I won't argue that but there is a big difference than light EZ eye tint and That almost black stuff they run now. My buddy talked me into using a Bronze tint on my back window in my 48 when I had to replace the window I cracked putting it in. It was 90's street rod cool but I wouldn't do it again. Dark tint to me goes right along with over size billet wheels, billet engine trinkets and fad of the time paint.
If the windows are heavily tinted black you can't make eye contact with someone sitting at a stop sign; don't know if they see you coming or not. I will roll the windows down a bit on my OT cars so the oncoming traffic knows I see them; what I feel is common courtesy.
Hello, Most of my teenage friends drove mild custom sedans and hot rods. Some had more modifications done than others. But, there were only a few that had pure custom items and no speed parts, whereas, some had high performance 283 SBC with dual carbs, 4 speed, headers, Traction Master bars and Positraction rear. My Impala was a stock appearing car on the outside, but had some custom accessories in the motor compartment and a modified motor/transmission combo. It was fast. Our 50’s sedans all came from the factory with tinted windows. It was an accessory order from the factory order list. It helped keep the interior relatively cool. But, if any sedan was purchased used, more than likely, it had factory tinted windows. We did not have A/C, but the tinted windows were a nice touch. Not dark, but slightly grey. As teens, we were not into the dark tinted windows we saw on commercial limousines. Plus, the darkened windows were illegal on consumer cars in So Cal and only allowed on commercial entities. Other states had different rules for darkened windows for the general public and commercial vehicles. As far as tinted windows on mild customs of the 50s, here is one of the most famous from that time period in So Cal. If it was a custom car for shows only, then any modification was used to highlight the build and accessories. If it was a mild custom to be used on the streets and for sporadic car shows, then it was usually just the stock factory tinted windows on the car/truck. As much as we liked the mild to wild custom car look of Mox Miller’s 58 Impala, it could be considered mild as there were a few body mods. Mostly, it was upholstery, wheels, modified motor and wild paint for the look most saw in the car shows. So, when the topic of custom cars popped up, this Impala was usually the talk of the conversation, not the full custom truck like the ALA KART. Jnaki Tinted windows for street cars was a fad that came and went as fast as possible. Manly due to the fact that those modifications were instantly given fix it tickets for hazardous vehicles. But, they had to be changed back to stock. The era was ticket heaven for the local police cruisers and ever present CHP in So Cal. But, tinted windows could be put on normal cars by various dealers everywhere. a disclaimer was signed when the application took place. When our son got his teenage sedan, he wanted tinted windows. So, we took him to a local installer and had all of the windows, except for the front windshield tinted slightly dark on his black car. It was the hit of the school parking lot. As lucky as he was, this tinted window adventure lasted until he went away to college and in his junior year, had just driven back to campus from a long drive from our old house in the OC. Upon getting off at the street on the freeway, headed back to his apartment, there was no one around. So, he did his normal signal and turned onto the street leading into the Isla Vista apartment area (UCSB), near the shoreline. Then, out of the blue, a CHP pulled him over and inspected the car, not for a speeding ticket, but a vehicle check. Well, he spotted the tinted windows and wrote up a fix it ticket for dark windows on the driver’s side door. (Illegal in California.) It was a simple fix as the installation dealer peeled off the dark tinted driver’s side window application. So, why did he have to take off his darkened driver’s side tint when tons of commercial sedans and limos all have super dark windows all around? YRMV
Having A/C, I tinted my truck glass to help cooling and cut down on UV. I get skin cancer pretty easy, so setting right next to clear glass or open windows was going to work.
my old 35 Ford 5 window , had Soft Ray tinted glass.. very light green hue to the glass it looked great. can't see it in the picture. the previous owner was a glass guy and he did all the glass in it.. looked great ... on the other hand like film tints they do now.. not on a custom or hot rod.. both my off topic daily drivers have that tint.. not crazy about it.. but were done before I bought them..
I am currently resurrecting an OT hauler. It has window film on the back glass that is bubbled and peeling. I feel myself being really hard to get along with while I am kneeling on the seat with a box of razor blades and some "ooops" to try and clean the sticky off after the fact. Blech
When I first got my '40 coupe on the road, I had bronze glass in the windshield, quarters, and rear. Never got around to doing the door glass until a couple of years ago when I finally got around to having it upholstered. I decided to go with clear glass. The glass guy who installed it while it was in the upholstery shop cut the windshield too small. In fact, it was too narrow and had a gap between the glass and the rubber seal at the divider bar when I picked the car up. While it was period correct, I hated the clear glass. Two weeks ago, when we were doing the 3rd Annual Midwest Forty Ford Gathering, Jonny brought me correct cut bronze windshields and installed them in the park. I'll take the hit against my "traditional" points, but at least I still am running a stock '40 steering column and shifter connected to my 4 speed, and I still have three pedals. LOL I also had to replace the windshield in the '40 stake truck, as the original glass was extremely delaminated. The only thing I had "spare" was the bronze glass that had came out of the coupe. Most folks don't notice it, but its visible in this pic.
I just had this windshield glass cut for my 41 PU. It is light green, as will be the rest of the glass. With white upholstery the green glass looks very cool IMO.
My 59 has absolutely clear glass, no light blue tint as could have been ordered. It's like a greenhouse, I've done all of my my interior. I grew up in the 90s and we tinted everything and some got pulled over for it. I was thinking of a medium tint like 35% which is legal in Maine. I'm tempted to photoshop it to see what it would look like...
I guess it depends on where you are. Being a Florida guy I tint my daily as dark as is legal (35%) on day one. Clear glass down here is like being in a fishbowl, and the sun kills interiors. That said, on older stuff I go to a much lighter tint as I agree dark looks off on something pre - 65. *** The trick to remove window film is a rag soaked in acetone. People saying it only lasts 2-3 years are using the cheap film. The good stuff is good for at least 10. Don’t clean with ammonia glass cleaners.
In principle, I am not against the tinted glazing of the car. Especially if it is a useful type of it – for example, an energy-saving thermal coating or a design application of glass of a certain color But even if your "blackout" will fit within the permitted limits (and this will need to be proved!), a car with dark windows, first of all, attracts the attention of patrol officers. You will have to spend time at least communicating with representatives of the sub-face and presenting arguments in your defense. So it's better to use window shades for baby to avoid trouble.
Hello, After trying to add on some darker window tint on a friend’s car, we gave up. Then the decision to tint the windows darker than the factory supplied mild tint was going to cause more hassles than was worth it. So, all of our teenage sedans and several hot rod coupe/sedans had normal factory supplied tint to the glass. In more modern times, our son had his windows tinted and got a fix-it ticket to remove the side driver’s window and passenger side window tint. So, we had the folks that put on the tint to take them off. He kept the rear window tint, which is still ok. I liked driving his car, but it was difficult for me to look in the rear view mirror and see anything clear as day in our defensive driving mode or keeping track of cars that move all over the lanes. My wife liked our son’s car, too, but she refused to drive it as the rear window/rear side windows were too dark for her to see anything clearly. We had more modern cars, but they all came with factory approved mild tint. We could see everything clearly and it was much nicer than our son’s car window tint. Jnaki Our teenage years stopped as we obviously got a little older and the next generation got into the fake gas coupe look and started tinting their window left and right. With some colors to match the change in drag racing cars of the time period. The rules were changing in drag racing and the gas coupes were on their way out or reclassified out of the now disappearing gas coupes and sedan class. But, as fast as the styles come and go, the CHP did a number on most modifications. The change over called for lowering those up in the air front ends, bumperless cars and darkened windows all around. Then, the fad just slowed down and disappeared into the land of the “want to be racers” category. Plexiglass tinted windows came and went, but did leave a impression on some folks. Plexiglass is not a daily driver item, as it is strong, but easily scratched and maintenance is a bear. This is plenty, CHP approved and it was all from the GM factory. But as different state laws are interpreted and the differing officers have their choices, YRMV
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