The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → O.E.M. windshield or Lexan
Our team is talking about removing the OEM windshield and replacing it with lexan. The OEM windshield does have a rock chip down by the dash, but I don't think it obstructs my vision at all. Why should we do this? Why should we not?
Windshield wipers. They scratch the hell out of lexan. OEM style windshields are cheap. Only time I'd consider Lexan is if the stock windshield frame has been altered/damaged to the point that a stock one can't be fitted.
Firstly, do not consider lexan without scratch resistant coating, regular stuff will scratch with the slightest brush of a butterfly wing. We have great luck with mar guard protected lexan, wipers do no damage 20+ races
Pros:
Loose weight
Forgot hood pins and flipped hood up? No problem!
Fits even after modifying roof
Cons:
Cost as much or more then glass
Needs bracing
Notes
If using rivets to install, you must go a drill size larger in the plastic to keep from cracking, use aluminum shank as to not pull too tight
Watch paint over spray, it aint easy to remove.
shouldn't even be a question. Stock windshield, even one with chips, whenever even just remotely possible. To do anything else is just to make due because stock windshield is not possible
I am considering switching to Lexan as this will be the third windshield we've had to replace, Our last race put 3 major cracks in our windshield, All due to other cars off track excursions spreading pea stones all over the track which are constantly thrown skyward by sticky tires. It's not just the windshield cost, it's also the cost and install time of our defroster element. What thickness Lexan are you guys using?
What thickness Lexan are you guys using?
We used 1/4" in the Kim Jong Elantra. The rules specify 1/4" when using it as a firewall but makes no recommendation on thickness for a windscreen. So, I asked The Evil One; he said 1/4".
BTW, we considered using LExan on our second build to save weight. But the KJE windshield is pretty scratched up; so, we decided to stay with the stock windscreen in The John Playa Special. I'm glad we did.
--bb
The windshield in our Corvette was cracked and smashed in about 6 places, so I KNEW it was not going to be legal to use.
Because its a Corvette it was actually CHEAPER to go for a Lexan windshield from 5 star then it was to get a glass one and have it installed.
A few braces made from hardware store steel strips and some tabs made from scrap metal we had around the shop took care of keeping things safe. I used the factory frame to trap the lexan in place and Zexel silicone to seal things up. It takes some time, but was not that hard to do.
As others have said, make sure its coated so your wiper blades don't ruin it!
The main reason I did lexan was it saved me a few bucks and I could do it myself in our own shop (pretty rural...not a lot of glass trucks in the area!)
But yes indeed it DOES save a chunk of weight out of the car...but...with a crown vic is 40ish pounds really worth the effort?? Your call.
it DOES save a chunk of weight out of the car...but...with a crown vic is 40ish pounds really worth the effort?? Your call.
Couldn't agree more with Tiptoe and Spank. Is the return on investment greater than your cost+effort input? But hey, everyone's calculations will come out differently based on priorities (free time, spare cash available, odds of ever making the podium, COVID lockdown boredom, alternative upgrades available, etc.).
Looking forward to seeing the Cosmo Crown Vic again at Barber.
[edit again]
I have two large sheets [5'x10'; yes, _feet_] of Makrolon[TM] polycarbonate to play with. I'll try clearcoat on it at some point to see what happens.
Apparently polycarbonate can be cut in a shear - I didn't know that.
Just to add: I've bought brand new windshields for a C4 corvette and Gen2 prius for $100 carried out the door in hand. On the corvette, some 3m window weld in a caulking gun did the job, in the prius it was just some double sticky tape that I thought I'd be able to undo and perform a little more work after removing it a second time... nope. Stuck permanently.
Granted, these were not OEM windshields and in the case of the prius, it took one of the sales people to dig a little and notice that the 2006 glass was cheaper than the 08 glass because it didn't have some sound deadening feature but was the exact same dimensions. What prompted them to dig was that she said most of the aftermarket "chinese windshields" average about $100 each.
This taught me that much of the cost of windshield replacement was the install and the trim moulding that they have to also replace when doing nicey nice passenger vehicles.
I also watched a professional remove a windshield from a junk car using what looked like a flexible putty knife mounted to harbor freight sawzall in one hand and a spray bottle of soapy water in the other. He had like 4-5 wooden drywall shims as well. Took him less than 2 minutes to have the old windshield out ready to be reused in another car.
Milwaukee has a windshield-specific tool; I believe with a different speed/stroke than a Sawzall; the blades are readily available to order.
The existing windshield is fine. A few chips from the tow vehicle throwing rocks up at it. But not anywhere near to fail Tech. We were just looking at this as a possible upgrade.
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
No. Never. The weight of the glass is not what is keeping you from dominating, and I feel safer behind a real windshield than I do lexan.
Having done one windshield removal and install myself [though with a supplied-to-me good, clean replacement] on a nicey nice daily driver: Oh, hell no.
Not until it wouldn't pass tech, Lexan or not.
The existing windshield is fine. A few chips from the tow vehicle throwing rocks up at it. But not anywhere near to fail Tech. We were just looking at this as a possible upgrade.
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
I broke my windshield on my hooptie, I replaced it with glass. I would only go lexan if I absolutely couldn't find a new or used windshield.
bobnowoc wrote:The existing windshield is fine. A few chips from the tow vehicle throwing rocks up at it. But not anywhere near to fail Tech. We were just looking at this as a possible upgrade.
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
I broke my windshield on my hooptie, I replaced it with glass. I would only go lexan if I absolutely couldn't find a new or used windshield.
/agree
rb92673 wrote:bobnowoc wrote:The existing windshield is fine. A few chips from the tow vehicle throwing rocks up at it. But not anywhere near to fail Tech. We were just looking at this as a possible upgrade.
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
I broke my windshield on my hooptie, I replaced it with glass. I would only go lexan if I absolutely couldn't find a new or used windshield.
/agree
So you now have 2 paths you can take:
Stock windshield glass or polycarbonate
Glad we could all clear that up for you.
[
So you now have 2 paths you can take:
Stock windshield glass or polycarbonate
Glad we could all clear that up for you.
3 paths,actually....
You could just leave it well enough alone and waste your money on something else.....
Have you considered one of those repair kits that injects plastic into the chip?
If your existing windshield was fine, would you do this?
You're kidding, right Bob?
Our list of stuff to do to the car is always about a page long in fine print. We try to avoid adding projects when possible. If my Powerball ticket hits then I'll retire and we'll do Lexan windshields and real-racer stuff like that...in the meantime I have too many hobbies and not enough free time as it is.
No I'm not kidding. The team captain, and our head mechanic, are talking about it. I handle all the paperwork, packing, team organization and the pit. all nit picky stuff, and none of the race build so I really don't have a vote. Also I don't have enough experience in auto repair or race car building in order to have an opinion.
I wanted to see what you Old-Timers thought
Follow-up question, We don't want the lexan to get scratched, so we're thinking about a windshield wiper delete and just using Rain-X. How good is Rain-X? I've never driven a car that didn't have windshield wipers
My experience:
Properly applied to stock windshield, it works really well when at speed, but does help visibility in rain regardless.
Water beads up nicely.
At 50mph, everything rolls up off the windshield, and it's a clear view.
When it's dry, there's a haze, which can be annoying.
Summer thunderstorm on the PA TPK in the Allegheny hills, rain in sheets, only two vehicles moving for 6 miles - me, with freshly applied Rain-X on all windows, and one tractor trailer. I could see his windshield was clear also, in my rear view mirror.
It was like being in an aquarium with the water on the other side of the glass.
Follow-up question, We don't want the lexan to get scratched, so we're thinking about a windshield wiper delete and just using Rain-X. How good is Rain-X? I've never driven a car that didn't have windshield wipers
How well does Rain-X work for dirt and mud thrown up onto the windshield from other cars? Not well at all in my experience.
Windshield wipers work well.
Hey, sometimes you just have to learn from doing. Go for it and report back your findings.
I've been to dozens of Lemons races and seen most cars up close. Here's what I'll tell you about windshields:
(1) A windshield's weight has never been the difference between winning and losing.
(2) A good, stock windshield requires considerably less effort to make work than Lexan. Wipers work with them without coating, you don't have to bend the Lexan, etc.
(3) Almost categorically, a home-installed Lexan windshield exists only because the team can't find an OEM replacement or an OEM replacement is prohibitively expensive.
(3B) A solid half of Lexan windshields are installed during race weekends. About 90 percent of dirt-track-mesh windscreens are installed during race weekends.
(3C) Hood pin mounts only work when the kotter pins are placed in them.
(3D) A stock hood latch is a great backup for when your absent-minded teammate waves you out of the paddock with his right hand while his left hand is holding the kotter pins.
TL;DR - Lexan windshields should be considered a last resort for Lemons duty.
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → O.E.M. windshield or Lexan