Hardtop Qtr windows in glass

[Austin Healer]

I've painted my hardtop and I'm in the process of assembly. I have the headliner installed and was getting ready to install the side Qtr. glass assemblies. I picked one up and thought, "Geez, these are kind of heavy". Turns out they are glass, not Perspex.

They both have an acid etched logo (ASI) in a slanted rectangle. Below that it reads tempered glass 3/16 and then there are 2 series of numbers below that which are pretty hard to read with my old eyes! The glass has reliefs for the frame rivets just like the perspex ones. The frames look like they've never been apart. I've had this hardtop since 1991, so I know they're not recent additions. Why I never noticed it before is a bit of a mystery.

Has anybody seen something like this before??

 

[65beam]

Yep. It's been a lot of years but I think Rick or Tiger Tom made some way back when. I had a couple sets of Harrington door glasses cut at the local glass shop back in 2017 and they sent them to LOF in Columbus and had them tempered. They came back with markings which I assume show the specs for the glass.

 

[Austin Healer]

Yep. It's been a lot of years but I think Rick or Tiger Tom made some way back when. I had a couple sets of Harrington door glasses cut at the local glass shop back in 2017 and they sent them to LOF in Columbus and had them tempered. They came back with markings which I assume show the specs for the glass.

These would have been made well before 1991.... as I have had the hardtop since then. I suspect they're a lot older than that as the car I bought the hardtop with was an abandoned project back then and had been abandoned for quite some time... In 1991, Alpines weren't worth anything, and Tigers weren't either. I don't think the car and the hardtop cost more than a $1500 USD and neither were rusty. The acid etchings aren't LOF markings.. I'm familiar with that marking system. I'll see if I can get some decent pics of the markings and post them.

 

[65beam]

These would have been made well before 1991.... as I have had the hardtop since then. I suspect they're a lot older than that as the car I bought the hardtop with was an abandoned project back then and had been abandoned for quite some time... In 1991, Alpines weren't worth anything, and Tigers weren't either. I don't think the car and the hardtop cost more than a $1500 USD and neither were rusty. The acid etchings aren't LOF markings.. I'm familiar with that marking system. I'll see if I can get some decent pics of the markings and post them.

It may well have been before 1991. I probably started buying parts from Tiger Tom back in the 70's. Probably from Rick around the same time. There were others selling Sunbeam parts east of the Mississippi at that time. Since the 60's I've bought from many suppliers that are no longer in business. Maybe a previous owner had them made. It's hard to say who made the ones you have.

 

[Austin Healer]

Here's the logo

 

[65beam]

The ANSI number means it's safety glass. The Z97 prefix designates that the spec is for glass used in buildings.

 

[Austin Healer]

The ANSI number means it's safety glass. The Z97 prefix designates that the spec is for glass used in buildings.

Well.... it says it's tempered safety glass right below the logo....

The logo appears on both QTR windows in exactly the same place. There is also a notation 1-1984 that may indicate a date of manufacture. I highly doubt that they were cut from residential glass because, as I indicate, the logos are in exactly the same spot of both panes. Additionally, the markings are on the INSIDE surfaces of the glass indicating that they were LH and RH panes from the start.. I am in no way saying that these are original... just a curiosity. I believe them to be purpose made and designed for the Alpine/Tiger hardtop QTR. windows from the get go... I just wonder who made them... I can buy tempered glass here in town, but they will not drill it for the latch mechanism... and, of course, it won't have any etching on the glass.

There are two nice qualities of these parts... The latch doesn't make the pane deflect when latched like the current plexi offerings, and they won't scratch... If the date of manufacture is 1-1984, that is proof enough of the durability, as they look brand new!

 

[65beam]

The 1 1984 designates it to be 1/4" clear, solid heat treated glass.

 

[michael-king]

Well I believe them to be purpose made and designed for the Alpine/Tiger hardtop QTR. windows from the get go... I just wonder who made them... I can buy tempered glass here in town, but they will not drill it for the latch mechanism... and, of course, it won't have any etching on the glass.

I would have mentioned earlier that there were glass sets being offered on the old tiger mailing list back in the mid 2000s. But you said your top had been with you since 1991.
I can't recall the name right now .. but the guy owned an automotive glass co. And he may have said he had done an earlier batch .. . you'd have to dig the archive from the mid 2000s.

He retired and sold the business and the new owner didn't show interest in making more

They were high quality..but for me the extra weight they add to the top is just going to cause more paint damage and more PITA manoeuvring it on and off...

 

[65beam]

A glass shop that does automotive, home, and commercial glass work has the ability to do custom work. They'll cut the size needed and make needed alterations to the glass and then send them off to undergo tempering. The glass will come back with the spec showing on the glass. If you need something made as far as glass work then the best thing to do is to ask a street rod owner where you can get custom glass work done. I seem to remember someone was cutting down windshields for rear hardtop windows.

 

[Austin Healer]

The 1 1984 designates it to be 1/4" clear, solid heat treated glass.

They are 3/16" thick, not 1/4" It's also clearly marked at the base of the logo as 3/16

I would have mentioned earlier that there were glass sets being offered on the old tiger mailing list back in the mid 2000s. But you said your top had been with you since 1991.
I can't recall the name right now .. but the guy owned an automotive glass co. And he may have said he had done an earlier batch .. . you'd have to dig the archive from the mid 2000s.

He retired and sold the business and the new owner didn't show interest in making more

They were high quality..but for me the extra weight they add to the top is just going to cause more paint damage and more PITA manoeuvring it on and off...

I actually have installed the top on the car by myself for years and I've had a bunch of back surgeries... and not due to the top! Yes, I've had the top since 1991. It was on series 5 Alpine I bought for parts... It was pretty rough when I bought it, but rust free. It had been sitting for 5-6 years according to the guy I bought it from, so I'm guessing that the glass qtr. windows were fit, possibly some time in the 80's. The back lite is plexi, then and now, and obviously a repro as it is unmarked.

 

[Austin Healer]

I would have mentioned earlier that there were glass sets being offered on the old tiger mailing list back in the mid 2000s. But you said your top had been with you since 1991.
I can't recall the name right now .. but the guy owned an automotive glass co. And he may have said he had done an earlier batch .. . you'd have to dig the archive from the mid 2000s.

He retired and sold the business and the new owner didn't show interest in making more

They were high quality..but for me the extra weight they add to the top is just going to cause more paint damage and more PITA manoeuvring it on and off...

That would have been Lee at Alan Auto Glass in Burbank, Ca... Looking at the thread, it appears that the windows were laminated... The side windows I have are solid. there was an earlier post (2012) for a hardtop for sale that had glass qtr windows...

 

[65beam]

I would suggest that you enter ANSI Z97.1 1-1984 into your search engine for the internet. The full explanation of the specs is available and would clear up a lot of confusion since it states when the spec went into effect and also what is done to meet the spec as well as whether the glass is laminated or solid.