Replacement Windsheild Material

[vintageracer]

Looking for some premade Impact windsheild material, side and rear deck-

This is for racing purposes - What are people using?

Anyone know someone doing that or can privide a solution?

[panchovisa]

Used to be racers used Lexan, but realize that it will cost more than glass. I seem to recall that there was a special version of Lexan that was more resistant to scratching.

The stuff is tough, but figure the front windshield will be toast soon from wiper scratches and sand/stone pits. You will probably also need to brace the inside of front and rear windows to keep them from buckling into the car (not "rigid" like glass).

Look into adding tear offs to increase front windshield life.

Advantage is probably 100 lbs less weight (and high up at that) which will lower the center of gravity, main disadvatages are cost and fabrication time.

[gundee]

I believe the vintage clubs as well as SCCA require safety glass windshields on all production cars.

Plastic is usually permitted for rest of the factory glass openings.

[vintageracer]

Thanks for the Input Guys! I don't race SCCA- So no issues there - That is why I was looking for Steve Toth as he had told me he had some of the scratch resistant High Impact stuff and lexan for the rest - I like the Idea of dropping a 100lb off my car for sure - Easier than off of me even with fabrication!!

[jbsrace1]

Margaurd is the Lexan that works. It is allot more scratch resistant than any other form of lexan.

[tholt29]

I've run a Lexan/Polycarbonate windshield (and on the hatch and quarter windows) for years on my autocross car.

Mine is 1/8" thick and mounts in the stock gasket with no other support bracing. I've never had a problem with it buckling at speeds up to about 90. I would be reluctant to run much faster than that without supports.

I believe the requirements for club racing are min 3/16" thick, which I would also recommend for anything other than autocross. Scratch resistant would be a requirement if you plan to use windshield wipers, but if you're just using RainX, the normal stuff works fine. I need to replace mine every 4 or 5 years (unless you have a cat in the garage, in which case plan on a new windshield every year, at least).

It easy to cut Lexan with a jigsaw and it easily conforms to the gradual bends of the Z's windshield frame. (at least it is easy with 1/8". 3/16 is probably not too bad. 1/4" is probably pushing the limits. I can make you a paper template from one of my old windshields if you are interested. If you want to rivet/screw it to the windshield frame and not use the stock gasket, you can just cut it about 1/4" bigger all of the way around.

Drop me a private message at tom@sth2.com if interested.

Tom

[gundee]

Tom,

Did you run at the solo 2 run-offs this year?

[tholt29]

Yep! Finished 3rd this year. A personal best.

John Thomas finished 2nd in Richard Holden's Z... John was trying to get his Z together in time for Nationals, but multiple hurricanes in his area made that impossible. He will be VERY tough to beat next year.

Tom

[Racer-19]

congrats Tom! Good to see Austinites making good!

Vintageracer, send me a PM on the Lexan if you're interested.

still crashin' em!

[Zracer38]

I have the templates for the lexan windsheild and hatch glass (with and without stock seal) that are probably the same ones Racer-19 had. I picked them up in Austin last month and a pile of Z car parts from someone that got out of racing a few years ago. I thought about making some of these parts, but I just don't have the time to devote to it with work and my own projects.

[Racer-19]

You have the original Racer-19 templates. My man Cecil hooked you up!

You might consider making some paper templates and send them out to the guys in need. I could write up my cutting procedure if anyone is interested. Additionally, pay close attention to the rule book; the SCCA GCR used to call for "MR101 Lexan". The lack of availability of this product (Moldable AND scratch Resistant) is the reason I got out of the production biz... For AutoX you are set, but for SCCA competition you may need MR... Enjoy!

[Zracer38]

Cecil dropped by the Z Club coffee meet in south Austin and mentioned that he had some parts he wanted to get rid of. I didn't recognize him at first, but it turns out he helped a friend of mine build his ITS car in 1999-2000 and I took pictures of his car a few times at TWS. I thought some others in the club were going to chip in on the deal, but nobody did, so I ended up getting all the parts myself.

I thought about investigating going into production on this, but I was unsure of demand and if it would be worth the time and up front investment for material. It was much easier for me to get aircraft aluminum, lexan, and other composite materials when I lived in Houston. I knew right where to go to get what I needed. With the large MRO and military presence in San Antonio, I should be able to find suitable material there. It seems a bit more difficult / expensive to get this kind of stuff in Austin.

If one of the folks here really wants to go with this, the templates are available if they want them. Send me a PM or an email. I have plenty of other things to do, so if someone else wants to take a crack at it, it's fine by me. I don't want an arm and a leg, but I did pay for these. I would like to get something back out of them.