1958 Chevy

[lordstanley13]

I received a call today for a completely restored 1958 Chevy. It was a starbreak on the drivers side upper corner. The windshield is original and is the kind that curves in on the sides. The legs are starting to creep towards the bend in the glass.

I have not done the job yet, just looked at it today. But will make the attempt in the next day or two.

My question is. I am going to need to drill this glass. But in 1958 did they make the 2 layer tempered glass? Im afraid if I drill it, it might just go right through.

Can someone give me some insight on how to tackle this job, obviously this is a show car and it is his baby. He told me to replace this windshield to original it will cost him over $1500.00

Im kinda nervous on this one...

[dgarza]

you should be able to tell if the crack is on the inside by using your probe to check the inside glass. if it is then it is probably only 1 layer. I have never fixed those before. if it is 2 layer then go for it. just be sure to cover your butt. make sure the customer knows theres always a chance it could fail. in those situations i dont charge the cust anything if it does fail while im working on it. that way they are in the same boat as before i started.

[lordstanley13]

Yes, I have already informed him when I was looking at it today. I didnt have my tool kit with me but did run my finger across it from the inside and it seemed intact. Its just a lil tricky for me because on the an old windshield like that the sides bow in. And one of the legs is right on the crease of the bow.

[screenman]

If it was a toughened screen as we call it it would not starbreak but just fall into a thousand pieces where sustaining a damage. I am sorry I do not know your experience level and feel maybe if you have doubts it might be best to pass is on to someone with more experience. I personaly feel we should only tackle jobs on pride and joy cars when we have the utmost confidence we can complete the job to the highest level. We do work for a local car club and these guys are in love with every part of their vehicles. If you do attempt then very lightly and slowly is the way to go, get the vehicle inside so that temperature and UV is not a problem and take your time and maybe a couple of stress pills. Good luck.

[starstruck]

I'm fairly certain that those were laminated glass just as todays vehicles are.
Just handle like a normal repair but be patient and cautious.

[Guelster]

I tried looking it up on the internet. I found this, hopefully it helps to see if the 58 Chevy is laminated.


1924 First laminated windshields are installed in cars.
1927 Springfield, MA plant produces the first plastic interlayer (nitrocellulose) used in laminated windshields.
1938 All US domestic windshields are converted from cellulose acetate to PVB. Legislation requiring laminated windshields begins to appear in several states.
1951 Back windows of cars shift from laminated glass to tempered, reducing PVB usage.
1961 PVB production begins in Europe with a plant in Ghent, Belgium. Side windows of most North American vehicles convert to tempered glass.
1965 High penetration resistance interlayer (HPR) is introduced to the industry. This triples the penetration resistance of windshield interlayer, and is called the greatest automotive safety development of its time. This product is such a dramatic success that the entire auto industry converts by 1966.
1967 Federal Standards mandating penetration resistance are implemented.
1972 Independent study confirms improved performance of HPR films thus making HPR windshields superior, with no penetration in real accidents.
1984 A New Color Process (NCP) co-extrusion process is introduced which is a major breakthrough that reduces customer lead time.
1988 Saflex Opticolor

[screenman]

Thank you for that post it was very interesting. I would guess that the Chevy screen or shield is not the original and has at some time been replaced with a more modern laminated shield.

[J.T.Window]

I did a '53 Buick Skylark convertible a few weeks back and got some education in the process. My customer wanted the glass repaired because the best price he'd found was in the thousands for custom-made. I called my local 'old-car-glass' guy -- classicflatglass.com, and got a price of around $500-600. My next customer (a collector) tells me that real collectors don't want modern replacement and would rather have a worn original, so I'm glad my 4 repairs came out looking good. 2 customers later I mention the Skylark and the guy tells me one just like it went for $170K at an auction recently in New York.
Your car, the '58, absolutely came with laminated glass. Problem is: if it's original or close to it, the layers are VERY THICK so you need to watch what you're doing. There's not much 'give' to glass that thick, but maybe it won't crack out easily either. Good Luck

[Glasseye]

If the damage is right on the tight curve of the glass there is a high risk of the repair " running out" owing to the higher stress factor at that point when the glass was manufactured, definitely prewarn your customer that the risk of the repair failing is high and give yourself the best possible chance of repairing it i.e. undercover, right temperature, patient repair, no excessive pressure.

[Nomad]

I do a lot of repairs on motorhomes with thicker glass and severe curves. Keep your injector tip flush with the glass by keeping the bridge as close to vertical as possible. Drill a little deeper if you are drilling the repair. If the leg going down the curve starts to creep and the center part is pretty much done, finish the center and cure it to stabilize the damage. Then drill (and pop) the end of the leg to fill it from the other end.
I am sure this is laminated as they all have been since the 20s or so. Screenman is right that if it was tempered it would have shattered into little crumbly pieces when hit.

Guess I'm feeling a little on the old side here, my first car was a 55 plymouth and then a 58 ford. The ford was three speed on the column with overdrive. 20 mpg at 75 mph on two lane highways. That was 40 some years ago and mileage hasn't improved much.