Hot Rods Plate glass windows?

Alot of discussion has been talked about for many years regarding the plate glass vs safety glass, so I figured I would poll here who is running what.

 

Laminated windshield, tempered glass everywhere else.

 

My 32 sedan does have the original plate rear window, but all the others have been replaced with laminated.

 

if you're a fan of the "little rascals" (aka "our gang"), jackie cooper suffered serious facial lacerations from going through an old plate-glass windshield...

 

laminated windshield tempered glass every where else.56 F100.

 

Plate glass is single layer. Laminated is 2 thin layers with the clear "plastic" between them, called safety glass. Keeps the pieces together. In the old way back days even windshields were plate glass. Bad idea. Safety glass works great and is required most everywhere for windshields and is good for everything else. Tempered even better for all except windshield.

Dave

 

I voted for plate glass. It’s traditional!

 

Hello,

As far as car windows, all glass should be tempered safety glass made for automobiles. Plate glass may have been used in another life time, but it is not safe at any speed. It shatters and leaves sharp edges. That is why tempered glass in various degrees was made and over time, has developed into almost little pieces that may scratch, but not like a deep cut.

Hopefully no one ever has to see someone go through the windshield. It is not the most appealing thing to see. In 1961, I was awake early and walked from our friend's house in Huntington Beach to cross the Coast Highway and check out the surf for that morning. It was a little dark, but the sun was rising to make the sky brighter.

As I finished the viewing of some great waves coming in toward shore, I ran across the Coast Highway to get back and change into my bathing suit for the early morning waves. But, as I crossed the street and was a 40 yards into the block, I heard a crash. Behind me was a van that had rammed into a light pole and was crushed. The driver was not moving and was stuck in the front windshield. I knew I could not do anything, so I ran back to the house and called the police/ambulance.

They arrived in a record time, since there were always several cruisers going around the early morning hours in this part of town, full of young surfers, beach houses and down the way, apartments.

The glass was all over the sidewalk and despite the "safety aspect" of the van glass, the guy went through and did not make it. If it had been plate glass, there probably would have not been much to identify the driver in that position.

Jnaki

Luckily, all of our cars have had safety tempered glass that goes into little chunks. Even the home sliding glass doors are safety glass with the idea of the same small chunks not creating a sharp edge when broken.

Our son had a party at our house when my wife and I were on a vacation by ourselves. We told him that a party was fine, since our across the street neighbor was home and her son will be at the party. Well, teens will be teens and someone inadvertently walked right through one of the sliding glass doors into the back yard. (found out later...)

We did not know about the broken sliding door as it was fixed by the time we got home. But, when my wife and I were out in the backyard doing some landscaping, we found several small chunks of glass. Questioning ourselves and coming to the decision that we did not break any glass recently, only left a question for our son.

He and his friends were instantly smart enough to ask one of the father's who owns a glass repair company to come and fix the broken sliding door. The company came over the next morning and fixed the sliding door glass. No one got hurt during the incident and all of the teens cleaned up room and concrete patio outside of the doors.

Jnaki

When we asked our son about the small globs of glass in the planters nearby, he told us of the accident and the resulting contribution of everyone, to pay for the glass company to fix the sliding door glass. Our son and his friends have always been responsible and this was a great case to prove it. My wife and I were impressed.

As far as the car glass is concerned, get all old glass out and replace it with new tempered safety glass. Our neighbor told us that his glass company has some clear Lexan sheets that are the strongest as far as any breakage, including hitting it with a hammer or pole. It will not break. But, sometimes it scratches easily. His company had replaced plenty of industrial building windows with clear Lexan due to their strength. Stronger than plate glass and even stronger than thick tempered glass. YRMV

 

After 30+ years in emergency services next to 2 interstates, too many times seeing what laminated and tempered glass will do to even contemplate plate glass in a vehicle.

 

A laminated windshield will help to stop things going through........ things coming in towards you, and you going out toward things!!!
Plate glass is not an option anywhere in a vehicle. They stopped using it for good reasons.

If you really want the duck's nuts, tempered laminated is available, but not easy at all for reproduction stuff.

 

I'm having tempered glass made for the side windows of my 48 when it goes back together. As far as plate glass in a car only a total damned fool would put plate glass back in a car rather than safety glass. At least in one you actually intended to drive and not a museum piece that only gets pulled out once or twice in it's restored life to be hauled to prestigious shows where not being absolutely original might cost a tenth of a point if safety glass rather than plate glass in an actual classic actually costs show points.

 

I've owned some Model T's with original plate glass windshields. Would never drive one on the street.

 

I’ve done laminated all around before.

 

Yeah the laminate i buy says "safety plate" right on it. If you think it's not tough, go climb on your late model car and try to kick it out. Good times. A hammer will make quick work of tempered. And like old tin said, my career in fire/EMS has shown that tempered glass doesn't mean you're not gonna get cut up if you crash. But it does mean that if I walk up to your car and need to extricate you rapidly, I can peck the corner of a tempered door glass and it's gone. Drag your ass through that hole and carry on. Windshield? Nope, I have manual glass master saws and battery powered glass shears to remove the windshield. Keep your tempered, I'm a fan of safety plate. Walk up to a parked, stationary car and break the tempered window, it's a controlled (somewhat) action. Crash the same car and that same piece of tempered glass is shrapnel.

 

True that most death from accidents in a 'china closet T ' are from lacerations.

 

Way back when, the combination of no seat belts and plate glass windshields was pretty dangerous in a crash. When I was a teenager I knew an old guy who told me that he went through one when he was young, he was very lucky that all the glass went with him, rather than some stay in place and drag along his flesh on the way past.

 

Don't know about there in the U.S, but here in Australia the automotive grade laminated glass is different than the architectural stuff used in buildings. It has a thicker interlayer, which makes it better at intrusion protection.

 

Plus you won't get engineer approval without the Australian Standard watermark etch.

 

Correct. I am a glazier by trade, and have done some vehicle glass in the past. If it has registration, it has to have the right glass fitted. If it doesn't have registration, it should still have the right glass fitted. It's called 'duty of care'.

 

I know of two people who went thru laminated windshields. It's not a pretty sight in any way. But laminated windshields are still better than non-tempered glass.
My side glass is tempered and my windshield is laminated.

 

Laminated screen and tempered everywhere else here.

On a side note, I got a glass kit for a 36 5w coupe and was surprised to find if was all laminated. I fitted it anyway but later found it didn't take long for the door glass to crack, presumably due to flexing or shocks when the doors were closed. The doors fitted and closed well I must add. Replaced with toughened and no more problems. Win win I think.

Chris

 

That can be the case when using laminated glass in side windows. Body flex and impact shock from closing the doors can cause problems. Toughened/tempered is a better choice where the glass panel is not completely supported around the entire edge with a frame.

 

A no brainer, safety (Tempered/toughened) or laminated glass (Where applicable). Safety is paramount plus it's mandatory for us down here with modified cars.

 

OK, just where are you guys getting flat tempered safety glass for the side windows, w/o it being a totally custom piece? I've only seen laminated flat glass used for side windows. I'm *NOT* talking about any windows that have any kind of curve in them, so mostly for the 40's & back.
Also, when I did have flat glass cut for a couple of cars yrs ago, the glazier had a small stamp that they put an imprint onto each window, to show it was correct/legal for road-use. Is that still done/required?
I get that safety/tempered glass is *supposed* to break into crumbles w/o shards, but it still shards. Not as bad as laminated, but most of that is held by the bonded plastic, unlike plate which shards into a very wicked shower of needle-pointed razor-edged slicing fléchettes.
& the windshield shatterability is radically different 'twixt the US & Europe.
Marcus...

 

Probably depends where you live...never seen that in Arizona. And I've been having flat laminate glass cut for me for cars by glass shops here for several decades.

 

Plate glass in a automobile in this day & time is asking for serious injuries in a accident. HRP

 

Talking flat glass only, it will still be a custom piece as it needs to be cut to size / shape, edges polished, where required (required on drop glasses, eg doors, but worthwhile having it done to all the glass really for what it costs as it removes sharp edges) and then tempered (heat treatment). You'd need to ask your supplier if they can do that, or can get it done, otherwise shop elsewhere.

Chris

 

If you live in a state that has mandatory inspections if your car or truck doesn't have safety glass I will not pass. HRP

This is plate glass.



This is safety glass.

 

Those are both laminated safety glass. Plate glass went out of use in cars in the early 30s, I think. (the Model A was the first Ford with safety glass, wasn't it?)

Tempered glass was first used for curved rear windows around 1940, and became standard for side windows in the late 50s to mid 60s.

 

IIRC, plate glass was *the* reason for open cars' popularity. Folks knew then what the results were for unplanned "events" concerning plate glass. Enclosed cars got real popular after safety glass was used. Granted, it did take awhile for the terminally stupid &/or cheap to get forced into using laminated.

As far as having it done, I can(& have) cut glass(laminated, plate,[old lead-type], colored hobby glass), I've done windshields too(not many, but enough to learn for myself), sanding the edges is nbd - light touch w/wet-or-dry sandpaper in a DA & a squirt bottle of water, maybe a touch of detergent, a bit of patience = smooth almost polished edges. Set it w/tape, rubber, or urethane(this one I haven't done - yet). I've found that cutting new glass can run unexpectedly, as can old glass. Sometimes stuff just happens. A couple old teachers & glaziers couldn't tell me how to predict when crap happens, as they didn't know w/certainty.

Funniest thing I've heard(unfortunately, I didn't see this one personally - ;( ) related to glass-cutting was years ago, in the shop I worked at, a know-it-all mgr told everyone he could cut(trim) the tempered glass that was just a hair oversize. Everybody gave him room to demonstrate, he got out an ox-act torch & proceeded... . Same everybody laughed their asses off when said glass went "bang" & left a very surprised look on mgrs' face. Took a very long time to live that one down. .
Marcus...