Repairing Windshields on Antique Cars?

[SMITHY]

Searched the forum and found no answer to this.

I was curious as to what is the cut off year of vehicles that we can repair the windshield on?

I have an antique car dealer who contacted me and wants me to set up an account with him.

For example, he said he has a 1966 Mustang with a star break. I have never worked on anything this old before.

How old of a vehicle have any of you worked on and is it possible. Was auto glass the same in the 60's and 70's as it is now?

[t4k]

There is a good chance the glass in the car is not the original, so it would be more current than the 60's. Just be very careful, some of these w/s are very expensive to replace. Have an understanding with the owner prior to the repair as to who pays for new glass in the case of a crack out.

[Clarity Glass]

did a chip in a 1936 Buick last week. The glass had been replaced before.

[Brent Deines]

As the others have said the year of the vehicle doesn't tell you much. Look for signs that the PVB is deteriorating. Delamination around the edges, the shade band across the top fading or yellowing, the surface of the glass heavily scratched or pitted, flowering around previous repairs, etc.

I don't think the glass for a 66 Mustang is all that expensive even if the rubber and clips need to be replaced, which if original is a given, but there may very well be rust hidden by the moldings that could require extensive body work and because of the design it is prone to leaks.

If the car has been properly restored or even well cared for since new the windshield has probably been replaced, but you can't count on that. Even if it has been replaced you don't know if that was a year ago, 10 years ago or 30 years ago. You have to go by the condition of the glass rather than the age of the car.