Topic: windows- yea or nay?

So I assumed I would keep the windows in my car (nx2000) for ease of transport, possibility of driving it to the track at least for a while, etc,. but talking to my cage builder today he asked if I wanted to keep them and pointed out that if he puts the door bars outboard of the inner skin of the door I'll end up with more room. Got me thinking. Do folks find it nice having windows? The climate up here (PNW) means we rarely get a roasty hot day but we definitely can get chilly damp days...

Re: windows- yea or nay?

My vote is the extra space and safety of outboard door bars.

3 (edited by jimbbski 2020-02-04 08:54 AM)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

Other then removal of the drivers side window I prefer to keep the windows in a car. Some teams like all but the windshield gone but I think that on some cars this can result in the pulling of exhaust gases into the vehicle due to upsetting the aero on the stock car. Plus I like to stay dry if it happens to rain during a race and leaving all but the drivers and pass. door windows in place does help keep the inside as dry as possible.

As for keeping the rain out of a car with no drivers door glass I have usually end up cutting a piece of plexiglass or lexan to fit the opening. I secure it in place for when the car gets transported to and from the track and overnight at the track. Also it helps when you want to wash the car if your so inclined.

Re: windows- yea or nay?

My car is street registered and I regret pulling the windows. I removed them for the sake of nascar bars, but X’s are strong, way easier to fab and allow you to keep windows.

Tri-Lamb Motorsports ‘87 528e

Re: windows- yea or nay?

For safety we want the bars(nascar) as far into the door and nowhere near the driver as possible, one could do something different on the passenger side to preserve the ability to keep glass over there.

Saying that

Could be wrong but I do not think a drivers door glass is allowed on race day, even if it was, it is unpleasant getting sprayed by shards mid collision.

Homestead Chump 5th-Sebring 6th-PBIR Lemons 9th - Charlotte Chump  CrashnBurn 9th
Sebring 6th again -NOLA Chump 1st -PBIR Chump Trans Fail 16th
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Re: windows- yea or nay?

Team Infinniti wrote:

Could be wrong but I do not think a drivers door glass is allowed on race day, even if it was, it is unpleasant getting sprayed by shards mid collision.


Per the rule book:

3.J.9 Glass, Headlights, and Taillights. All glass windshields or windows must be OE-type automotive laminated or tempered glass. Driver’s- and passenger’s-side front windows must be removed, or left open behind fully encasing door panels.

Can't say that I've ever seen anyone with door glass in place during a race, but its not something I've ever looked for. I have seen various methods to seal up the windows for transport and storage.

We installed polycarbonate replacements for the rear and rear-side glass which we like to think helps with aero (a very little bit) and also helps keep the interior dry. Probably also helps to keep exhaust out. We ran a few cc events and their rules state that all glass must be removed (except for the windshield).

We Audi Be Faster
'85 Audi Coupe G(in &) T(onic)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

Oh wow, thanks. I guess I need to re-read the rules like 3 more times. In any case, it seems losing the drivers/pass windows, pulling the door skins and extending the bars seems to be the way to go. Now I just have to figure out what to do when transporting/storing etc. It rains every now and then up here...

Re: windows- yea or nay?

One of the projects I'm playing around with on a car with NASCAR style door bars where the door is hollow was making plexi windows that are inserted thru the door hollow when open and then pinned in the up position.  I figure to secure the windows by welding a couple nuts to the upper door skin and attach knobs to a piece of all thread for them to screw through the nuts and hold the windows up.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita"  1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless) 2002 Jaguar x-type (Winner C-Class 2021 Sears Pointless)
Gone bye-bye
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)  1980 Rover SD1 (I Got Screwed 2014 Return of Lemonites)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

I use a car cover when the race car is outside, and cover it when at a hotel too.
Some thin plastic and velcro should do if you are an over-achiever. smile

Re: windows- yea or nay?

cheseroo wrote:

One of the projects I'm playing around with on a car with NASCAR style door bars where the door is hollow was making plexi windows that are inserted thru the door hollow when open and then pinned in the up position.  I figure to secure the windows by welding a couple nuts to the upper door skin and attach knobs to a piece of all thread for them to screw through the nuts and hold the windows up.

Why not just a strap and snaps like vintage cars before window regulators were normal.

Re: windows- yea or nay?

OnkelUdo wrote:
cheseroo wrote:

One of the projects I'm playing around with on a car with NASCAR style door bars where the door is hollow was making plexi windows that are inserted thru the door hollow when open and then pinned in the up position.  I figure to secure the windows by welding a couple nuts to the upper door skin and attach knobs to a piece of all thread for them to screw through the nuts and hold the windows up.

Why not just a strap and snaps like vintage cars before window regulators were normal.

Easier for me to buzz on a weld then to screw around making straps.  And as a British car owner, my experience has been side curtains mostly direct water into the car.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita"  1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless) 2002 Jaguar x-type (Winner C-Class 2021 Sears Pointless)
Gone bye-bye
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)  1980 Rover SD1 (I Got Screwed 2014 Return of Lemonites)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

Our car we took out the driver's window regulator and can pin the window up with hitch pis. Comes out in a minute.
The passenger door still has regulator but we just unbolt the glass and pull it out for the race. Put the windows back in for trailering and storage

MBTL Racing

13 (edited by gus 2020-02-06 04:11 PM)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

We drive to and from the tracks so we have all the windows in. Rule 3.J.9 is easy to pass, I just laser cut some thin textured ABS sheet to fit and then bolted it to the door with some rivnuts. Probably a little too nice for most Lemons cars but when you drive 13 hours to race a few interior luxuries help smile

https://i.imgur.com/NZ4mnyB.jpg

Re: windows- yea or nay?

gus wrote:

We drive to and from the tracks so we have all the windows in. Rule 3.J.9 is easy to pass, I just laser cut some thin textured ABS sheet to fit and then bolted it to the door with some rivnuts. Probably a little too nice for most Lemons cars but when you drive 13 hours to race a few interior luxuries help smile

https://i.imgur.com/NZ4mnyB.jpg

ah so you have stock glass + regulator and just cover the panel? But that doesn't allow you to extend the door bars outward right?

15

Re: windows- yea or nay?

stickman wrote:
gus wrote:

We drive to and from the tracks so we have all the windows in. Rule 3.J.9 is easy to pass, I just laser cut some thin textured ABS sheet to fit and then bolted it to the door with some rivnuts. Probably a little too nice for most Lemons cars but when you drive 13 hours to race a few interior luxuries help smile

ah so you have stock glass + regulator and just cover the panel? But that doesn't allow you to extend the door bars outward right?

Right all the stock window stuff is still inside the door, just sealed up. The door bars don’t extend into the door no, but we do get a few more inches clearance than with the stock door cards.

Re: windows- yea or nay?

gus wrote:
stickman wrote:
gus wrote:

We drive to and from the tracks so we have all the windows in. Rule 3.J.9 is easy to pass, I just laser cut some thin textured ABS sheet to fit and then bolted it to the door with some rivnuts. Probably a little too nice for most Lemons cars but when you drive 13 hours to race a few interior luxuries help smile

ah so you have stock glass + regulator and just cover the panel? But that doesn't allow you to extend the door bars outward right?

Right all the stock window stuff is still inside the door, just sealed up. The door bars don’t extend into the door no, but we do get a few more inches clearance than with the stock door cards.

I'm sort of leaning this way. As I mentioned, it rains up here now and then. What do you folks (with no drivers window) do  in the rain? Is it not a problem?

Anyway, I had the floor modified so I could fit the seat in there (height-wise). When I pick the car up tomorrow I'll be able to tell if X bars are even an option or if I need to put them in the door anyway (it's a narrow cockpit)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

Anytime you are racing your windows have to be down, rain or shine.   We kept our window tracks in when we stored the cars outside, it was easy to fit the window in the track and stick a piece of wood under it in the door to hold it up for nighttime, transport, and storage.

Chris from 3 Pedal Mafia

Re: windows- yea or nay?

Too much worry about racing with the window down,everyone does it, you do not get wet like when sitting still, the back window is more important as the water comes off the roof and blows forward and that doesn't even get to be a issue.

There are soooo many other things to get right...

Homestead Chump 5th-Sebring 6th-PBIR Lemons 9th - Charlotte Chump  CrashnBurn 9th
Sebring 6th again -NOLA Chump 1st -PBIR Chump Trans Fail 16th
Daytona 11th - Sebring 6th - Atlanta Motor Speedway 2nd - Road Atlanta Trans Fail 61st-Road Atlanta 5th
Daytona 13th - Charlotte 9th - Sebring 2nd-Charlotte 25th broken brakes - Road Atlanta 14 10th-Daytona 14  58th- Humid TT 19th Judges' Choice!

Re: windows- yea or nay?

zakp73 wrote:

My car is street registered and I regret pulling the windows. I removed them for the sake of nascar bars, but X’s are strong, way easier to fab and allow you to keep windows.

same. even if you store the car somewhere warm and dry, windows are still nice to have (if the cage doesn't need to go into the doors).

missing glass (I have a station wagon, so 5 missing panes besides the mandatory front 2) and removing HVAC(defrost) are the two biggest regrets I hear after someone builds their car

"THE WONDERMENT CONSORTIUM"
Everything dies baby that's a fact,
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back?

Re: windows- yea or nay?

why would you keep the windows in the car? if you are installing "NASCAR" door bards you won't be able to run one as the bars  SHOULD go all the way out to the door skin.

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

Re: windows- yea or nay?

You put the glass in when you aren't racing. Doesn't need to go up and down, just be in.

Easier to do with a full door frame, but doable.

Also some teams are skinny people and don't need to go through the door for the cage. I've raced two cars like that, and I'm not even skinny. Is it comfortable, not as much, but it works.

Mistake By The Lake Racing (MBTL)
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Re: windows- yea or nay?

Guildenstern wrote:

You put the glass in when you aren't racing. Doesn't need to go up and down, just be in.

Easier to do with a full door frame, but doable.

Also some teams are skinny people and don't need to go through the door for the cage. I've raced two cars like that, and I'm not even skinny. Is it comfortable, not as much, but it works.

you can also cut lexan to fit, lighter and easier to work with

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

23 (edited by Stan in Bham 2020-05-13 07:13 PM)

Re: windows- yea or nay?

We left all the windows in, same as Gus. 

We run a New Beetle ('02) with the inner metal door panels (not the plastic interior panels) in place and speaker openings sealed with coffee can lids. Our car is still street registered and is parked in the driveway, so we like keeping the rain out. We roll the windows down to race, and back up after we're off the track. We aren't competitive for Class B wins and can't seem to bribe our way into C; so the convenience outweighs the miniscule weight savings/speed increase of deleting windows.

If we ever get in danger of competing for the Class B trophy we'll think about taking the windows out.  Best advice I got starting out was to not worry about getting faster until after we made the car reliable. After you can finish the race regularly, then work on getting faster.  Of course, if we spend too much more time at home these days we may put Lexan in the rear & rear side windows out of boredom, but don't knock yourself out on things you can upgrade later when you are working on a first build. 

We are glad we kept the factory defrost and wipers, too.  Decided to do that after reading about people struggling to see at Atlanta in 2017 in the snow, and it paid off at both of our December races (Atlanta '18 and '19).