Lexan rear hatch window

[Celicasaur]

Who's done it?

I know there's that guy with the awesome sticky (Copsknowme) but I don't know of too many more.

I recently made a template for one, which means I can make a near enough perfect replica of the oem glass now :headbang:

I found the weight difference not to be all that awesome though. Stock glass came in at 7.5kg == 16.5lbs and the lexan window is 2.5kg == 5.5lbs. I dunno if my ricer math of thinking it will make a minor but noticable difference at high speeds because of the way it's mounted and how it's force get multiplied with downforce etc bears any relevance at all, but the hatch does feel hella light now and when I unclip the button to open it, it flies right up....and this is on old oem trunk shocks that used to need a helping hand all the way to the top :headbang:

I'll post pictures of my final piece next weekend hopefully and you can see how lovely I managed to make it.

FYI it was very long-winded (although that's probably mostly all my fault) to make a replica out of a blank sqaure of lexan, but now that I've got eh template, I'm going to buy a fresh sheet and make a proper one for my car (which wont have any light scratches from the damn table :bang: )

Oh and removing the oem glass...PITA!

[Thomas]

Don't you think you'll miss the rear-screen demister?

[Celicasaur]

Oh yeah, for sure. But I also miss my A/C, having good fuel ecomony, having a car that's quiet and refined and I also miss my comfy leather seats...to be the best, sacrifices need to made, sadly.

[hulkster]

ive been debating whether or not to install lexan in my cf hatch.seems if you get the cf hatch why put back a heavy glass in there. might as well go all with the weight savings . but it obviously has some draw backs.

[Celicasaur]

I'd say that the major drawback is that the lexan would be very delicate and prone to getting scratched/blurry. I've taken my rear wiper out becase of this. Also cleaning would be a bit of a pain as again, after a while, it'll be easy to scratch, so you really need to baby it. Weight savings with a CF hatch though would be full of win.

[hulkster]

plus i think lexan is pretty expensive too. im sure its not road legal but whoes gonna tell.and it doesnt shatter like glass would. might break into sharp chunks.basically that and like you said the scratching were the most commen problems i read and i searched about them on forums.

[Joey03_VVT-I]

I'll pass. Thanks though and good luck to those who plans on doing it. :thumbup:

[Celicasaur]

Just fitted it today. I'm very happy with it, thus far :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/lexan-window.jpg

Next up, will be lexan sunroof :headbang:

[celica_2nr]

i was told that with lexan glass you'll need to have them riveted to the hatch or something because they release some kind of gas. I dont think you can use the same window sealant you would use for an oem glass. my friend jordan has a carbon fiber hatch with lexan glass and i'm 99% sure he used rivets to hold it in place. maybe someone else with more knowledge can go more into detail. i think thats also another reason why we were told you cant tint lexan either.

[hulkster]

Just fitted it today. I'm very happy with it, thus far :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/lexan-window.jpg

Next up, will be lexan sunroof :headbang:

nice. how much did the lexan glass cost?

[Bitter]

;) do the 1/4 glasses and window glasses, pull the motors and spot weld the regulators in the up position.

[Celicasaur]

i was told that with lexan glass you'll need to have them riveted to the hatch or something because they release some kind of gas. I dont think you can use the same window sealant you would use for an oem glass. my friend jordan has a carbon fiber hatch with lexan glass and i'm 99% sure he used rivets to hold it in place. maybe someone else with more knowledge can go more into detail. i think thats also another reason why we were told you cant tint lexan either.

Damn, really?? That's the first I've heard of that. I'll have to google that in a sec - thanks for the heads up. I would have preferred to rivet it in, lest of all for the uber cool ricer look, but I couldn't be bothered. It seems pretty set for the time being and I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it. FWIW I used a cocktail of various glues and sealants on different parts of it, just to be extra extra safe :chuckles:

nice. how much did the lexan glass cost?

I think it was like ~$90 and it's specially UV coated to stop it going yellow in the sunlight etc. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to make two more and sell them on ebay soon. Making it from scratch is a bit of a pain, so that's where I'll add value to it :gap:

;) do the 1/4 glasses and window glasses, pull the motors and spot weld the regulators in the up position.

Well, I'm going to do the sunroof soon, but I wont be doing the quarter windows or door windows because:
1) the quarter windows were replaced for oem toyota last month and they weigh hardly anything anyway.
2) I wont be able to solidly form the lexan to hold the exact shape of the oem glass on the doors. That and the fact that they'd scratch too easy when the window goes up and down.

[Bitter]

Damn, really?? That's the first I've heard of that. I'll have to google that in a sec - thanks for the heads up. I would have preferred to rivet it in, lest of all for the uber cool ricer look, but I couldn't be bothered. It seems pretty set for the time being and I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it. FWIW I used a cocktail of various glues and sealants on different parts of it, just to be extra extra safe :chuckles:



I think it was like ~$90 and it's specially UV coated to stop it going yellow in the sunlight etc. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to make two more and sell them on ebay soon. Making it from scratch is a bit of a pain, so that's where I'll add value to it :gap:



Well, I'm going to do the sunroof soon, but I wont be doing the quarter windows or door windows because:
1) the quarter windows were replaced for oem toyota last month and they weigh hardly anything anyway.
2) I wont be able to solidly form the lexan to hold the exact shape of the oem glass on the doors. That and the fact that they'd scratch too easy when the window goes up and down.
pfff thats why you spot weld the regulators so you can't go up and down. who needs rolling windows on a race car?:fawk:

[jordan71]

Just fitted it today. I'm very happy with it, thus far :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/Ranasaur/lexan-window.jpg

Next up, will be lexan sunroof :headbang:

did u use vinyl to tint/color it i assume? cause u cant use real tint on it since it flexs. Also dont use glue, u need to use rivets. Im still trying to come up with a way to hide the rivets and add a clean look to the car.

[Celicasaur]

pfff thats why you spot weld the regulators so you can't go up and down. who needs rolling windows on a race car?:fawk:

...me :o:

did u use vinyl to tint/color it i assume? cause u cant use real tint on it since it flexs. Also dont use glue, u need to use rivets. Im still trying to come up with a way to hide the rivets and add a clean look to the car.

I actually painted it with spray cans. It looks like vinyl though. I'm pretty handy with spray cans these days :chuckles:

But yeah it does wobble about a fair bit. Pretty sure I will actually need to have it riveted, largely because i think at high speeds, when it bottoms out, it'll pull away from the glue. I'll prob get it done next weekend hopefully :)

[hulkster]

I think it was like ~$90 and it's specially UV coated to stop it going yellow in the sunlight etc.



do u remember where you bought it. that sounds very cheap. thought they would run close to 200 for a size that big?

[Bitter]

...me :o:



I actually painted it with spray cans. It looks like vinyl though. I'm pretty handy with spray cans these days :chuckles:

But yeah it does wobble about a fair bit. Pretty sure I will actually need to have it riveted, largely because i think at high speeds, when it bottoms out, it'll pull away from the glue. I'll prob get it done next weekend hopefully :)

an aluminum strut down the center of it would really keep it from flexing due to air pressure changes.

[Celicasaur]

do u remember where you bought it. that sounds very cheap. thought they would run close to 200 for a size that big?

Yeah for sure, but for you guys it might be considerable amount more due to international shipping :(

an aluminum strut down the center of it would really keep it from flexing due to air pressure changes.

Funny that, I considered something like that, but tbh I'll have it riveted this coming weekend and so I'll just use the force. I don't mind it wobbling tbh, just so long as it stays planted 100%. I'll post pics when it's riveted in.

[Preludekid]

Celicasaur,

Renault Megane R26R, Carrera GT3RS, lambos are some of the examples that came with Lexan glass from the factory. I got a close look at those car a few times, and these car doesn't use rivet on their lexan window. I've serached before that lexan can be glued into metal but I just can't figure out which one to use. If they can glue that on a GT3RS, i think we can glue it on to Celica. Of course, riveting the lexan makes the life easier when replacement takes place.

I know a guy who worked at porsche workshop before, he didn't have the chance to work on GT2, GT3RS. So, he couldn't tell me what they use to glue that lexan on the porscher.

[Celicasaur]

Hey man :)

Yeah no, the only issue I have with using a super tough glue or epoxy is that the ease of changing the window becomes a lot more of a PITA. If you're not careful, you can fairly easily create loads of fine swirl marks when washing the lexan window. If birds make a mess on the window and you need to be more aggressive, this only makes it more prone to losing it's flawless finish. Truth be told, I prefer the method that another guy on this board used about 2 years ago with carriage bolts and nuts on the underside. That would make it super easy to swap out as and when needed :)

But going back to the porche thing, those windows may be made of a better material then the one I'm using for mine, hence why gluing them is not a big issue...? :shrugs:

[Shizuma]

Meh I always use aluminum rivets on Lexan, just be sure to line everything up with clecos first. Also, you can get peel-offs for Lexan if you're worried about scratching (think screen protector for a touch screen phone) it's what we have to use on the race car's windshield. Furthermore, for the side windows you can get airplane slides (the little sliding window thingys) for ventilation and you can get the shape of the window by placing it over the OEM glass, heating it up so it takes the contour and then letting it cool. Just make sure you put something on the glass to keep the Lexan from sticking (I use cooking spray :D). It's really better to do this with a large oven but you may be able to pull it off with a heatgun as long as you don't stay in one place too long.