OPINION: Lexan in a Chopped Car

Out of curiousity, how much does lexan gl*** front and back take away from the value of a chopped car??

 

depends on where your selling it... if its down south just tell em its NASCAR approved and they will be all over it I have it in my chevy it works but i scratched the hell out of it. So i wouldnt spend big money on a car with it.

 

It is fine in a low budget ride, but if your going for a cl***ier look get the gl*** cut.

 

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Tinted Lexan looks cool on Model As for that 60s era period correctness, but it needs to be babied so much that I don't think it's worth it. Just my 2 cents.

 

Only if its a race car.


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It's not legal for road use and it scratches pretty easy.Even the coated stuff will scratch and yellow with time. It's not legal because you can't break it in case of an accident.
Any good gl*** shop can cut a windsheild to your pattern pretty cheap if it's flat gl***.

 

really, the issue is WHY do you want to use lexan, to aviod cutting a windshield, or to fit an opening that was modified incorrectly, so a no cut window will fit? usually it's a combo of the two. as far as i'm concerned, i'd stay away from any car that had em. if they can't operate a tape measure to properly size the opening, or learn to cut gl*** or spend a few $$ on having a windshield made, who knows where else they cut corners?

i guess it could be an urban sales tactic too, tell em it's bulletproof!

 

its costs $50 .... you can get it fast, and its easy to cut...... nuff said. but dont tell the cops...

 

A friend and lurker did this on his chopped '51 Packard just to get it back on the road. His plans are to use the curved plexi to use as a template for when he can afford to get gl*** cut.

 

Unless it's a race car,it usually looks like a Band-Aid,or worse.

 

well i guess it has the added benefit of being easier to etch "****BOX" into the lexan than real gl***, after all, every great kustom must be named!

 

look above and tell me that looks like a band-aid...

 

It doesnt look like a band aid, it looks like you are too cheap to do it right.

 

I like the tires and wheels!.............OLDBEET

 

reason for lexan is - the chop on this particular was done w/ lexan and im afriad the reason is that gl*** either cracked or popped out so is it an easy fix to make gl*** work or is the only way out lexan w/o really getting into the roof

 

No offense, you've got one small window in that car, you got a long way to go. And I hope I'm not stepping on toes, but running lexan IS half-***ing it on a street car.

I'm not saying I don't half-*** anything.

It looks good about the first month you do it.. then it just starts to look like faded old cheap *** scratched up lexan. There's only one way to do it RIGHT.

 

I gotta go with the rest of the boys on this one. It looks cheap, it'll scratch easily, yellow over time and if you think for one second that lexan is goiong to save your face when some big rock flies off of a dump truck you'd better think again. If it was thin enough for you to muscle into place it's too thin to sustain any larger impact, especially when it gets cold. A little rock can do a lot of damage when it's flying at 80+ MPH and the next stop is your face. Laminated gl*** is called Safety Gl*** for a reason.

As for the value issue, to me lexan screams CHEAP!!!! Now I'm a cheap ******* but when it comes down to a safety item like a windshield I'll pony up the bux. It also says to me that not enough planning was done to ensure the windshield could be cut to fit. If I was contemplating buying a car and it had lexan windows I'd low-ball the offer all the way to the ground. If you can't get the gl*** right, what else has been screwed? I ain't saying you screwed up but that's the impression I would get seeing lexan windows.

 

Use the following formula on this one.

Lexan+sun+bugs+dust+dirt and rain+windshield wipers=****

 

I'll second Tman's opinion. Seeing some of the cars that show up here and at the events makes me wonder about "our" side of the hobby....There is a division between "us" and "them"(high dollar rides), but I think there is also a division inside our own side. Some know what's right, others are just trying to build crazy looking cars......

Lexan windows leans toward the latter. I'd rather go sans window than use lexan.

I think I am getting grumpy lately.....some of the Pile-up pics turned my stomache.

 

I've used GE mar-10 lexan in the side windows for the last five years, but my car is built as a kind of street racer. I use it becose all four side windows in lexon are lighter than one gl*** window. If you use a good quality product(not plexigl***) and care for properly it should last quite a while. BUT I would not use it for a windshield unless it is for a race car.It might not brake if something hits it, it'll just pop out of its frame, not good at any speed.

 

If I were buying a chopped car I would much rather see a broken piece of gl*** installed instead of all brand new Lexan. (asuming the gl*** was broken for some reason other than that was the only way to get it in the opening)

Having to use Lexan speaks volumes for the person that chopped the car.

IMO the only place for Lexan on a chopped car would be the back gl*** and that is if no other option is available. Here is why; most stock, if not all curved back gl*** is tempered and there for uncuttable. Having custom curved gl*** is more expensive that most people relize. So if you have to alter the shape of a curved back gl*** opening your options for gl*** are very limited. Another reason Lexan could work for back gl*** is because it is the least likley to get scratched; does not roll up and down, no wipers, and the least amount of road debris hitting it.

Brick

 

keep em comin guys i need all the opinions i can get im so torn on this one

 

We're not talking about motorcycles, where the windscreen is a deflector for *****s who can't handle a few bugs in the face. Anyone riding a scoot with a screen that thinks it is protecting them from anything more than that is a fool. Motorcycle screens do not have a full frame around them, so they have a considerable amount of give on impact. In a car, that ****ers gonna break or become dislodged on impact.

Bottom line is that a lexan windshield is the ****er way out. Do it right.

Olson

 

I have a 56 Ford and have been told by lots of people that you can't cut these.What do you do?

 

yeah i have a 55 buick and lexan is pretty much my only choice. not gunna pay to have that gl*** made. im not looking to sell the car though. i just wanna drive it

 

Looks like there is only two choices: rock-a-hero-rat-rod-in-your-face-a-abilly or the right way. dont scrimp and have it hanging in the back of your mind forever, spend the green and get it dont properly.

Danny

 

i was just going to post a message on this stuff
my b/f just picked up a 55 choped ford ranch wagon . 4.5 inches
has no gl*** in it
doesnt have the money right now to get a gl*** one. the corners in the windshield are well you guys know how those corners are

how much would a gl*** one cost anyone from nj/pa/ny/de area know of anyone that can cut that kind of windshield

and for now just to drive it lexan seems to be the only way to go

 

You have a couple problems here...doing it right and durability. The only way to use lexan and get away with it is to use MR4000 or 5000. Very scratch resistant, the 5000 has extra UV screen I believe, and is pretty available. But the cost is out there. Something like $300 for a sheet of 1/4". Now what? Now what is all the labor to get it installed nice a right so you save next to nothing.


We had the 4000 in a Vega drag racer for nearly a decade and used shoe polish for dial-in. Washed the shoe polish off every weekend and in all reality was prcatically scratch-free. Still the $ is high for that. Then even after usin the best the "stigma" still remains bout the chopped car with the plastic windows.

 

I would only pay about half for a car with lexan window. and would not buy any chopped car with a lexan back window. both just show that it was not done right .

lexan also looks like ****.