Art & Inspiration Plexiglass windows

Hello everyone,
I would like to see some pictures of plexiglass windows and windshields. Tinted, colored or however.
Hot rods, customs, race cars and etc.
I think this is generally a 60s thing but if it happened earlier than that I would love to have a lesson in history.
Thanks!

 

I had plexiglass windows in my 1937 Chevy in the 1960's....Just in the side and back windows...They even rolled up and down....They were tinted blue...

 

Like to see more.

 

Me too!
I thinking about putting some in my 27 model T coupe and I just want some inspiration and ideas.

 

I guess google “Gassers” will find something to tickle your fancy.

 

Yep, common color back in the 60's..

 

A better material for current traditional style builds would be to use polycarbonate material such as Lexan. Plexiglass is brittle and has a tendency to fade over time and become even more brittle. It scratches easily.
Lexan is easy to drill, bend and keep clean. I plan to use yellow tinted Lexan on my Anglia build to simulate the plexiglass look.

Notice, in the old photos of examples that will get posted here, how many show how blurry the view is out of aged plexiglass.

 

I totally agree on using polycarbonate (Lexan) instead of acrylic (Plexiglas). And you could apply translucent vinyl film. This will open you up to a lot of color options.

 

My buddy and his brother used to use spray tint back in those times. They knew a way to keep it on. Does anybody know of any now a days?

 

VHT used to make spray tint.

 

Unless your windows are flat you can take a propane torch and heat and bend the Lexan also. But like everything now days it can be an expensive learning curve.

 

Not plexiglass on my Austin gasser, as it just doesn't stay clear over time. Instead I put red vinyl window tint over the glass to get the old school look. It's held up great for over a decade now.

 

keep the car parked inside most of the time? Probably would help!

I have clear plexiglass on the side windows on my Chevy II, seems to work ok for me, been together for 8 years, no weathering. I keep it inside when I'm not on road trips, etc. Oh...the vent windows are Lexan. Windshield and back are glass still.

If you just want to add color, you could use glass instead of plastic, and it would be a nicer car. Plastic is great for race cars that need to be light, other than that, it's a bit of a pain to deal with, as you have to be careful cleaning it, and it flops around, and never does look as nice as glass.

 

We should probably note that the plexiglass or lexan side windows and especially the windshield will be strictly for use on the racetrack and definitely not for vehicles driven on public streets or registered for road use.

 

Why ?

 

maybe because he lives in Canada, and they have laws up there? It's not a problem in the US.

 

I used yellow plexiglass in the door side windows and yellow tint on the remaining side glass

 

Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm learning a lot!
I still have not decided on the color.
The body is a hunter gloss green and the frame is a gloss black. Very simple.
I wanted it to have a stock looking paint scheme like that of a resto rod but with a lot of hot rod design elements worked in.
The windows are all flat pieces.
How do you tell the plexiglass from the lexan by just looking at it?

 

As others have said “do not use plexiglass” when it breaks it forms very sharp shards similar to plate glass but bigger. The material to use is polycarbonate which is sold under trademarked names such as Lexan, Makrolon and others. The parent company of Makrolon just purchased another polycarbonate maker and Makrolon is now being marketed as Tuffak. The polycarbonate sheets can be purchased with different coatings for UV resistance, scratch resistant plus others. Polycarbonate is very easy to work with, using sharp tools and fine toothed saw blade’s. Polycarbonate can almost be bent in half before breaking unlike plexiglass. I have done a couple windshields and am currently using Tuffak to fab a flat windshield for an off theme dune buggy. It can be formed with heat but will hold curves when held in place mechanically. I have had very good luck going to companies that sell polycarbonate and telling them what I need rather then ordering. They will often sell cut offs from other jobs for cash or in one case just gave me what I needed for a boat project.

 

If buying new the protective sheet will usually have the name of what it’s is.

 

By the description on the protective plastic/paper that it comes wrapped in. Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate. Plexiglas is a brand of acrylic.

Used plastic...not as easy to tell, especially in the thicknesses used for car windows. I expect a file could tell you a lot, though.

 

Safety

Actually it is a problem in the US.
The US is similar to Canada when it comes to DOT safety requirements.
Windshield and glass requirements for vehicles are similar in both countries.

 

I expect you'll find there is a difference in enforcing compliance with DOT specs in the two countries.

 

Meh........

 

you would be surprised how many custom cars and trucks have plexiglass windows. it is impossible to see the difference if its installed like stock. if the glass isn't available at any price then plexiglass is the difference to driving your car and looking at it in the yard.

 

I guess it looks like glass at first glance, but if you look close, you can probably tell the difference

Original tempered safety glass:



polycarbonate vent, acrylic door "glass":



When you open the door, you can feel the weight difference.

 

Can't use anything except safety glass on the road in PA.
https://law.justia.com/codes/pennsylvania/2010/title-75/chapter-45/4526
https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/pennsylvania/67-Pa-Code-SS-175-67

 

Hello,

Lexan, Plexiglass in various thicknesses all break with high impact forces. It is like going back to the 50s with sharp edges and points that puncture and rip/tear as something rushes past the point of entry. There is no safety glass crumbles that damage skin, but will not slice off your head or arm.

There was a point to the whole automotive industry going to safety glass standards for public streets. The Plexiglass started in drag cars from 1962-66, when the Gas Coupes and Sedans were looking for the smallest and lightest weight body for maximum speeds possible. Look at the progression from the old 40 Fords to the lighter 40-41 Willys Coupes, then to the 33 Willys Coupes and then the fiberglass wars started.

Of course, the need for lightweight body parts were accepted in drag racing only. Not for the DMV laws on the street. They used to require roll up windows in the Gas Coupe/Sedan classes as they were officially street legal hot rods. But, over time, we all saw the relaxing/changing the rules for the class that made them closer to Altered Coupes and Sedans.

Lightweight front ends, fenders, bodies and eventually, straight header pipes not muffler bound sounds were used with glee. Removal of window mechanisms replaced by lightweight sheets of plexiglass also took place.

But, despite the name of the Gas Coupe and Sedan class that morphed into Competition Gas Coupes/Sedans, the rules relaxed and specific street legal designation began to wane. So, racers started the lightweight attack and things like fiberglass replaced steel. Anything that added weight, like mechanical things in doors and interiors were replaced or taken out.

Jnaki

We all have seen those drag race cars with yellow, red, clear plexiglass windows. They are not daily drivers nor are they DMV approved for safety standards.

These race cars were seen in the 1963 through the end of the class itself in the mid 1966 era. But, the look of the street legal moniker was so far gone that it was not a hot rod street legal car, but a race car modified from a daily driver. This Anglia was not a daily driver or a car used to go to the shopping trips or vacations down the coast. They were strictly drag race machines in a class that was doomed.

For the followers of fake gas coupes and sedans on the street, the colorful plexiglass windows added something, but were illegal, let alone dangerous to the occupants.

p.s. Plexiglass and Lexan in similar thicknesses are stronger than glass. But, it rips and shreds as it becomes overpowered with force strong enough to break the material. Safety glass breaks into rubble, Plexiglass and Lexan are like sharp slivers ready to slice and dice. Industrial buildings once replaced their multiple windows with Lexan and those windows could be hit with hammers without breaking, but eventually, will break into sharp shreds with enough force.

Anyone wanting to replace safety glass with Plexiglass/Lexan for daily drivers on whatever the hot rod is not looking for common sense. How it is used, is stepping backwards as far as safety is concerned. Most folks would not seriously consider the weight loss by replacing their safety glass windows in all of their daily drivers, if someone said it increases gas mileage being lighter, would they? YRMV

 

Acrylic breaks into sharp slivers. Polycarbonate does not. They are different materials, with different mechanical properties. If you're trying to be safe, use polycarbonate. If you're trying to be traditional, use acrylic.

I'm not too concerned about the acrylic windows in my death trap. It would still be a death trap with glass or polycarbonate, too.

 

Ya gotta love a death trap ! the first car I ever used Plexiglas on the passenger window got sucked right out at about a 100 mph first time down the track LOL. But that was about 40 some years ago.