Hi all,

Have a 81 vette, think bout tinting the rear window. Want to see if I can do it myself. Going to use the 3M 5% limo black film, legal here in Texas. Have seen the tint run two ways, first..with vertical seams and then with horizontal seams. Have also seen it done in one-piece applications. Those of you that have the window tinted, how has yours held up..would like to try to avoid the puckering that occasionally happens on the curved part of the rear glass once the film has cured. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and peace out <*)))>< Joe :)

 

I'm interested in this question also... any one have any experience here???

 

I have done some tinting on my own stuff, and I can tell you that doing the vette rear window in one piece is going to kill you....

The worst one that I have tried to do was a friends mid 70's rustang....and I sat for hours with the hot air gun, trying to remove the bubbles and the wrinkles on the curved rear glass....

If you do it yourself, do the rear window in about 3 or 4 pieces, this will give you the dreaded lines, but it will assure you the best adheasion...
And do the lines top to bottom. just take your time, start with the middle pieces, and let each piece dry enough to prevent lifting when you start squeegeeing the next piece.
Use a little soap in your water, and scrape the window clean with a razor blade.

Remember that the more water you use the more time you will have to get it right.......

Wet and clean are the magic words..... :cheers:

P.S. I just paid to have mine done by a professional. and he is going to have to redo them again to get them right...

 

Hi I will tell you a few things to think about
If you tint that window and it has a defroster in it and you are unhappy with the tint job you are looking at an almost impossible job of removing the glue from the window without damaging the defroster.

My tinter can do that window in about 10 minutes in one piece and would charge about $100.00

If you tint it in strips it will never come out nice.

Finally if I can't convince you to take it to a professional the way to do that is in one piece place the tint on the outside of the window with the backing side up just as the tint will be facing when you put it in the car. With the backing still applied CAREFULLY use a heat gun to SHRINK the tint in the areas it needs to be shrunk to get rid of the areas that are too large. cut it to fit the glass on the outside of the car. take the backing off in a clean place and keep it full of water or you will be sorry. I wish I had more advice fron there on out.

My tinter uses filters on his water bottles and is really an atrist. I would suggest at least watching a professional before you attempt it on your own

I dont think you will ever get away fron puckering unless you shrink some of the tint even if you use strips they will still pucker.

Oh yeah they usually have a lifetime warranty in a shop and use the best tint (usually) :banghead: <------ me trying to tint anything other than flat glass

 

Just had my 81 done by a professional and let me tell you I am glad it was him and not me. The poor guy worked his butt off and he did it in one piece. It looks great but I do not think I could have done it myself. Sounds easier to do than it is .
Good LUCK
:steering:

 

I did mine myself, it was a PITA. If you are serious about doing it yourself do vertical strips and try to line the seams up with the defroster wires. I ended up taking mine of which was as hard as putting it on. The glass curves in both directions which makes putting the tint on and having it look nice almost impossible. I would say take it to a professional. :cheers:

 

There is also the 1 piece curved lexan tint insert from Ecklers or MAD or one of those guys. Its removable and does not damage your defroster and supposedly can be removed-installed in minutes.

When I get to this point I will seriously consider this. Some other forum guys said they were using this and had good luck with it.

Brent...

 

can you remove the defroster wires without damaging the rear glass ??

 

Yes you can remove the defroster wiers but as you might imagine say bye bye to rear defroster. you can remove it with a new razor blade... actually a whole box of blades - Don't use damaged blades or you can scratch the glass. :banghead:

 

I have the 1 piece curved lexan tint insert. It conforms to the curve of the glass. Just pop it in or out, no big deal. Works well. I would post a pic but it is at the house where the vette is being painted.
Neil in Tenn

 

my 79 is tinted one piece...cant stand the cheezy look of seams...
you could probably do it yourself with seams but it will take a pro to do it one peice...it is VERY difficult and takes experience...
go to a pro and pay to have it done one peice...
as far as holding up well...USE GOOD FILM...not the cheap stuff...
i had mine done for $75...looks great...took the pros 2 tries!

 

i was quoted a price of $100 for 1 piece pro job. on the lexan tint piece(about $100) you pop in or out, the only drawback i heard was that it rattled. i was told this by a guy who had one and sold it. i ran across an exterior louvered, black plastic vent shade that went across the back glass and was hinged so you could clean the glass, but it was about dead from sun exposure(UV),that's been a couple of years ago.

 

get a pro. most cars cost between $150-$200 to get all but the front windshield. Ive seen too many hack jobs on easy-to-do cars. a PITA one like our 78-82 vettes is too easy to mess up. plus its under warranty if it goes bad.