Quick question

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 01/31/2015 at 11:39 • Filed to: None

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Does anybody know what type of plastic the Roadkill guys used for the windshield on their C3 vette? I need a new daily driver but my only real option has a busted windshield and driver's glass, and I was going to just replace it with plastic for lightness+cheapness+the Civic isn't worth putting new glass into. 1/8th inch Plexiglass, maybe?

Also, can anyone tell me the downsides of doing this? Obviously screwing a plastic windshield and caulking it up is a bit ghetto-fantastic (As if anything I do isn't ), but it seems like other than the possibility of it scratching more and not offering UV protection it's pretty much a win/win.

GhostZ > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 11:42

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Plexiglass isn't legal I believe, because it will shatter/splinter. If you want to pass registration/inspection I think you need something like Lexan or a stock window. For the short term, you could probably get away with plexiglass, but don't consider it a solution for more than a week or so.

Funktheduck > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 11:42

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It can distort making visibility a potential issue. Like a fun mirror that you see through. It may be less of an issue on thicker stuff though. I've seen people replace side and rear windows on work vehicles and they're really wavy. It could also be a result of our hot summers though.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > GhostZ 01/31/2015 at 11:56

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There are no inspections here. How expensive is Lexan?

GhostZ > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 12:08

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I have no idea. It's a race car thing though, so probably more than a replacement window, but that doesn't mean there isn't low cost options out there.

XJDano > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 12:13

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You may be able to get lexan at Home Depot.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/LEXAN-36-in-…

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 12:13

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Fuck no don't use plexiglass. Get into an accident with that, and it'll shatter into long shards. Also stay away from transparent acrylic, same thing. Lexan is what you want, any industrial paints & plastics supply place will have it in sheets up to 4' x 8' and will cut however many square feet you want. I'd go at least 3/8" and if you have a hot rod bending setup, it'll be easy to bend curves into. Don't try to bend it cold, it's pretty strong, don't overheat it, it will bubble, don't scratch it.

http://goindustrial.ca/index.php/en/p…

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 12:24

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As others have said, Lexan is the type of plastic most suitable for car windows.

The problem with Lexan is it's not nearly as hard as glass, so it gets scratched and pitted very quickly. Especially if using it as a front windshield.

For example, the Ferrari F40 has a rear window/engine cover made from Lexan—and the first 50 made had sliding Lexan side windows which were then changed out for glass. But the windshields are all glass.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein 01/31/2015 at 12:34

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Okay, I might just shell out for an OEM windshield but I'll probably replace the busted side window glass with lexan, then. With a little sliding panel so I can go through drive throughs.

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 12:52

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Why don't you just try to find some replacement glass at a junkyard? I can't imagine it'd be that much more expensive than fabbing up a lexan window with sliding portion.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein 01/31/2015 at 13:11

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Lightness. No window winder and no class = 0.0000000001 seconds faster per lap, yo.

KatzManDu > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 13:24

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On a C3 go with real glass. Yes, adding lightness is nice, but you may eventually get rid of the car, and a plastic windshield will hurt the car's value more.

Use the $ on a stiffer suspension:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/c3-tech…

desertdog5051 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 13:40

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Lexan is kinda pricey. But worth it.

Corz > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 13:49

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It's like $130 for a new windshield... it's not the lightness thats the issue, the windshield is part of the structure of the car..

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 14:47

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Yeah, I'd just get replacement glass from a junkyard. This doesn't need to be yet another ghetto engineering project.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/31/2015 at 15:06

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Just to clear things up, Plexiglass is a brand name of a material called PMMA, which is also sold as Acrylic, Perspex and a few less common brand names but all the same product and is fairly brittle.

Lexan is a brand name for the material called Polycarbonate(PC) and also sold under a few different names such as Makrolon, Makroclear and some other lesser known names. PC is very strong and is the used as bullet proof screens in banks etc. Its not really suitable for street cars for reasons already commented on but mainly because once you use your wipers it will scratch very easily and be completely useless very quickly, if you have the tear off layers that they use on race cars this isn't a problem as its the tear off taking the damage and the screen is untouched.

Go for glass.