1997 22 Classic Windshield

[Hawkman]

I need some help. I recently purchased a 1996 22 Classic. It had only a front smoked plexiglass (3/16"), no side glass. The front broke and in replacing it, I realized that there must have been side glass at one time, but it is not there now. Can anyone tell me the original composite material and where i would be able to purchase a complete front and side window package. Thanks for the help!

[RickSE]

Hawkman,
I just replaced the plexi on my 2002 22-Classic. The factory plexi for the stainless steel framed windshields was 3/16-smoked acrylic. I replaced mine with abrasion resistant 3/16-smoked polycarbonate (Lexan), which has a special coating to resist UV and scratches. I switched to Lexan for several reasons; it's easier to cut, less brittle and a hell of a lot stronger. I was going to cut mine at work on a CNC router but actually ended up having to cut it at home with a jig saw. It was a piece of cake. I made patterns off the old pieces, laid them out, cut, debured then installed. The Lexan is expensive though; a 4x8 sheet of acrylic can be had for $90 while the stuff I used cost $300. You should be able to get a sheet of either plastic from a local distributor. The 3/16 smoked AR polycarbonate is hard to find. I did some legwork and found some in California through a local distributor. The acrylic is certainly a lot cheaper and more available but you really need to be careful when cutting it. We only cut acrylic here at work with a high-speed router, since it's very difficult to saw. Let me know if you need any help.

Acrylic,
Cheap
Many colors available.
good scratch resistance.
good UV resistance.
difficult to cut.
tough stuff but can be brittle.

Polycarbonate
Expensive.
Limited colors available.
poor scratch resistance, unless you use AR (abrasion resistant) coated material.
good UV resistance, better if you use AR coating.
easy to cut.
extremely tough stuff, flexible and impact resistant.

BTW, the factory no longer sells the s.s. windshield so your stuck either making the inserts yourself or having a plastics shop do it for you.

[Hawkman]

Thank you Rick - I appreciate the information. I did have a piece of plexiglass cut for the front winshield and really got ripped off - $198.00 just for the one piece and cutting and drilling of holes. Over the winter, I will be replacing all!

[RickSE]

Here's some reference material for the polycarbonate.

Makrolon Polycarbonate (http://www.sheffieldplastics.com/byProduct.cfm)

I used the Makrolon AR. Makrolon GP is the general purpose polycarbonate without the abrasion resistant coating. You can do a distributor search using your zip code. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and want to do it yourself I'd use the GP stuff. It's moderately priced ($150/sheet), easy to get and very easy to cut. It's a little softer than the acrylic but should hold up fine if you take care of it and clean it correctly. A 4x8 sheet will make one full set plus either two extra sides or one extra front. I can send you copies of my paper patterns if you need some. I also have .dxf CAD copies.

I bought my plastic from Laird Plastics (http://www.lairdplastics.com/) . They have distributors all over the US and can get the 3/16" smoked AR from one of their distributors in L.A. The GP stuff is usually stocked throuout the US.

Here's a link to some acrylic referance material.

Acrylite Acrylic (http://www.cyro.com/Internet/Home.nsf/Main2!OpenPage)

There also is a link on where to buy. Again the acrylic is good stuff but can be difficult to cut. There are some really cool colors available in Acrylic.

[Hawkman]

Rick,

You have been most helpful - I appreciate it. I have found several distributors in the local Chicagoland area that have the Makrolon AR and will contact to get pricing. I might take you up on your offer for the patterns. I would only need the sides as I can use the existing front as the pattern. Do you know if your 2002 (?) has the same configuration as my 1997?
I do have a friend with a 1996 which would probably let me take his sides off to use as a pattern, but if not too much trouble, may ask for yours. Will keep in touch! Thank You1 :wink:

[RickSE]

Hawkman,
The AR I used is AR2 #7135 Grey. My price through work on a 4'x8' sheet was $240 + $50 shipping from CA. It's a light grey and worked well in my application since my boat has a black stripe. The factory stuff was darker and was a lot browner in color. Again though the 3/16" AR can be hard to get, but I do know Laird has it in CA.

I talked to our plastics guy here at work again i.r.t. cutting acrylic. He said it could be done with a jigsaw. He said you just need to use a reasonably fine tooth blade, go slow and keep the product down against a solid surface.

Also, make sure you oversize all the screw holes and use grommets, do not screw directly into the plexi. I bought grommets from Mcmaster Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com) , part #9311K112. These grommets match those used by the factory.

Your windshield should be the same as mine; Donzi used it for several years. 2002 was the last model year to use the s.s. windshield.

I'll help in anyway I can. I can try to get some better pictures.

firstvee@yahoo.com

[gtsdls]

Does anyone know where to get the "T" shaped grommet that goes in the Classic SS channel to hold the windshield in?

[Trueser]

Also where can you get replacement rubber?

[Stan]

Hey Guys,

I need to do the same job this winter. I live here in Los Angeles. RickS....What is the name and telephone of the plastics company.

I have an 89 22 classic with the stainless steel windshield frame. Was it easy to remove the top railings and remove the glass ? For some reason I envision a nightmare task.

How about replacing the rubber moulding.....where is it available ?

If its close by, if anyone wants I can go on over and pick-up anything someone might need.

Let me know.

Stan.........

[RickSE]

Stan,
I bought mine from Laird Plastics in Phoenix but it came out of their facility in L.A. Laird lists their L.A. facility as,

Laird Plastics, Inc.
8708 Dice Road
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Tel: 562-464-9929
Toll Free: 800-610-1016
Fax: 562-464-9019

The windshields come off pretty easilly, start from the top rails. Make sure you cut the new pieces pretty close to the old ones and use the grommets I listed above wherever a screw goes through the plexi. I'm not sure where to get the weatherstrip material since mine did not need replacing.

[Stan]

Excellent info Rick...

Thanks

Stan

[Harry Zimmerman]

This should be clipped out and added to an technical FAQ- who does the admin stuff for the forum?

[boatnut]

Rick, thank you for all the research and detailed info. I have it filed for future reference. Ed