[Guest]

I Know that the first tempered glass used was in France in a Citreon in 1928.

I also know that tempered glass was extensively used in the US by Chrysler in 1935. The reason being PPG went on strike so Chrysler imported tempered glass for side windows from St. Gobain. Until that point almost all glass was laminated for use in side windows.

What I am trying to find is the first use of tempered glass in the US. It would not have come from a US manufacturer since LOF and PPG did not lisence the process from St. Gobain until after 1935.

Sig17

[Guest SalG (Sal Grenci)]

Howard, Thank you for all your knowledge in this field. Your having been in the business is a great addition to the site. Sal

[48LCCOUPE]

I now know more about glass than I ever dreamed of or wanted. thank you ever so much.

[6219_Rules]

Howard, I am thinking of writing an article on Glass in the automotive industry...a brief history and what it meant for modern cars...so your response was enlightening. Where else might I go to find good sources on this subject? You know...deadlines...deadlines and more deadlines. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

Randall ~ I will be offline until possibly as late as Monday. Rattle my cage on glass about then.

hvs

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

While it might not have been tempered or laminated, Stutz offered a "safety glass" in its closed cars around 1928-29 - the "safety" was due to the inclusion of fine wires running horizontally through the flat glass (not unlike the diagonal-wired safety glass that used to be in school windows)...the idea being that if the glass were broken, the wire would tether the pieces and prevent them from flying all over the place.

In the pre-safety glass days, many people died from injuries caused by flying shards of plate glass during accidents...

Chrysler did have the first use of curved glass in autos: the curved windshield in the Imperial Airflow CX in 1934.

A few "brain-droppings"....

[Guest]

Frank ~ The glass used in the Stutz was called safety glass and I believe a model of the car was called the safety sedan, or something like that, because of the glass among other things.

Curved glass in autos dates back much earlier that the '30s. Detroit Electric cars had curved glass, 4 pieces, back in the teens. It was just bent 1/4 plate glass, not safety of any kind. In the '60s I had a set made for a friend in the hobby. They were bent for me by my uncle who owned the Standard Bent Glass Co. in Butler, PA. I think the set cost something like $600. ~ hvs

[R W Burgess]

$600.00 in the 60's? <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Sounds like a pexaglass non-show car to me. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> W.