If you have ever had a windshield replaced in your car, you know that amount of work that goes into it. It is a big job and requires special tools to do it correctly. But what about a classic car or truck? If you have a classic ride that needs glass, you may have wondered where or how that glass is going to found. Well, you are in luck because the search is not as hard as you might think for some of the more common classic cars.
Finding The Glass
When it comes to finding the glass for that classic car or truck, start your search with an auto glass dealer. While they most likely won't have the factory glass, they may stock reproduction glass for the car. There are a lot of more common restorations being down and the auto glass industry has really stepped up to help provide the glass you might need. The price may be higher for them but they don't appear to be unreasonable so far. The size of the glass, the demand for it, and the shape can all affect the price.
Finding Used Glass
This might sound funny but in some cases, finding a piece of glass that came out of the same model car as you are restoring is one of the best ways to get your auto glass. If the glass is in good shape, the glass can be reused in a lot of cases. It is most common to find used glass at a swap meet or for sale on a buy, swap, sell sight and if you can get it for the right price, the factory original glass can up the level of your restoration quite a bit.
Having the Glass Installed
If you have been lucky enough to find the glass for sale, putting it into the car is the next step. Because of the age of the glass, you might need a professional to come assist you or do the job for you. Even used glass can be installed by the glass dealer but they will more than likely not guarantee that installation as the glass can be affected by cold and elements, making the glass brittle and easier to break when it is being put in place. You can install it yourself but the likelihood of it breaking is not any lower, in fact, without the specialty tools to do the job right, it might even be higher odds that you will break the glass installing it yourself. Don't rush to get glass in the car. Get everything else done first and then when the car is ready to hit the road, put in the new glass last. This will help to protect the older glass from damage during the assembly and restoration of the car.
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