Who can cut down a Windshield ??

Anyone know a glass shop that can cut a 2003 Ford Explorer windshield down into Woodill Wildfire size ??

Original Wildfire windshields were made from 1953 Willys Aero windshields, cut down considerably. Of course, Aero windshields are very rare, but the Explorer also has the right contour - and are cheap! But, my old glass guy isn't very hopeful that he can cut it, and knows of no one in the area that does this. I have a fellow Wildfire owner who has had this done in Texas - anyone know a place closer to Michigan ?? I'll throw on a picture of an original windshield....

 

uh-oh, here we go agin'.....
your gonna hear pros and cons for days of different methods and such

 

This may sound kinda stupid (ahh, what the heck, never stopped me before) ... you might be better off finding an original Ford windshield to cut rather than one of the new replacement windshields. Reason is (I have been told by a glass guy) that the "new" replacement windshields are actually being made in China (no joke) and are not very good quality. I have had two replacement windshields and they have both broken for no apparent reason ... I installled a used original ('86 Cutlass) and have had no breakage problems since.

I do not know anyone that cuts glass in the Michigan area, just thought you might be able to use this info though for when you do find someone.

 

Probably good input - is there anything China doesn't make ??

 

Budweiser beer, Coors beer...oh, was that a rhetorical question...???

R-

 

Here is a place in Georgia that can cut it for you.. Phone -770-962-3068- Vintage Glass....

 

Try Logan Glass on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn (just East of Telegraph, south side of street, in front of a strip mall). They are a real old time family owned glass shop and, depending on who is at the counter can be a little rude to newbies they have never seen before. If you call them and ask them over the phone to do this, I'll guarantee they will say no or hang up on you. But if you show up and tell them you just drove all the way from Fenton and you heard they were wonderful, blah, blah, blah, and you are all out of options, blah, blah, blah, and show them photos of your rare car, blah, blah, blah, and if they screw up the Exploder windshields that's ok, blah, blah, blah,they might consider it a challenge and do it. Since the windshields themselves are cheap, why not bring them two, because they might use the first one as a "learner"?? When I worked at the Henry Ford Museum, they came to my rescue and solved the impossible more than a few times. Oh, and they are super cheap and typically get the job done really fast. You can also try the line that the Henry Ford Museum told you to come there. I recently showed up there the other day and needed a new piece of glass installed in a Model A coupe windshield ( I know, this is a super easy job, compared to yours), but they did it while I was at lunch next door and charged me about 30 bucks!

 

Thanks,GZ, I'll try them.

 

Wildfires are great cars! I had the old yellow one for awhile that I sold to George Albright a few years back who I believed restored it and it is maybe in the Gartlits museum in Florida now.

 

Interesting - Albright seems to be buying up a lot of Wildfire cars and parts lately - I guess he believes they will become valuable !!

 

Any other input from the morning crowd..........??

 

Tell your glass guy to cut both ends off first. it's an easy cut from there.

 

You can, if you have a roll of duct tape, a bag of white sand, and sandblaster.

Brian

 

Sandblaster was also what I have heard works. Never tried it myself. Blast through first layer, cut safety layer with razor, blast through the rest.

 

It works. If a ham(b) handed hot rodder like me can cut compound curved glass laminate windshields, anybody can.

 

Hmmmm - I may try it . Don't have a sandblaster, but maybe I need one......