solid tempered tops crack or explode???
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
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solid tempered tops crack or explode???
if a rock flies through the air or a golf ball etc... and strikes a solid tempered top will it crack or will it explode over the passengers??? i know from personal experience that the solid tempered side windows explode, new replacement tops come in solid tempered only, tired of looking at my CRACKED laminated top
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,030
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From: Lubbock Texas
if a rock flies through the air or a golf ball etc... and strikes a solid tempered top will it crack or will it explode over the passengers??? i know from personal experience that the solid tempered side windows explode, new replacement tops come in solid tempered only, tired of looking at my CRACKED laminated top
DC
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Instructor
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thanks, i would prefer to replace with used laminated, i know first hand that if something happens to them you still have protection above you, with tempered an errant object would ruin a road trip and possible an interior as you would have a hole above you and a car full of glass, i drive the shi.... out of my vette hence the 290k so i think about things like this, i had a tempered side window explode in my face as well, was adjusting the window with my head in the door guess i over tightened the fastener, so i know what it is like to have a car full of glass! seems to me tempered glass is tempered glass t tops or not????
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Racer
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: deposit new york
if you need the passenger side one, i have a great original one that is just sitting in my garage, my drivers was cracked. i got mine from full throttle, but they dropped shipped em, i am sure there is only a few companys that sell them to all the venders
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Instructor
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
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thanks, my good top is light blue i believe or dark blue, so would be a mis match, were you able to replace with a new laminated top in your tint color?
Racer
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 420
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From: deposit new york
my drivers side was blue, it was a replacement that one of the PO's did long before i found it. my new ones are a light tan or bronze and match my camel interior perfect. i was really impressed with the replacements i got, exact match for the car exept they dont have the original date code, right color, right top, right glass 
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2012
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my drivers side was blue, it was a replacement that one of the PO's did long before i found it. my new ones are a light tan or bronze and match my camel interior perfect. i was really impressed with the replacements i got, exact match for the car exept they dont have the original date code, right color, right top, right glass
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Shamong, NJ
Factory 78-80 tops were laminated glass. They were experiencing a lot of breakage, assembling the laminated glass tops. They switched to tempered glass for the tops in 81, in an effort to reduce the amount of breakage during assembly.
In my 35 + years in the Corvette hobby, I've seen a lot of broken factory glass tops, both laminated and tempered, and I've never seen any that "exploded".
Thread Starter
Instructor
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LOF is the maker of the glass, Libby, Owens, Ford. It does not mean your tops are laminated. Below the LOF logo, the tops should say on them either "Laminated" or "Tempered".
Factory 78-80 tops were laminated glass. They were experiencing a lot of breakage, assembling the laminated glass tops. They switched to tempered glass for the tops in 81, in an effort to reduce the amount of breakage during assembly.
In my 35 + years in the Corvette hobby, I've seen a lot of broken factory glass tops, both laminated and tempered, and I've never seen any that "exploded".
Factory 78-80 tops were laminated glass. They were experiencing a lot of breakage, assembling the laminated glass tops. They switched to tempered glass for the tops in 81, in an effort to reduce the amount of breakage during assembly.
In my 35 + years in the Corvette hobby, I've seen a lot of broken factory glass tops, both laminated and tempered, and I've never seen any that "exploded".