buffing windshield

[1930]

Dont know if it will show up but drivers side has got the ole wiper arc of shame, I remember years ago I accidentally sanded a expedition qtr glass with my mud hog, I didnt want to admit my mistake to my boss and so I wet sanded the hell out of it and buffed it. ( super deep scratches )

All said and done the scratched were gone but the glass looked like a wave, I ended up fessing up and bought a new glass.

Any of you guys had any luck and Id like to hear your suggestions since todays my day to buff this turd.

 

[rburke65]

0000# steel wool and I have heard tooth paste or any thing with a pumice ingredient.

 

[jimindm]

I still have an old camaro I redone in high school. Do not drive it much, but when I do the windshield is just plain crappy to look through. It has a fair amount of pits, part of the arc you talk about. Even what I would call delamination on the edges.

Have thought a lot about getting a windshield, but figured with age and what not, It would be sort of expensive for no more than I drive it. Also figured if I did get one, it would make the other glass in the car look worse.

I was at a good guys car show. I think it was a place out of Minnesota that had the glass for classics. If I recall the glass for the whole car was less than what I thought a windshield was going to be. I think the windshield was around $150 and the whole package was like $400.

For that I am not sure wasting much time on trying to improve one would be worth it. I am not sure if there is a vendor site on the good guys website. I think they were out of Minnesota, so shipping to florida might be an issue. Like most things though, if some one has it in the north, some one way closer to you may also have it.

 

[StreetGLi]

Carpro ceriglass and a rayon pad. Get a misting bottle with water to keep it wet as the polish dries out kinda quick. A fair bit of pressure and time.

Make sure you cover your vents as well... the glass polish is messy.

 

[wretched73]

For about ~$200 you can have someone put a fresh piece of glass in.

Sure you can polish it yourself but it will take a few hours and is boring work.

 

[sberry]

My glass bud says you really cant polish glass.

 

[rlitman]

My glass bud says you really cant polish glass.

Well, for the purposes of a windshield, I'll agree with him. Polishing windshield glass is a bad idea. It creates optical distortion that are probably more dangerous than the unsightly scratches to begin with.

But some glass can be polished (cast glass polishes well, tempered glass will NOT polish well), if you don't care about the optical issue. I've used wet diamond polishing pads and the matching machine to polish the cast glass fog lamp covers on my previous car that were hazed from being hit by road grit. They were nearly white with damage, and I got them pretty clear within a few minutes of polishing.

 

[cshades]

The place in Minnesota is called Auto City Classics. They have made glass for me for customer classic cars and trucks faster and more reasonably priced than the local glass shop. I actually had them make some side windows for a 37 ford truck and they had them to me the next day.

 

[txvwnut]

When we would finish a customers car we would run the buffer and some finesse-it over the glass. It would make the glass look cleaner and brighter and get super light imperfections out. If the glass was badly scratched or pitted we always suggested replacing the glass and never tried to buff it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I've bought from Auto City Classics and have been happy with their product and service.

As for the polishing kits, a member on another car web board recently reported he used one of them to do a really good job cleaning up the back glass in his car (it's a car where replacement back glass is virtually impossible to find.) However, he also reported he had about 100 hours into the job...so, it's something that can be done but it's going to take you a while to get there.

 

[Falcon67]

Repalcement here - never got anywhere buffing a windshield. Other than inducing wavelets in the glass, or just making sweat for no particular reason.

 

[1930]

Thanks for the replies, I donthave the fancy kits and dont want to buy a 350 dollar windshield so Im gonna lightly wet sand it and buff and see what happens, maybe Ill end up replacing after all I guess. Ill report back.

It really aint deep, yeah I can feel it with my fingernail but just barely.

 

[K13]

$167 at rock auto.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+170cid+l6,1332223,body,windshield+glass,6512

 

[1930]

Update: Im wasting my Fn time AKA time for a windshield

 

[1930]

$167 at rock auto.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+170cid+l6,1332223,body,windshield+glass,6512

Plus 85 shipping, Ill have it installed locally for a few dollars more

 

[wasfuzz]

Brasso metal polish works well for light scratches and removes junk stuck to the windshield also.

 

[1930]

128.00 delivered tomm, thats good

 

[Zeke]

Update: Im wasting my Fn time AKA time for a windshield

If you can feel it with your fingernail, it's a gonner. Otherwise, cerium oxide does the trick with a hard felt pad. Don't buy some marked up kit.

Here it is for 13 bucks and I only clicked once. Shop around.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KOC19C/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Ray-CA]

I was able to buff out all the water spots and tiny pits using a cigar ash/water slurry. Problem is finding (or smoking enough cigars) to get a quantity of ash.

Ray

 

[1930]

I was able to buff out all the water spots and tiny pits using a cigar ash/water slurry. Problem is finding (or smoking enough cigars) to get a quantity of ash.

Ray

The problem is dealing with the lung cancer after smoking the cigars

 

[StreetGLi]

Seriously. I just did this. The carpro ceriglass and rayon pad work. You just gotta put in the time. The whole thing will cost you 30 bucks. It won't create 'optical distortion' but you should really do it by hand. The glass can't distribute the heat produced by a buffer/sander so unless you're a pro it's super difficult to watch the speeds.

 

[Zeke]

I was able to buff out all the water spots and tiny pits using a cigar ash/water slurry. Problem is finding (or smoking enough cigars) to get a quantity of ash.

Ray

My grandmother used cigar ashes and mineral oil to rub out white spots on furniture should they occur. Hell to pay if they did, but that's another story. I've been doing this ever since.

I have an old vacuum cleaner that 'smokes' the cigars for me. Maybe it will get cancer before I do.

 

[ScottsGT]

If your local guys show up with a tube of urethane, run them off! Old Mustang/Falcon/Fairlane seals require raw butyl to seal properly.
Mustangs to Fear has a great video on YouTube on how to install these. Although Rich does use urethane where the seal contacts the glass edge itself, I disagree. I'm old school and did mine the way Ford intended. But he told me has has done many this way and never had a leak issue. He stressed the real important issue was the butyl in the seal at the pinch weld and filling the channel around the seal with butyl (3M window weld I think it was called??)
Even if you are hiring this out, watch the video to protect yourself from having to have it redone.
Think about it, these cars are now older than the techs installing glass! Probably not going to train them properly on something they might do one of in there entire career.

 

[rlitman]

If your local guys show up with a tube of urethane, run them off! Old Mustang/Falcon/Fairlane seals require raw butyl to seal properly.
Mustangs to Fear has a great video on YouTube on how to install these. Although Rich does use urethane where the seal contacts the glass edge itself, I disagree. I'm old school and did mine the way Ford intended. But he told me has has done many this way and never had a leak issue. He stressed the real important issue was the butyl in the seal at the pinch weld and filling the channel around the seal with butyl (3M window weld I think it was called??)
Even if you are hiring this out, watch the video to protect yourself from having to have it redone.
Think about it, these cars are now older than the techs installing glass! Probably not going to train them properly on something they might do one of in there entire career.

Urethane is tricky stuff. The good stuff will stick well to the frit band on the glass (the cheap stuff requires priming that), and to freshly cut and clean urethane, but will not stick well to paint, bare metal, or other adhesives.

I don't know anything about that vehicle, but if it wasn't done with urethane to begin with, then trying to get urethane to adhere to the cut old adhesive would be a recipe for disaster. I suppose it would be possible to remove EVERY trace of old adhesive, and then to apply primer (specific for the urethane), and then to start with a new urethane bead as a new factory install would be, but I would imagine that to be a monumental task unless you were blasting the window frame down to bare metal anyway beforehand.

 

[ScottsGT]

One of the biggest problems using urethane is the adhesion to the factory rubber seal. If the car is outside and exposed to temperature extremes the rubber contracts and expands and a much different rate than the urethane and then it separates creating all kind of leaks.
The raw butyl never dries and it is like playing in a bucket of tar when doing it. Fortunately it cleans up real easy using solvent based paint prep cleaner.
I always preferred the older GM installs that used the raw butyl rope that went into the pinch weld.

 

[1930]

Im guessing whats in there now is butyl or as well call it dum dum.

Its still soft and maybe the w-shield was replaced at one time cause its really messy install ( real messy )

Im doing the install, the price I was quoted was him dropping it off and not looking back, this particular glass guy gets cheap glass but he dont mess with old cars.

Is this what might have been originally used and I should use now? Ive got plenty of this but Im having a hard time seeing it hold tight onto a w-shield so Im thinking Im confused.

 

[ScottsGT]

Here you go...

 

[6768rogues]

Brass wool is worth a try.
There are buffing kits available.
I would buy a new one. I am replacing the one in my 66 Rambler, so almost everything is available.

 

[1930]

Here you go...

Thanks but my W.S has no rubber gasket, not supposed to have one as far as I know