Classic Car Glass Repair El Paso, TX USA
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Restoring The Old School El Paso, TX
When you're thinking of classic cars, one of the first things that comes to mind is their sleek, beautiful design and rugged reliability. El Paso classic cars are no different. It's no wonder that classic car windshield repair can be a rather tricky and expensive task. But if you pay close attention to how windshields are made, and what part, glass, actually cracks, you should have little trouble with windshield repair on your classic cars.
The original cars were created with clear glass, just like our modern cars, just as they were designed years ago. They were also manufactured using sturdy and strong metals, and plastics that can withstand very high impact. Old school cars didn't use fiberglass, which is a very weak glass that has a history of windshields cracking under high stress. So glass for these old cars was constructed from a single piece of glass cut to the right shape, with a very sturdy metal frame around it. This glass was glued to a clear plastic sheet, and this is what gave the glass the characteristic old world look and feel.
Today, we take advantage of advances in modern manufacturing technology by replacing the glass panels in old cars with fiberglass, or glass with a laminate. These materials are lighter, less brittle, and have a better impact resistance ability. In the old cars, if you get in an accident the glass will shatter will feel like that your car is made out of glass.
However, there is another classic car component that is often neglected in auto glass repair - the windshield wipers. In fact, windshield wipers can make or break the whole windshield integrity, which is why you have to really pay attention to its proper maintenance.
Old school cars had vintage automotive glass that could not be tempered. Tempered glass is hard enough to withstand impact and the elements, but it is also rigid enough that it does not shatter into smaller pieces that reduce the structural integrity of the glass. Old cars had windshields that were hinged together at the top, where a plastic or glass "winder" is fitted. This winder is responsible for rotating the windshield wipers and also rotating the whole windshield in order to provide smooth airflow to the passengers inside the car. The problem with this design is that it made it very difficult to repair damage done to the windshield during auto glass repair. You would need a very strong winder in order to get even small chips repaired without permanently damaging the glass.
Today's windshield repair technology is different. Repairing a windshield with new technologies means that the glass material is heated by an electrically heated fusion chamber. Inside the chamber are heated quartz crystals that are used to etch out small chips that have been inflicted on the windshield from flying debris, road debris, or other impacts. Once the chip has been repaired, the windshield is then vacuumed out, leaving a factory-quality windshield that looks almost like brand new glass. Because classic cars had very weak glass, most windshield repair methods were performed by actually breaking down the glass so that it could be repaired piece-by-piece. This technique was time consuming but not very successful at getting even the smallest chips repaired. Even today, some old schools do this process, using hammer hammers to gently crack the glass until it opens up enough to be easily repaired. Afterward, the repaired windshield is placed back into the car and allowed to dry.
Other modern windshield repair techniques make use of an encapsulation procedure. Using an electric current, the damaged windshield is broken down into its component parts, and then the hydrogen isotope iodine is injected into the broken glass. The hydrogen iodide, which is positively charged, goes to work fixing the damage to the inside of the glass by attracting and neutralizing the harmful free radicals that were responsible for the damage in the first place. Because the windshield repair process is much less time consuming than old school techniques, many companies now specialize in this type of windshield repair.
Regardless of which method you choose, opting or your old car windshield replacement is a lot better than letting a classic car owner spend thousands of dollars having it repaired. The safety features that most windshields have been worth their weight in gold, and having a properly functioning windshield will save owners quite a bit of money in the long run. Not only will it keep your passengers safe from wind and flying debris, it will also reduce the amount of tickets that you will receive on your car insurance. If you want to take advantage of this savings, consider getting your car inspected for a windshield that meets current safety standards. So give us a call and get a quote for your classic car windshield replacement.
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