I have to change my windshield. Where is the best place to buy a new one. is ecklers or corvettecentral ok?

 

Try this

http://www.autocityclassic.com/

 

Have you used them before? are you satesfied with the result?

 

I used OEM Glass because I was told their glass was the same thickness as original and was an exact replacement. NOT TRUE. I paid ALLOT of money for something I could have gotten locally much much cheaper and I was not happy with the quality for other reasons.

 

Possible to get those other reasons aswell?
regards
Kay

 

If you are concerned with judging, you will want a correctly dated replacement windshield ($$). If you are not concerned with judging, any reputable auto glass shop can install a new windshield for you.

Makes it painless for you.

 

There are vertical bands in the corners where the bend starts. They're so bad on the drivers side it made me dizzy driving the car after I installed the glass. I had to stop and get a coffee. Particularly noticible when you take a corner and you're looking thru that part of the glass. I called to complain to them about it suspecting that it was a tooling mark from when they formed the glass...they guy said "Yeah, and if you look on the passenger side you'll probably see the same thing". Several conversations back and forth about it brought no satisfaction.

I agree with Easy Mike's comment, I was duped into thinking they could provide the correct replacement thickness. They cannot.

 

Unless your concerned with judging then I'd just pay $140 around the corner and have it done in under an hour. Otherwise why waste money on something like this that you may be replacing again in a, week, month, year, or hopefully much later. I'm extremely happy with the el-cheapo version that I got recently.

 

Thanks for the replyes everyone.

As i live in norway, the lokal shops around here will take $1000+ for the job.
I also think the "tinted line" in the bottom of the window, are important for looks.
Coding are not important for me.
I`m looking for the best quality window i can get, for a reasonable price.
So someone who have changed the windshield, and are happy with the result. Please comment

(I cracked the current windshield, when removing it because working with rust removal on the "window frame")

 

I got mine from the local shop 169.00 and it is spot on. Next time you have to remove one get some .040 stainless steel safety wire and 2 wooden handles and use that to remove it, works like a charm.

 

As long as we're on the subject, I have a windshield replacement question for you guys/gals:

As I am restoring my '70 I'm trying to keep as many original parts on as I can. The original windshield is not bad but has a few small rock chips and a light scratch from top edge to bottom middle on the driver's side where it looks like the wiper was run with no blade on it. None of these issues poses a safety or vision concern.

Question - if you were buying this car, would you prefer to have the original windshield still intact with a few flaws or would there be more value in a new correct replacement??

 

To me, I would rather have a nice windshield. It's like driving a new car with a clear one, and I think it makes the car look better from the outside also.

 

Had to change mine. Took the car to local Autolite shop.

 

Unless you are either planning for a Top Flight judging or you are building a custom (both extremes), the deciding factor for me would be the paint quality. If I were buying an original looking car with paint with some age on it, the glass with some age and little imperfections would not bother me- and Id prefer the original markings. However, if the paint is newer (or as in my case, you get the car painted) suddenly that dull, chippy windshield looks terrible next to the new paint. Its a lot like that OK chrome bumper set... its OK until you get the car painted and then... eccch.

Windshields are so cheap to buy and have installed, I dont find having a new one in the car when you buy it to be a big draw. However, once you take the old one out... it's suddenly time to think about windshield frame rot.

 

You guys are all correct! The reproduction windshields are a little bit thinner! They work fine when installed with the 5/16 tape or urethane and should not cause a problem.

I've never had glass from AutoCity and use them quite often. Once we received a glass with a scratch in it and they trucked another one in to us to replace it free of charge!

I have had a horrible experience with a PPG replacement glass for a 1979 once. The radius of the windshield was no where near close to being correct. As many times as I’ve preached to people about testing parts first we did not on this installation and had to remove it and start over.

If you are going to do windshield frame repair, we have a new Repair Help page on this at this link: http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairand...lp.php?hID=257

Knowing you are Norway, I think I would really consider letting the local shop do this job. By the time you purchase this glass and pay the shipping for it to Norway it may be even higher. In the same sense you also run the risk of damage during transit! If you contract this out locally they run the risk of damage.

International carrier damage claims are not easy to file and take months to get processed.

Willcox

 

I paid about $120 (including taxes) from a local glass outfit for my windshield. That did not include installation as I can do it myself (when I get to that point of the restoration). Only thing is, most don't have glass with the bronze shade, for those that need it. I went with blue shade.

Mark G

 

I agree, guess I'll work on getting it replaced as long as I have everything apart anyway. Hoping the frame is OK, only has very little patches of minor surface rust on the birdcage....but you never know till you get in there.

Appreciate all of the information shared here, makes me feel pretty good about opting for the local supplier / installer to get it replaced.

 

Correct me if this is a hijack (hope not). If you're in the auto glass biz, I have a question:

If - I - remove the glass and prepare the frame to my satisfaction [paint touch-up, ensure retaining clip integrity, thorough channel cleaning, remount brightwork, etc] to receive the new one, would that ease the mounting of the new glass with a possible discount in price? How about any warranty? (I imagine once they're done, it's mine if I screw up their work.)

Being that windshield technology has advanced quite a bit since our cars rolled off the line, I'm curious about the install techs abilities or do they get training on old car remove/replace?

With respects to Bill O'Reilly: What say you?

 

Thanks again for all the replyes. will take a new price check with the lokal shops.
But does anyone have any experience with the windshields from Ecklers or corvette central. The reason i am asking, is that i have some other parts that i am thinking about ordering, So the freight wouldnt be that bad if i have a large order.
i have found that i save a lot of money, on buying all my parts in USA, as long as i don´t have to "small" orders.

 

DustUp,

Let me share a story with you. It's about incompetent technicians:
I usually replace my own windshields because it's pretty easy, and I actually enjoy doing it every now and then. BUT, one time not long ago I took my car (Seville, in this case) to get the windshield replaced because I was really busy with work. Normally when guys work on my vehicles I hang around and watch them if I'm not familiar with their work ethic/practices to ensure things go get f'd up. Well, I picked it up and there were 4 dents on the back of the hood (from their elbows digging into it trying to remove/replace the new glass), and cuts in the headliner material near the glass and boogered up the cloth on the A-pillars. I didn't notice it right away because it was evening and raining when I picked up the car. When I went to use my wipers they swept WAY off the edge of the glass (not adjusted right). They broke the "T" for the washer fluid and just tucked the hose inside the fender. In addition, I paid extra for the OEM GM stainless windshield trim (vs the generic aftermarket black trim), which the installer managed to kink in one spot during the installation but put it on anyway, like I wouldn't notice a big kink in the trim.

Once I noticed all this the next day and I was steaming mad! I had recently had the car worked on after a wreck several months prior and paid extra money out of pocket for a new GM hood cause I didn't want a 'repaired' hood. They were rather sizable dents in the hood too! One issue alone wouldn't have been so bad, but all the problems added together was beyond incompetence in my mind! I had bought several windshields from this outfit over the years and knew them, and they always treated me right, which made it worse to confront them about it ..and remain calm. This happened on a Fri and I had all weekend to stew over it. I had all I could do to contain myself when I did talk to them on Monday. Well, what happened is they put some brand new guy on it and he was obviously an ape and didn't supervise which they should have. Anyway they eagerly stood behind it, put new glass and trim on it ...and had the dents pushed out by a dent doctor guy (he did an amazing job and I cannot tell it was dented, BTW). Fortunately they were responsive and it didn't have to get confrontational. I feel pretty good about it now, but the cuts in the headliner and some of the soiling and damage on the A-pillars I pretty much got to live with.

The point of this story is that it's a good ideal to hang around and observe that the installation meets your specs if you are unfamiliar with the installer.

Mark G