Replacing glass with lexan./perspex?

[VladTepes]

Anyone replaced flat glass windows with lexan / perspex / whatever before?



I need to replace some cracked windows on the hard canopy on my Ute.



Dunno if it would be cheaper (and prob would scratch easy) but it'd be lighter.

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

[Dorian]

Lexan / polycarbonate would be the go as it's a lot tougher than Perspex / Acrylic.

Though polycarbonate scratches a lot easier than Acrylic.

Best price I've had on Polycarbonate is Dotmar, but they only do full sheets. However it was cheaper than getting a 1/3 sheet from anywhere else.

Cheers Glen

[Slunnie]

I wouldn't use perspex/acrylic because of the way that it breaks, as in it breaks sharp.

Polycarbonate wont break, it will just flex out.

Personally I'd stay with glass, unless you break it, it will still look the same in 20 years as it does the day you put it in.

[mfc]

I be seen a lot of Ute cabs with non glass rear windows....mostly scratched and fogged from uv.
Be an idea if you were replacing the whole side windows as a fixed one price unit to replace the sliding ones

[VladTepes]

I wouldn't use perspex/acrylic because of the way that it breaks, as in it breaks sharp.

Polycarbonate wont break, it will just flex out.

Personally I'd stay with glass, unless you break it, it will still look the same in 20 years as it does the day you put it in.

Polycarbonate - that's the word / material I was actually trying to think of in the first place!

Its not a matter of replacing existing good glass - the rear window and one of the two side windows are cracked and will need to be replaced with something in due course.

The side windows are an odd rhomboid shape (like a slanted rectangle) and I was thinking of modifying the canopy slightly to fit other windows.

Any idea of some affordable lift up (aka gull-wing) style side windows I could use?

They'd make access to things in the rear much easier - at the moment I cant open the windows anyway without getting into the back of the ute and sliding them open. And there's no point in doing so.

[Bigbjorn]

Polycarbonate - that's the word / material I was actually trying to think of in the first place!

Its not a matter of replacing existing good glass - the rear window and one of the two side windows are cracked and will need to be replaced with something in due course.

The side windows are an odd rhomboid shape (like a slanted rectangle) and I was thinking of modifying the canopy slightly to fit other windows.

Any idea of some affordable lift up (aka gull-wing) style side windows I could use?

They'd make access to things in the rear much easier - at the moment I cant open the windows anyway without getting into the back of the ute and sliding them open. And there's no point in doing so.

I raced a Holden 149 EH Standard in a Showroom Stock class at Lowood. Cheating was rife. Smoky Yunick would have been in his element. I replaced the flat glass with perspex off-cuts from an op shop to save quite a bit of weight. The scrutineers did eventually catch on to this and other tricks. I was waving and pointing the rule book and asking where does it say I can't do this. Chief Scrutineers reply was "Line One-Showroom Stock."

[karlz]

I raced a Holden 149 EH Standard in a Showroom Stock class at Lowood. Cheating was rife. Smoky Yunick would have been in his element. I replaced the flat glass with perspex off-cuts from an op shop to save quite a bit of weight. The scrutineers did eventually catch on to this and other tricks. I was waving and pointing the rule book and asking where does it say I can't do this. Chief Scrutineers reply was "Line One-Showroom Stock."

The EH max speed? 50mph? As fast as my 2.25 Diesel Series IIa

[Bigbjorn]

The EH max speed? 50mph? As fast as my 2.25 Diesel Series IIa

A stock one would do 85 mph. My "Showroom Stock" racer would pull 6200 down the straight at Lowood on a 3.36:1 diff. Showroom Stock classes were by $$$$. Manufacturers published RRP. The 149 Standard EH had a list price of under 1100 quid and squeezed in with Datsuns etc. They ruled that class.