Thread: What is least expensive Windshield?

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I am trying to get my '32 ready for the LSSRA meet in Fredricksburg in May and need a way to install a windshield cheaply. I now have a smooth cowl but later when I paint etc. ihave a stock cowl to install and that is one of the reasons for trying to not spend a fortune. All ideas are appreciated. I am attaching a photo of my mock up in my album.
Thanks
Jim
(aka Old Hippie)

Jim...I don't know if you already have the windshield frame or if you consider this "cheap", but check out the illustrations on this website. I think it will give you some ideas.

http://www.hotrodproducts.com/WindshieldKits.htm

Pat

Pat,
Yes I have and I like the Fink set-up. the only problem at this time is that you have to have the stock ridge on the cowl for the frame to seal against. If I/we could get around that, it would be a viable soloution.
Thanks and keep thinking,
Jim

Jim...hopefully Brian Rupnow (sorry for the spelling) will see your post and come up with some ideas for you He's really good at coming up with innovative solutions for stuff like this.

Pat

Jim--It cost me $125 to have my windshield custom cut from tinted safety glass and installed. I modified my cowl to accept a glue in windshield. This involves quite a bit of welding, grinding, and fitting both to the cowl top and to both posts. You need at least an abslote minimum 5/8" of perfectly flat surface on 3 sides for the urethane to bond to.

And it looks like this after the mud is slung.

Brian,
That looks great, but I have a "plastic" car, How would this be used on fiberglass?
Jim

Sorry Jim---somehow it went right over my head that you were running a glass body. If it is a sedan or coupe body, it can be modified as I modified mine, just use mat and resin, not steel and welding rod. If you want a windshield for a glass roadster, you have to get a bit more creative. I built a Duvall style windshield for my glass 27 roadster for about $11 worth of #11 ga mild steel sheet metal scraps, some metal windshield channel, and lots and lots of cardboard pattern making. It looked very good, and I got a lot of compliments on it.

A few years ago I seen a really neat frameless windshield in a 32 roadster. A fellow was able to find a Karmen Ghia rear window, free at a wrecking yard. He cleaned it up, flipped it over top to bottom, and laid out the profile line on the cowl of his fiberglass roadster.
He took his trusty sabre saw, and cut a slot about 5/16" wide all the way across the top of the cowl, so that the Karmen Ghia window would slide down into the slot.
He took a 36 grit grinding disk and roughed up the inside of the cowl a bit, set up some wooden blocks inside on the floor to keep the window from falling thru, and put some temporary restraints (wood slats and masking tape) on the top portion of window sticking up thru the cowl to hold it at the perfect angle. Then he mixed up a batch of resin and mat, and glassed a pocket all around the "buried" side of the window, and let it overlap about 3" all the way around the inside of the cowl.
When the resin had "kicked" he removed the blocks and props, and had one of the slickest roadster windshields I ever seen. The only problem I see with this, is, if that windshield ever broke, he would have to grind the entire pocket away under the cowl to replace it---However, it looked super trick, and was virtually free.

Brian,
I guess you noticed the responces on the other site and there are a lot of ideas out there. The sunkun' idea is pretty kool.
Jim

Well I broke down and went with chopped stock type windshield. It seemed the most versatile and after all was said and done the cost effective. Now all I have to do is modify my cowl and install.
Jim