Mike Bartlett Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Is there a source for replacement windshield and rear glass for cars having curved glass? These would be 40's and 50's cars in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonLarson Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I'd suggest you know what kind of car you are looking for first . . . wouldn't that be easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Depending on what you are looking for Pilkington has some glass.They can be reached at 1 800 848-1351. I am sure there are more out there too.Curved glass is getting harder to find though especially for the cars that were low numbered in production. I have spent 4 years looking for a piece of glass for my back tailgate with no luck yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Mike~ As Don Larson said, what are you looking for? Your question is too braod for me to give you any real leads. I know of sources for many W/S and some backlites, but first I need to know year, make and model, then I can give you the exact NAGS part number you are looking for. I am NOT selling anything, just an old glass man trying to help out. "No salesmen will call" Bill~ I know what you are looking for and I seriously doubt that a new one will ever turn up. If one does, look for a star in the East. hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bartlett Posted December 30, 2003 Author Share Posted December 30, 2003 Thanks for your reply Howard,the question was a generic one.I am just curious if there is a glass maker re-poping older 30's and 40's glass in curved configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Never give up! Recently found a nos windshield for a '53 Buick Skylark. Took quite a bit of looking and $1200 but finally tracked 1 down. Waiting right now on a '58 Caddy windshield. Had a new one but the installer broke it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Being a Pre 1940 car guy I've never given curved glass much thought before this thread started. I can't remember seeing cruved glass in a flea market, finding a place to store it must be a problem as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Mike ~ Yes, some of the more popular curved windshields have been and probably still are being reproduced in South America. I have seen some of the very popular stuff like Chev and GMC Truck windshields, that remained unchanged for many years, reproduced. Also I think early T-Bird and some Chev, like '57, have been reproduced. As for tempered backlites, I do not recall ever hearing of them being reproduced. I think there are still a fair number of them out there, because it is an item that rarely got broken in normal usage. Sorry Bill, none for your wagon. hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Bob ~ You must have missed my spaces in the old Blue Field about 25 years ago.I had bought a truckload of windshields and backlites from a DC dealer who was going out of business, and sold them at Hershey and through Hemmings for at least 6-8 years. Curved W/S went for between $150 & $200. Backlites, $35 - $100 Then in 1990 when I left Baltimore I sold what I had left to Bernie Kiefer in Delaware. He probably still has some of the more oddball stuff like bathtub Nash windshields and a bunch of tempered back glasses. There was even a WWW22 windshield for the prewar Chrysler Imperials in the mix.You are right about storage being a problem. Fortunately, I had a second floor area at my business that had been unused since before WW II, and I loaded that up with the curved stuff.Now selling in the flea market was a whole different experience. What I did was to take a sample windshield and a sample backlite along with a big sign and set up in the flea market. I had my inventory list and all the books needed to identify what car used what glass. I took orders and deposits and the next week shipped everything from my business. That was back in the good old days when shipping didn't cost more than the windshields. It was fun while it lasted and helped pay for the stuff I bought in the flea market. hvs PS: I saw someone at Hershey about 6-7 years ago selling the repro. GM truck windshields, and the prices seemed very reasonable, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Howard, How does one pack a curved glass windshield or back glass for shipping? I know the first rule is NOT to use U'r Package Smashed as the shippig company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy Berger Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Howard, I had a friend who worked for PPG and he located a backlite (tinted) for my 56 Packard. Found it at LOF in Columbus, Ohio - cost $400.00 and I was glad to get it. At one time before striking workers closed the plant, the PPG plant in Greensurg, Pa had the "irons?" to make most of the backlites or windshields - don't know what they did with the "irons" when plant closed. I could have gotten new windshield for about $200.00 - yes I kick myself.YFAM, Randy Berger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_MikeWilliamsUK Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Don't know what the law demands in the USA, but in the UK my 1966 Jensen one-off prototype had perspex in the side quarter 'glass' and the rear screen from new - 'plexiglass'. I had new ones made by making an alloy former (done by my panel-beating professional) and a plastic place locally made the window quite cheaply. As I say, am not sure whether this would be legal for a front screen in the USA.Secondly, Pilkington in the UK have a database of glass sizes for everything they have ever made. They need to know some basic measurements like height, width and curvature, which they check to this and it may be that a screen from another vehicle can be cut down to fit. Its worth a call to an auto glass maker in the USA to ask. In the UK they will even measure your screen for you to find this information, assuming you have one!Finally, a newer company in the UK - Autoglass - offered to make a new laminated front screen for the Jensen (mine has a chip which has been there since 1968!) and estimated about GBP3,000. They'd make two for that price - one a spare. I decided to put up with the chip, but its an option if all else fails. Hope this helps.Mike Williams(UK) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stude8 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Contact Vic Phillips (573-785-1927) classicglass@semo.net, he is located in Poplar Bluff, MO now and specializes in Studebaker glass as well as other makes 1940's thru 1960's. A nice guy to deal with. Stude8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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