Lexan vs plexiglass
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
Lexan vs plexiglass
My lexan top was damaged and is being replaced. It seems that most refurb houses (Melrose etc) sell Acrylic (plexiglass)lenses in their replacements as opposed to polycarbonate (Lexan). It sounds like the polycarbonate lens is not available any more. From what I can tell there are pros and cons to each, but basically the polycarbonate top was OEM.
Any thought on one versus the other? It may be a moot point if I simply can't get a "new" poly top...
Any thought on one versus the other? It may be a moot point if I simply can't get a "new" poly top...
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
save your money
My lexan top was damaged and is being replaced. It seems that most refurb houses (Melrose etc) sell Acrylic (plexiglass)lenses in their replacements as opposed to polycarbonate (Lexan). It sounds like the polycarbonate lens is not available any more. From what I can tell there are pros and cons to each, but basically the polycarbonate top was OEM.
Any thought on one versus the other? It may be a moot point if I simply can't get a "new" poly top...
Any thought on one versus the other? It may be a moot point if I simply can't get a "new" poly top...
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,147
Likes: 117
From: San Antonio Texas
Years ago they would not let us have Plexiglas in a roundy-round racecar. Not sure if I remember correctly on this but I think that plexiglass will shatter and make sharp shards and that lexan would not, You could break it but it would not shatter and come apart. I think it will take a harder impact before it breaks.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 462
Likes: 3
From: Virginia
Polycarbonate is certainly more shock-absorbent than acrylic. I had another hobby in building Star Wars lightsaber replicas and your choice of "blade" was polycarbonate or acrylic. We used acrylic only for day-time colour, and polycarbonate for everything else. The acrylic would crack and snap if you duelled with it, but the polycarbonate simply flexed rebounded a little bit. I've scuffed a polycarbonate "blade," but never broken one.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
Years ago they would not let us have Plexiglas in a roundy-round racecar. Not sure if I remember correctly on this but I think that plexiglass will shatter and make sharp shards and that lexan would not, You could break it but it would not shatter and come apart. I think it will take a harder impact before it breaks.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,422
Likes: 202
Yes most of us experiment with lexan.. it will never break.. only cracks by stress cycles.
When it gets hot it will bond itself back together. Like cutting with a power saw or a bullet same thing.. why anyone would substitute the targa with Plexi.. its a waste. Only adavantage its light but very brittle.
When it gets hot it will bond itself back together. Like cutting with a power saw or a bullet same thing.. why anyone would substitute the targa with Plexi.. its a waste. Only adavantage its light but very brittle.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
The interesting thing is that when I looked at repro or replacement shops, most have Acrylic (a.k.a Plexiglass). Melrose seems to be highly repected on our forum, and when I emailed them to ask, they stated that most of the tops (he was referring to OEM as well) were acrylic and they can't get polycarb anymore...