31 coupe door glass
- Thread starter L-head
- Start date
Craig Lewis
Well-known member
The service bulletin chart does indead have an error in the first picture.
The first two lines under that first picture should be crossed out in everyones book right now. Picture #6 is closer to correct.
Also this chart is 1928 specs when coupe & tudor shared the same door glass...not the case in 30-31.
From the original NAGS list....your 31 coupe dr glass measures
25 1/16 x 15 7/16
On soapbox...for anyone who cares....cutting side & back windows from laminated safety glass might be fast and easy, but in the very unlikely case you wind up on the roof in a ditch with the windows inoperable....you'll never kick your way out.
Legally...
Only windshields, should be laminated safety glass.
All other windows should be tempered safety glass.
Every autoglass shop can get you tempered glass.
Off soapbox...
The first two lines under that first picture should be crossed out in everyones book right now. Picture #6 is closer to correct.
Also this chart is 1928 specs when coupe & tudor shared the same door glass...not the case in 30-31.
From the original NAGS list....your 31 coupe dr glass measures
25 1/16 x 15 7/16
On soapbox...for anyone who cares....cutting side & back windows from laminated safety glass might be fast and easy, but in the very unlikely case you wind up on the roof in a ditch with the windows inoperable....you'll never kick your way out.
Legally...
Only windshields, should be laminated safety glass.
All other windows should be tempered safety glass.
Every autoglass shop can get you tempered glass.
Off soapbox...
Thodge
Senior Member
I’m not so sure about legally. There a many modern vehicles that use laminated safety glass windows in the doors for its sound deadening ability. And that would be in a much safer vehicle that you stand a chance of still being conscious enough to kick your way out if you were on your roof in a ditch. In an A, you would have already pinballed around inside the car, smacking your head on every hard metal part. Bottom line, keep your A shiny side up.
BRENT in 10-uh-C
Well-known member
While I'm pretty sure Craig is no longer with us to discuss his statement, I will tell you that he was pretty sharp and owned a glass shop. One caveat is Craig also resided in Canada. Maybe their laws are different.
As far as laws today, can we name any US automobile manufactured within the last 30-40 years that has laminated safety glass used on the side or rear windows? I honestly cannot think of a single one but maybe I am missing something. So maybe there is something to his comment?
Thodge
Senior Member
Yes, quite a few manufacturers are using laminated side glass on certain models. Never on back glasses to my knowledge. They tend to use them on their higher end models because of the sound deadening factor. Ford does, GM does, I’ve even seen it on a Kia of all things. There are may more. We tend to pay attention to it in my business because my paintless dent repair guy is always of paranoid of breaking the laminated glasses with a dent tool because it is much easier to do than on tempered. They’re also very fragile if you have to use a lockout tool inside the door too.
Karl Wescott
Well-known member
Plate glass when broken often has big shards that can cut deep enough to kill.
Safety plate was developed to mitigate that issue, Ford was one of the first car companies to adopt safety plate. It is still used on windshields today as it will crack with impact but (hopefully) not have unattached shards to injure. Tempered glass is much harder to break but shatters into little balls that usually only are able to cause minor injury.
Tempered glass is not allowed in US/Canada on windshields because the benefits of cracking with shards retained by the plastic liner vs shattering with impact, is perceived as safer than the danger of losing a windshield at speed due to a stray rock.
My understanding, in the US, safety plate or tempered is OK for side windows. IMHO tempered is a better choice as it tends not to crack when flexed as in when a window is half open and a door slammed or closed by a hand on the middle of the glass. A situation where being able to break the glass to get out a window is rare at best. The damage has to be severe enough so the window does not roll down, you cannot be hurt enough so you can attempt to get out the window, and you have to be small enough go through the window. That said, safety glass can be kicked out, tempered unlikely (though a spring loaded center punch in a corner will shatter one).
In todays cars the big difference between safety plate and tempered for side windows is it is more expensive to make safety plate curved than it is to make tempered. Flat, safety plate tends to be less expensive.
Safety plate was developed to mitigate that issue, Ford was one of the first car companies to adopt safety plate. It is still used on windshields today as it will crack with impact but (hopefully) not have unattached shards to injure. Tempered glass is much harder to break but shatters into little balls that usually only are able to cause minor injury.
Tempered glass is not allowed in US/Canada on windshields because the benefits of cracking with shards retained by the plastic liner vs shattering with impact, is perceived as safer than the danger of losing a windshield at speed due to a stray rock.
My understanding, in the US, safety plate or tempered is OK for side windows. IMHO tempered is a better choice as it tends not to crack when flexed as in when a window is half open and a door slammed or closed by a hand on the middle of the glass. A situation where being able to break the glass to get out a window is rare at best. The damage has to be severe enough so the window does not roll down, you cannot be hurt enough so you can attempt to get out the window, and you have to be small enough go through the window. That said, safety glass can be kicked out, tempered unlikely (though a spring loaded center punch in a corner will shatter one).
In todays cars the big difference between safety plate and tempered for side windows is it is more expensive to make safety plate curved than it is to make tempered. Flat, safety plate tends to be less expensive.
BRENT in 10-uh-C
Well-known member
Would you care to mention which year and model of these manufacturers? I just can't recall a single one.
(-old age I guess 
)
ModelA29
Well-known member
Year dependent. You could legally install plate glass in every window of an A. Remember Henry had plate glass in the test car and only switched it after his test driver was injured in a crash.
CAVC - Section 26701 - Safety glazing materials(a) No person shall sell, offer for sale, or operate any motor vehicle, except a motorcycle, manufactured after January 1, 1936, unless it is equipped with safety glazing material wherever glazing materials are used in interior partitions, doors, windows, windshields, auxiliary wind deflectors or openings in the roof.
ModelA29
Well-known member
The line below laminated says it all "Acoustic". Laminated glass is quieter.
Ford has been using their "Sound Screen" glass since 2008 - https://ophelia.sdsu.edu:8443/ford/...-releases-detail/392-acoustic-windshield.html
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David in San Antonio
Well-known member
In England at some point (the 1970s maybe?) less expensive cars offered better windshields as an option. If you didn’t choose the upgrade you were instructed if a collision was imminent to break out the “windscreen” with your hands. I know this sounds unlikely so I hope someone can back me up on this.