The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop 53 corner windows

I have a 53 gmc 5 window that is chopped 6 inches and am having a hard time finding windows for the corners. Does anyone have any suggestions or helpful hints. Thanks

welcome Mac. There is suposed to be a place here in WA in Oak Harbor that deals in Antique auto glass. Try a Google search for antique auto glass and see what pops up.

Good luck!

Thanks. I have been thinking of puting plexiglass in but TAP plastics told me that they couldn't curve it for me. It's kind of cold driving with no windows I need to do something soon.

Hello Mac. I got your message earlier.Welcome.I have found this website very helpful.This summer I attended the Streetrod Nationals in Louisville and talked to several poeple with chopped 5 window AD trucks. A couple of them had dropped the glass inside and formed the frame for the proper fit. Most had made plexiglass windows and they all looked great. I couldn't tell them from glass. The way they did it was by forming a sheet metal pattern to the window shape. On the inside of the pattern, weld a brace so it will hold its shape. Cut the plexiglass larger than the finish size. Place it in a household oven and heat it until the fits the pattern. Trim properly and install. I'm sure it will take some experimenting, but it sounds like a good plan and makes alot of since to me. I saw the results and was impressed. I'd love to see pictures of your truck. I have thought about lengthening a 68/72 truck. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Ron

Mac,
Are you saying that you are looking for stock corner windows or modified (cut) corner windows ? If stock, I might have an extra pair up in my attic. Bay area?
Where?

Thanks. It sounds like the plexiglass route is the best way I'll have to give it a try. SO far this site has been great, I've been looking for a site like this for some time now. I didn't do the work on the chop or xtension but they way it was done was they used 2 cabs. They cut the 5 window cab at about the middle of the door then cut the other cab just behind the door. Welded the two and the door halves together, filled the windows and door handles and voila. When you look from the inside you can still see the other door halves and see where they were welded. I'll have to take some pics and post them.

I need cut windows. I have plenty of stock ones. They don't help much. Thanks anyway. I'm in San Carlos.

Mac, take your stock " new-view " corner windows to a glass shop & have them use the " wet belt " on them . They can grind them down to your specs.

I was told that they couldn't be sanded because they would shatter. They don't say laminated on them all they say is SOLID. I was unsure if they were tempered or not.

HI MAC,

YOU WILL HAVE TO GO WITH PLAEXIGLASS, YOU CAN NOT
CUT OR SAND OR BLAST THE FACTORY GLASS, BECAUSE IT IS TEMPERED GLASS - TRYED THEM ALL, WE EVEN TRYED THE UNDER WATER CUTTING WITH NO LUCK.

WHEN YOU CHOP THE TOP YOU LOSE THE CURVE FROM
SIDE TO SIDE & TOP TO BOTTOM.

WE JUST FINISH CHOPPING A 1948 4" FOR A CUSTOMER
NOW HE WANT'S TO HAVE THE CORNER WINDOW AREA
FILLED IN & HAVE THE BACK WINDOW OPENED BACK UP TO
STOCK HEIGHT, IF WE CAN & OPEN IT UP FROM SIDE TO SIDE AS FAR AS WE CAN & KEEP IT WITH FLAT GLASS.

HOPE THIS HELP'S

Well, back in 1975 when I chopped mine I didn't do any of that fancy "mold" stuff. I just made a template out of cardboard, used it as a pattern to cut the plexiglass. Then set the plexiglass in one of my moms baking pans as I remember. I "baked" the window at about 450 for about 5 minutes and pulled it out to cool. I just took a guess at how much curve and hit it right on the money. Those same windows were in it when I sold the cab (I am chopping and sectioning a "new" one) over 20 years later. Plexiglass is cheap, just do it.
[img]http://members.aol.com/buickfam/topchopping.jpg[/img]

Nice pants, MartinSR.

Thanks for the info. I drove the truck yesterday to Rick's Glass in Fremont and he told me the same thing. So it looks like plexiglass is the way to go. Martinsr you said 450 degrees for about 5 min or so? I'm gonna have to put windows in it soon. I drove it to work today and it rained on me all day. Might as well been driving a convertable. But it was still fun. I guess I'll be stopping by tap plastics this weekend. Thanks again for the info guys.

Mac, I am in Fremont, I can't wait to see your truck around town. I drove mine with no door glass for a number of years! I used to commute to San Leandro without the windows and the vacumn windshield wipers hardly working. Those were good times, actually. I used to mirror glaze it every saturday! LOL I remember like it was yesterday the first time I cruzed it chopped, with the hood off and velosity stack sticking out on the strip (Fremont Bl, can you believe it) on saturday night with my Kiss destroyer 8Track in the deck. LOL

Martinsr, I just can't stop driving my truck, rain or shine. Like I said I drove it to work today and became a wet rat, but a happy one. My truck is a 53 GMC 5 window, chopped 6 in and extended 20 in. The whole truck sits on a (GASP!!) 85 **** f150 frame (disc brakes, power steering, IFS) with a 69 Buick 350 motor and tranny out of GS. The whole thing is painted red with a whole s@#$ load of metal flake in it. I'll have to cruise it over to Fremont and show you some day. But you will proabably see me on the road. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month my truck club meets in Fremont at the Bakers Square on Thornton Ave at 7:30. I usually drive it to the meetings wrapped up like the michelin man.

I'd like to see your truck also, or do I remember you saying that you sold it?

I did a shop tour recently of a fellow who made a mold of his corner windows. He then cut a piece of plexiglas using a template of the old glass. He layed the mold flat, placed the plexiglas on the mold, baked it in the oven and then let it cool. He then trimmed it to fit the chopped hole. Did a fine job of it ... I believe he used body filler to make the mold. Seemed like a really nice way to go. I could check and see what he actually used for the mold if you want?

I'd love to see more pics, MARTINSR, if you're so inclined. Looks like that is (was?) one interesting truck!

Regards,
Wannabe

Still got it, I sold that cab and have a "new" one that is being sectioned as well as chopped.
This is the sectioning of the rear.
[img]http://members.aol.com/icantunderstand/sectioningrear.jpg[/img]

This is how I drove it to highschool;
[img]http://members.aol.com/goodstuff53/primer.jpg[/img]

This is what it looked like before I tore it down for the rebuild.

[img]http://members.aol.com/buickfam/mytruck.jpg[/img]

WOW!! I've never really been one for heavy body mods, but your truck looked great in those "finished" shots, MARTINSR. How come you're redoing it? body damage, or just time for a change?

Regards,
Wannabe

Martinsr, that is one nice truck! It looks like mine, except for the extended cab part & the whole GMC thing. Mine is almost the same color but with a lot of gold flake in it. But very nice truck. How much are you going to chop and section your new cab?

Wannabe, just time I guess. Next year it will be thirty years I have had it.

Mac, it is sectioned 2 1/2" and chopped the same as before at four.
This is how it looks today. The rear will be much lower of course.
[img]http://members.aol.com/buickfam/sectionedtruck.jpg[/img]

Martinsr, that looks great I can't wait to see it finished. Let me know when you are going to make your corner windows I'd like to watch you make them and learn, or did you keep the ones from your other cab.

Looks great, MARTINSR. Always nice to see a love affair last that long!

Regards,
Wannabe

Wantabe, yeah, I met my first wife after I had the truck for about three years. I divorced 13 years ago and now have been married for 11. Funny thing is my oldest son who is 20 has never had a bit of intrest in the truck. Now my little 5 year old loves it.

Mac, I actually plan on filling them. I have another top for it. At this point that is the plan, but I have always loved the windows. I just wanted something different.

Martinsr, Yeah I love those windows too, I thought about filling my windows in at one point but with the extended cab I would loose a lot of visability. That's funny how your oldest son has no interest in the truck. I am always hopeing that my son will get into hot rods and not ricers. Here's hopeing.

If you're going to fill the corner windows in anyway, wouldn't it be much cheaper to just START with a 3-window cab???

Mac, oh, he LOVES my '65 Buick Gran Sport Convertible. And likes rods, he just never got into the truck.

GMC, of course that would have been the best thing to do. I found the cab and it was just too nice to pass up. Besides, whether I want the windows or not comes and goes So until it has paint on it, it's anyones guess what I will do.

Martinsr, well at least he is into some cars. 65 gs huh, the motor and tranny (350-350 combo)in my truck came out of a 69 buick gs. My wife had a 64 wildcat as her first car, she is only 5'2". It was a site to see. Blocks on the pedals and everything.

Your running a Buick huh? Cool, my truck will be getting a .060 over 425 (440 CID). The Gran Sport has the orig 401 and runs real strong with a [email protected] in the quarter.

My dad sold Buicks for about 20 years and I literally cut my first tooth in a new Buick. Here is my brothers ALL Buick 1922 Roadster, yes even the body is Buick.

[img]http://members.aol.com/goodstuff53/arod.jpg[/img]

Martinsr, cool roadster all Buick too nice. I've been trying to find an alternator bracket for my motor. Do you have any suggestions. The bracket I have has the air conditioner mount on it as well, I want the one for just the alternator.

Mac, don't know about the bracket but check out my post on the Custom Classic truck magazine.