Getting new glass put into your car is pretty routine, in fact, most glass companies even offer mobile service and will install the glass while you are working or in your driveway at home. But what if you have a vintage or classic car that needs the glass replaced? Depending on the age of the car, it might be hard to find the glass and can be hard to install if you don't have the tools to do it right.
Finding Vintage Glass
If you are looking for glass for your vintage automobile, you probably are not going to find it at the local glass shop. There are some specialty glass companies that can help you source the glass or if you are really lucky, you might find some new old stock glass somewhere that has been forgotten on a shelf just waiting for you to find it. Another great place to look is swap meets. You might find the perfect piece of glass in perfect shape that someone was going to use but never did. Lastly, searching online is another good option but keep in mind that getting the glass from across the country could be tough. Shipping glass can be done but the old glass is more likely to be damaged in the process.
Installing The Glass
Once you have the glass you need for your vintage car or truck, you should talk to a commercial glass services installer about putting it in. The glass can get brittle as it ages and if you make a mistake when you are installing it, you could break that hard to find glass. The methods of installing this older glass are different than that of the modern counterparts in today's cars. Make sure that the installer has experience with older style glass installations before you pick a shop to install it for you. If they don't, you might want to seek out a restoration shop that specializes in working on classic cars and trucks to do the install for you.
Replacing The Window Seals
While you are installing the glass for that special car or truck, take the time to have the rubber seals on the glass changed as well. Even if the old ones look okay, you may end up with a leak after the glass has been replaced. Manipulating the rubber to put the new glass in can cause small tears in the seal that you might no0t even be able to see but water will find a way through them. For most cars, the seals can be found at a vehicle restoration parts dealer. They may be reproduction parts but if they look the same, it doesn't matter. They are there to keep the water out and the inside of the car undamaged. Often replacing the seals will make it easy to install the vintage glass as well.
Share7 February 2018
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