Glass color or shade?
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Auburndale, Florida
Glass color or shade?
As I look through various catalogs or online stores I read about clear, tinted, green or smoked glass for our trucks. As I look through the galleries I see different colors and maybe this should be obvious but I'm confused about what shade is what color designation. Well okay, clear is pretty, well clear. But if you have an example of tinted or smoked or green glass in your gallery how bout sending a note so I can take a look and get a better understanding. When you buy "smoked" glass for example, is that a standard color that I could go to any glazier and buy or are there many variations on the same theme?
My intention is to replace the side glass and wing vents with a single pane and I'd like to be sure I get what I think I'm getting. Also, in your experience, Who makes the best or most complete kit to do this?
I know that some of you have done the job yourself but due to time constraints it'd be easier for me to just buy a "kit" and have the stuff I need.
Thanks!
OilLeaks
My intention is to replace the side glass and wing vents with a single pane and I'd like to be sure I get what I think I'm getting. Also, in your experience, Who makes the best or most complete kit to do this?
I know that some of you have done the job yourself but due to time constraints it'd be easier for me to just buy a "kit" and have the stuff I need.
Thanks!
OilLeaks
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Seattle WA.
Look in my Gallery I have the one piece tinted door glass in my 51 F1 from Johns F-Fun Hundreds In Buena Park California. You decide to buy the one piece glass let me know we can talk a little on the installiation.
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From: Auburndale, Florida
Nice trucks guys and thanks for the replies. I also plan on suede black - tinted looks about the darkness I was thinking of - any problems matching that at a local glazier for the rear window? Front window will probably be clear glass. How was the install? Was it a good kit (complete as advertised) or are there problems with the kit from F-Fun Hundreds? Are you running power windows or the stock regulators? All info is most appreciated! 
OilLeaks
OilLeaks
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From: Durham NC
A lot of glass shops have a densitometer (here inspection stations do as well since there is a legal limit to how dark can be used) that can measure glass tint density for matching. There are a lot of grey tints from light to privacy.
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From: Seattle WA.
My kit itself was complete and good quality but I was on a post I think it was on the FTE forum. A company name was given where the one piece kit was about $50.00 cheaper. I can't find it right now but it was a company that dealed exclusively in vintage glass. My install went ok just as the instructions said, but now a year later I'm not satisfied with my installiation. I used the orginal hardware and crank handles. I feel the power units just for the sake of having power on the F1 is a waste of money because the cab is so narrow. If I had a 53 or later with the wider cab or had to replace the worn out window regulators yes the power is the only way to go. As far as my installiation I'm not happy with the lower window strips because the door window opening is too wide, and if the window is below the top channel the glass isn't properly supported and I'm afraid it might break the door glass when closing the door. Somehow the bottom opening needs to be brought closer together or the bottom strips need to be thicker. I'm off tackling other areas of the truck but eventually I want to fix that problem.
Hope this helps
Rod 51F1
Hope this helps
Rod 51F1
Last edited by 51ford fan; Jan 14, 2006 at 04:31 PM.
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From: Auburndale, Florida
Thanks for the feedback gents - good info and more to think about as usual. I'll do a search on vintage glass and see if I can find the web site you mentioned. If I can get my stock regulators free'd up I plan to leave the wind up windows be...I've got long arms and the cab is narrow. If I've got to replace them I'll probalby pop for eletrics or do a little junk yard foraging when I get some time (not likely in the near future unfortunately)
OilLeaks
OilLeaks
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From: Tucson AZ
Originally Posted by AXracer
A lot of glass shops have a densitometer (here inspection stations do as well since there is a legal limit to how dark can be used) that can measure glass tint density for matching. There are a lot of grey tints from light to privacy.
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Joined: May 2004
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From: MN - NW of Twin Cities
Oilleaks,
Glass comes clear or tinted. Tinted glass used in automotive industry is gray, bronze (a lite brown) or green. When the term smoked glass is used it is really tinted glass probably gray tinted, however, you should ask to be sure.
Bruce
Glass comes clear or tinted. Tinted glass used in automotive industry is gray, bronze (a lite brown) or green. When the term smoked glass is used it is really tinted glass probably gray tinted, however, you should ask to be sure.
Bruce
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From: Village of Roses, CA
Blue and Green and now bronze and grey (in foreign cars) was stock on vehicles after a/c became an option. Before that all glass was clear.
if you want to match a glass and see what color you have in your vehicle (I'm speaking about the non aftermarket tint), you can take a piece of paper and roll your driver's window part way down, put that piece of paper on the inside and you can tell what color you have. It can be a bit hard to see from just looking at it. When I was working for a glass company, I would just stand about 50 ft from the veh while the windows were up. You can see the glass color like that as well.
Which "side glass" are you wanting to replace? Door glass, vent glass, quarter panel?
if you want to match a glass and see what color you have in your vehicle (I'm speaking about the non aftermarket tint), you can take a piece of paper and roll your driver's window part way down, put that piece of paper on the inside and you can tell what color you have. It can be a bit hard to see from just looking at it. When I was working for a glass company, I would just stand about 50 ft from the veh while the windows were up. You can see the glass color like that as well.
Which "side glass" are you wanting to replace? Door glass, vent glass, quarter panel?