Side Windows

[guy mayers]

Hi all, I have no idea where this email came from, maybe someone picked up my address when I was surfing glass manufacturers looking for either sidescreen stockists (!) or people able to remanufacture. Anyway, I was approached by these people in Australia and wondered if anyone had heard of them? From what I can gather, the price of a pair of sidescreens in laminated glass would be about £200 if a quantity of 25 pairs was ordered.


http://www.sparseglass.com.au

Of course I guess it's going to get expensive to ship a ton of glass half way round the world and we'd have to source a pair of sidescreens to send as patterns. Who knows what the final total would be, but, if there's someone in Australia willing to do it for these prices, surely there must be someone in Europe willing to compete?
Guy

[mogul_x]

Originally posted by guy mayers
the price of a pair of sidescreens in laminated glass would be about £200 if a quantity of 25 pairs was ordered.

Hmmm... at that price, even I might be pursuaded to buy a set. Not so sure about the cost including shipping, though.

Just one question - anybody know whether laminated glass is acceptable as a side window? I was under the impression that side windows were usually tempered. Maybe that's only the case 'Stateside.

[mogul_x]

All,

Guy's comment earlier got me to thinking about other sources for window glass, and I thought I'd look around.

I found a shop here in the 'States that can do custom tempered side glass. A place called AutoTemp in Ohio. I need some more information to get an estimate, but here's what I found so far:

If we can get one orignal part (either hand, assuming they're symmetrical) there would be a one-time, $500 charge to make a CAD model, which could be mirrored to make both hands.

Assuming that the side glass has only a single radius of curvature, no tooling would be required. Based on the approximate size, the price would be in the $250 range for a single piece, with a run of 20 going for perhaps $100 each.

Amortizing the CAD charge over a run of 20 pieces would end up with a piece price of about $112.50, or $225 per pair (about 150 Pounds).

Bear in mind these are "from the hip" estimates, and we would need more information to get a decent quote. If the glass had a compound curve, tooling would be required, which would change the equations considerably. Still, it might be worth looking into if the information is available.

So, anybody know how to measure the curvature of a piece of glass?

Also, does Stephen Struthers still have that odd side glass available as a pattern?

[guy mayers]

I think Stephen may still have the side window but unless someone is very very very good at jigsaw puzzles.............
back to square one. I think the side screens have a double curvature, top to botttom and front to back, as if they'd been cut out of a huge glass bowl. This may complicate matters. Also, there is no guarantee that the left one is the mirror image of the right! My gut feeling tells me that no matter how long we try they will be prohibitively expensive.
Guy

[guy mayers]

Had a reply today, they can only work in laminated glass and toughened is required for sidescreens so this one was a dead end. I'll keep trying!
Guy

[Andrew Way]

Scott,

Would they accept a CAD file from you to remove the $500? If so I can do any of CAD work / 3D model. Do they require a sample to take measurements from?

Andrew.

[mogul_x]

Andrew,

I will have to ask whether they would accept a CAD file from an outside source, and how that would change the pricing structure. My experience has been that imported CAD files always need a little going over, so we may be able to get a reduction, if not elimination, of the CAD fee.

As for requiring a sample - not sure if it's absolutely necessary, but it would probably be helpful. If the CAD data is good, we should be able to do without a sample, but there's just nothing better than a real part to check dimensions.

I'll let you know what I find.

[SUSIT]

One can only say sorry, oh and perhaps try to blame the wife!

Stephen( handless ) Struthers

[Andrew Way]

I do not think you wanted to do that......

[Jeff Davison]

Hope that wasn't a right side :(

Jeff Davison

[thomas]

What's the curvature of the side windows? There must be a production car that has the same radius. Just need to find it!

It could then be cut to shape with a diamond cutter or by water jet cutting (a friend of mine did this with a windscreen)

Any comments?

Thomas

[mogul_x]

Thomas,

Sounds like something worth a look. I don't know if it would be easy though. Getting the right combination of curvature and size sounds like tall odds.

Not only do we have to find the right radius (or radii, as the case may be) but we also have to find a piece of donor glass where the radius is oriented such that a stratos glass can be cut from within its boundaries. If we find the right curvature, but the stratos pattern hangs off the edge, it's no good.

There's also the question of whether tempered glass can be cut. I am probably wrong, but I was under the impression that tempering usually took place after the glass was cut.

Sadly, I should know this, but I don't. I used to work in a plant that manufactured glass faces for avionics, so I really have no excuse...:rolleyes:

cheers,

[Jeff Davison]

Scott,

If you want to look further into the side glass issue, I finally have a left side peice.

The real deal.


Jeff Davison

[mogul_x]

Jeff,

Do you mean you finally have a right side piece? I thought you had already acquired a left, and needed a right to make a set.

Or is it that you still only have the single piece?

Either way, I think there has been enough interest in side glass to warrant some further investigation. Drop me a line and let me know what you've got in mind.

[Jeff Davison]

I have a left side. I thought you mentioned that if you had one side then you could have it pantographed into a CAD file then mirror it.

Still in need of a right side


Jeff

[mogul_x]

Jeff,

OK, got it. That Autotemp company I mentioned in the earlier post thought that they could duplicate or mirror a piece of O.E. glass. Their web site is www.autotempinc.com, and the phone number is +1 800 486 1547.

The estimates they gave me before were ballpark number based on single curvature glass with no dedicated tooling. They'd need some measurements, or the original piece, to come up with a more accurate estimate. If tooling is required, it could get pricey. I can't seem to find the name of the guy I spoke to there. He asked me to e-mail any information to him at: info@autotempinc.com

Let me know how you'd like to proceed. I've got access to a coordinate measuring machine here that could generate a 3-D map of the glass surface, but that would require that you send the glass up here and I am responsible for subsequent handling - not a prospect I relish.

[Sando]

Anyone know a good solution for polishing out scratches in Perspex?

I've got Tcut, cutting compound and 'renovo' polish all lined up but I don't want to make things worse than they are. (individual scratches not all over)

Anyone know of any other suitable products?

Should I be doing by hand or with a wheel / mop / on a drill (not too fast of course)?

Cheers
Rob:cool:

[roger001]

I use T cut, it works on the small scratches/scuffs, but not obviously on deep scratches.

[OZStratos]

Rob,

When I first got my side windows they had been badly oversprayed with 2 pack paint several years before. It had set like concrete and would not peel/chip/scrape from the perspex. I ended up polishing it all off using a product called "Brasso". The product is designed for cleaning brass (duh) and I had used it in the past for cleaning visors on motorcycle helmets.

First step was to clean a section that would not be exposed (ton of that on Stratos side windows) to make sure that I would not be making things worse. It all worked, so I painstakingly polished both windows by hand to remove the paint. Doing it by hand ensured that any errors would only be in a small area. It worked but it does not get rid of deep scratches or crazing.

Cheers
Paul Morton

[SUSIT]

Hi Rob
Iam sure there is a product available that glider pilots use on there mega exspensive toys. I will phone a friend as they say and see if i can get the name and details of a supplier.
Thanks for the pic. Sorry about the name mix up brain not in gear that day.

Stephen

[rutthenut]

When using T-cut or Brasso, does this actually bring the perspex back to a clear shiny finish? Or does it just smooth out the scratches but leave a dull result?

I've got some scratched areas that would benefit from polishing out, but I don't want to end up making things worse...

[roger001]

Originally posted by rutthenut
When using T-cut or Brasso, does this actually bring the perspex back to a clear shiny finish? Or does it just smooth out the scratches but leave a dull result?


No you get a nice shiny side window, I did mine last week they had a years worth of barn muck on them, and looked terrible but they polish up beutifully, apart from some deep crazing and one fissure that has develped in a top edge.

With T cut that is I have not tried Brasso

[Andrew Way]

Get down to your local caravan centre; they use Perspex polish on there tasty orange windows. Don't be tempted to buy a caravan though..... it'll look naff on the back of a Strato’s:D

Andrew.

[Sando]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm glad I was on the right track.

I must admit to have tried brasso in the past on other polishing projects with good results. But I'd not thought of it for this.

My main concern was that some of the quite strong chemical combinations in these cutting compounds might have an effect on the perspex and craze the surface or turn it yellow.

Sounds like it should be fine. The Renovo product seems to add a final finish, it's the one used for renovating soft top windows.

There are a couple of deep ones to sort out too. The original Chap who threw my car together left me a few!

And don't worry I shan't be tempted to buy a caravan !

cheers
Rob :cool: