Vette, I can’t speak for glass, but other reproductions I’ve used like sheet metal, trim, seals, etc have all needed some tweaking. Some were close, some were almost perfect, but some were so bad that I actually threw my hands up and said WTF.
If you already have the glass, a glass shop should be able to help you out. You can grind ‘em down, but then you have to deal with all the dust and such.
If you haven’t bought the glass, take your originals in and have them cut you new ones to that pattern. I did this for my ‘51 one ton. It was so simple and fast. I got them 2 days later and they said they were behind schedule!
2 front windshields, 2 vent windows, 2 door windows, 1 rear glass= $440 Canadian.
1970 Chevrolet C10 Grandpa's -- My first truck -- In progress to shiny Follow the build in the Project Journal 1950 Chevrolet 1-Ton Dually "Ole Red Girl" In the Stovebolt Gallery More pictures here 1951 GMC 9430 1 ton dually--Shiny! | 1972 Chevrolet C20- Rusty- the puzzle box lid for the C10 | 1962 AMC Rambler American- my wife's Parts trucks- 1951 GMC 9300 | 1951-GMC 9430 | 1951- Chevrolet 1300
Lately it seems like there are many complaints about manufacturing faults of parts coming from Asia (fuel pumps, master cylinders, etc.). It could have been a bad day for the poor Asian factory glass cutter. It could also be that you cab is twisted a bit from a wreck. I take mine to Pfaff's Auto Glass in Winston-Salem, NC. They have been around since 1913. Your antique Chevy truck or a new Subaru Outback with a rock crack. They do it all and provide a warranty.
"Adding CFM to a truck will only help at engine speeds you don't want to use." "I found there was nothing to gain beyond 400 CFM."
X2 for me. I was on here searching for this exact issue. I installed my windshield but wasn’t happy with the fit. Seemed like the trim was bulging out. I removed it and compared with my old glass. The new one Is 1/8 to 1/4” bigger…..
Bring your old broke glass taped to cardboard to your local window place Have them cut to pattern new glass They can do plain glass Laminated Or tempered All at 6mm thick And it will be perfect
I got windshields for $47 cad each locally in Saskatoon SK. Their prices might higher now -s
This may be a helpful suggestion if you haven't already tried?
Do a web search like "window glass near Camarillo, CA". You should be able to see a list of all local businesses, including their websites if they have one. Next step as others suggested above, reach out to those indicating they do "custom glass" work (not just auto). Once you find someone and they agree to do the work, ask them to get back your originals (I did to compare the windows I had made this way). You may even ask them to give you the paper/cardboard templates they made in the process. Company in my area offered to give them back and have kept for future needs.
Let us know how the search turns out.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
Once you get the glass cut to size (assuming your body hasn't been damaged and the opening is now wrong because of that), be certain you get some good rubber. Once that is done, installing is not as difficult as you might think and we can walk you through that part. All you'll need is some Dawn, a 2mm nylon cord and a helper. Oh and some non-hardening 3M 08509 sealer for the rubber to body and some 3M 08693 Urethane for the rubber to the glass. Somewhere around here you will even find a tip I wrote on how to make your corners go straight and flat...because they won't want to no matter whose rubber you use. Please don't look in tech tips...things have not been added to that section in a while. PS...pick a cooler and less humid day to do this. I've done it during all times of the year and hot/humid makes it a lot worse. Second PS...when you apply the non-hardening sealer, put masking tape carefully all around the rubber to protect the paint and to make clean-up quicker and easier. Good luck!
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
This may be a helpful suggestion if you haven't already tried? Do a web search like "window glass near Camarillo, CA". You should be able to see a list of all local businesses, including their websites if they have one.
It seems that most glass places that used to do this work in California, have all dried up. All they do is replace OEM glass, no custom work. My last place, the old man retired and it turned in to a smog inspection shop. When I needed to get glass for the '40 Ford, the custom glass shop that was 5 miles away, is now an hour and a half East of me because it is a cheaper county to work in. Mostly because of less taxes and regulations, even if they are still in California.
Thank you for the tips. I really don't recall having any issues with install and I don't think that was a contributing factor. I guess now I get to do it twice! You can see the size difference in the attached pic. It seems substantial.
Its not just glass shops that have dried up. I've been doing this project for 4 years and its been a challenge to find people to do anything. I had to drive hours to find someone willing to sandblast. 2 years to get my caddy motor rebuilt. No one would touch my jetaway transmission. I ended up painting the truck myself piece by piece because paint shops wanted 50k and two year wait times before even starting. I found a few helpful people but like you said I think people have just moved further east or just out of CA.
The test for me will be whether I can actually get my truck registered. If I've done all this work and can't get the dmv to let me register it, I'm moving!
I feel sorry for you guys in California trying to do anything with antique cars.
Here in Georgia you can pretty much build anything you want, however you want, with virtually no restrictions. As long as the vehicle isn't stolen you can register it with no hassles. No safety checks, no smog checks, no checks on original equipment or anything.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
I like Georgia, cool place. My job almost moved me there a few years back. California can be a wacky place but probably does get exaggerated a bit. And don’t worry, I’m sure we’re going to destroy the rest of the country soon enough. But mnsmith is right, the AAA membership is so worth it. If it keeps me out of the DMV even one time I’d pay it.
On happier news, I was able to return the windshield I bought. So I’m just out the rubber.
No safety checks, no smog checks, no checks on original equipment or anything.
We have none of that since most of the stuff we are working on is pre 1975. And if your paper is in order, nobody will even look at original equipment. They just want to verify the VIN on the vehicle. I showed up with a 1951 Suburban that has a 1986 Vette drivetrain. Fenders barely hanging on and an Arizona title. All they wanted to see at AAA was the A pillar tag and that it matched the Arizona paper.
The real scam is the smog checks on new cars. The car will throw an engine code if there is anything wrong with smog equipment and still you have to go get your car smogged every few years. I guess the purpose is to catch the 1 in a 1000 person who disables smog equipment.
Well seems glass size on reproduction glass might be an issue for sure but one problem is I don't have the old glass to check. I had to replace roof skin and inner framing because of rust issues so this has become a "hunt and find" kind of thing. There is one man with a 49 with original glass going to check his against wooden pattern I made of the new glass and see how close they are. Got to be an answer somewhere....
