What Glass to install inside of Windshield Channel on 1914

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Dropped off a 1914 Windshield Frame along with the brass Glass Channel to mount it in. The shop calls me to inform that their Plate Glass is 3/16" thick however the Safety Glass is 1/4" thick. The option they gave is to have Plate Glass cut and then tempered however he also felt like that was against the law to use tempered in the Windshield location. So what are ppl doing to use the Glass Channel in the Windshield Frame??

[Allan]

Our laminated safety glass is 6mm, a little shy of 1/4", so it is easy to fit in place of 1/4" plate glass.

Allan from down under.

[DanTreace]

Check with another glass shop. Found this non-Ford brass windshield at Luray. Upper frame missing cross piece and brass channel, so bought some straight channel from Lang's and bent it into place, and used a piece for the top frame.

Used a piece of slightly less than 1/4" thick plywood to tamp the new brass channel in place, with a cut curved piece to mimic the curve of the frame, that helped to spread apart the new channel to match the old channel in the lower frame. Glass shop fitted the new glass just fine, the brass channel grips the glass firmly.

Lee&Cates glass in Jacksonville FL fitted new laminated safety glass in the brass channels, replacing the old plate glass that was 1/4" thick, no issues.

windshield glass.jpeg (55.15 KiB) Viewed 328 times

[MarkS]

I don’t know if a ‘14 is different than my ‘15 with brass channels, but I took my frame to a local glass shop, and they installed “S1 laminated glass” that is used for flat side windows in modern cars. Perfect fit.

[John kuehn]

As others have mentioned go to another glass shop that has the laminated glass. Call before you go. It’s avaliable

[Ed Fuller]

I used the same method as Dan Treace.

I cut a piece of wood a little thinner that 1/4” think and used it to gently spread the channel large enough that the safety glass could fit properly.

I took my old pieces of plate glass to the glass shop and had them use it as a template and I installed the new glass myself.

[Allan]

It is worth your while to have the glass shop do the fitting. On some of our cars there is a clip on the corner to hold he glass in place. Get that clip under some load and the laminated glass can crack at a pressure point. Let the shop wear it. Old plate glass and later tempered glass did not suffer the same problem, but did have other characteristics of concern.
Allan from down under.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Thanks everyone. So we are 'singing off the same page of our Hymnals', a little backstory on this Glass Shop. We do well over $5k annually with them cutting glass for vintage automobiles we restore, -and we have used them since I opened in the late '90s. And, I'm sure they install glass for other vintage cars in the area that use flat laminated safety glass. My point is I kinda feel like they have the experience & the same laminated glass as other shops, and so finding another shop with as much experience as they have likely would be difficult. I don't think the problem is them or their glass. I think their issue was being too precautionary with a brand-new piece of channel that is no longer obtainable ...along with a freshly painted Windshield Frame. Prying and forcing delicate brass channel along with expensive glass probably did not seem prudent to them. I applaud their concerns.

Thank you Dan & Ed, I had not considered using something to spread the channel once it was inserted into the Frame but this makes perfect sense now. I'm sure this will do the trick. Thanks again.

[George Mills]

Brent,

Spreading the channel may be the best solution, but reforming brass channel may be a future nightmare. The new fold line will case harden by the forming process and perhaps should be annealed before use? (They make hard brass by working it and not annealing it)

But...on another note...any glass shop worth its weight also has rolls of various "bedding tape". Not good enough for a show car I guess, but good enough for the other 99%. No brass channel used. The edge of the glass is welted over with bedding tape of various thicknesses to achieve the snug required, sometimes even tapered...

The glass is then seated and finish installed and, an exacto knife then trims the tape excess to exact size with a teeny weeny margin...all good...no rattles in time, no squeaks...no attempt by the glass to want to spring up out of the channel and cause stress at corners. FWIW

[Tim Hansen]

I am replacing the glass in my 14. I ordered new brass channel from Speedway Motors. The channel they sell is designed for 3/16 thick glass. The original glass channel was designed for 1/4 inch. I am not sure why the available brass channel is 3/16 vs 1/4. I talked to several glass shops and they told me that for automotive use the safety standard requries 1/4 laminate glass. I went with 3/16 knowing it won't meet the standard but it fits well. I also found on my original 1924 it had 3/16 plate glass I replaced with 3/16 laminate. I dont think there is a safety issue on a slow moving T with the 3/16 so I went with it. Very easy to install in the original frames.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I am replacing the glass in my 14. I ordered new brass channel from Speedway Motors. The channel they sell is designed for 3/16 thick glass. The original glass channel was designed for 1/4 inch. I am not sure why the available brass channel is 3/16 vs 1/4. I talked to several glass shops and they told me that for automotive use the safety standard requries 1/4 laminate glass. I went with 3/16 knowing it won't meet the standard but it fits well. I also found on my original 1924 it had 3/16 plate glass I replaced with 3/16 laminate. I dont think there is a safety issue on a slow moving T with the 3/16 so I went with it. Very easy to install in the original frames.

So, you are certain there is such a thing as 3/16" laminated safety glass?

[Allan]

Maybe the 3/16" laminated glass is for flat side windows in modern cars, anything to reduce weight and cost. As indicated, for windscreens, 1/4" is the rule.
Most of our colonial built T bodies have steel channel frames and the glass bedding is thin fabric like hide-em welting.When I have windscreen glass fitted I have the glass fitted with bedding mastic which fills any voids between the glass and the steel frame. Guaranteed no rattles and no ingress of water to lie in wait and rust out the frame.

Allan from down under.

[Tim Hansen]

Brent, the original plate glass was 3/16. Yes you can buy 3/16 laminate. If you go to Speed Motors website and look up their brass channel for early Model T windshields it states it is made for 3/16 glass. Allen you are correct about side windows being 3/16. My 31 Model A back window was 3/16 plate. I replaced it with 3/16 laminate.