More on rear windshields

[rjohnston79]

Ok, I have an idea. As you all know from my repetitive complaining, I am trying to find a rear windshield for my '63 HT. I've located a perfect '62 glass just a few miles from my home. From pictures, I can tell that the '62 glass wraps further around at the ends than the '63. Does anyone know if the other dimensions are the same? If so I can have a glass shop cut it down to fit. Opinions?

[8E45E]

If so I can have a glass shop cut it down to fit. Opinions?

The rear window would be tempered glass, and it would be impossible to 'cut it down to size' without it shattering. You will have to locate one from a '63 to fit.

Craig

[41 Frank]

If it is tempered glass like most rear windows it cannot be trimmed down. Only laminated (safety) glass can be trimmed.

[mbstude]

I wish you were closer. I think I've mentioned if before but I have a nice rear glass that would be extremely cheap.

[rjohnston79]

Hmmmm... how do rodders do the glass for their chopped tops?

[Alan]

Most rodder stuff is Lexan. And here in Calif. you cannot drive it on the street, show only.

[Pat Dilling]

A good glass man can either grind the edge or cut automotive glass. There is risk involved, the guy who ground the windshield on my son-in-laws 53 Chevy broke two before he was done. Many will tell you they will only do it if they are absolved from the risk of breaking one. One of the ways top choppers deal with some windows is to remove the entire panel the glass is installed in, then graft the whole thing back in after the top is lowered. Another method is to lay the windshield back so it is actually the same size as before but at a different angle.

[bams50]

Hmmmm... how do rodders do the glass for their chopped tops?

Pat hit it on the head- with laminated glass. With rear windows (tempered) they either reuse the original size and just change the angle to fit the chop, or find one out of another car that fits what they're doing better; then use the frame and seal.

As mentioned, some can cut the laminated windows, but the tempered ones (side and rear from about 60 on) cannot be. Laminated is two sheets of glass with a sheet of plastic in between; tempered is glass with a surface tension. It's stronger, but shatters instead of cracking.

From Wikipedia:

Toughened (tempered) glass must be cut to size or pressed to shape before toughening and cannot be re-worked once toughened. Polishing the edges or drilling holes in the glass is carried out before the toughening process starts. Because of the balanced stresses in the glass, damage to the glass will eventually result in the glass shattering into thumbnail-sized pieces. The glass is most susceptible to breakage due to damage to the edge of the glass where the tensile stress is the greatest, but shattering can also occur in the event of a hard impact in the middle of the glass pane or if the impact is concentrated (for example, striking the glass with a point). Using toughened glass can pose a security risk in some situations because of the tendency of the glass to shatter completely upon hard impact rather than leaving shards in the window frame.

[4961Studebaker]

Pat hit it on the head- with laminated glass. With rear windows (tempered) they either reuse the original size and just change the angle to fit the chop, or find one out of another car that fits what they're doing better; then use the frame and seal.

Couple other way's

1 Get lucky with another make/model windshield that can be cut down. (like BAMS said)
2 "Burry" the original back glass----modify the trunk area to form a "pocket" that the base will sit in, then seal with t molding.
3 Take a front windshield and cut it as close as possible and reshape the C pillar.

Like I'm doing. There's a post