Is the cab rear corner curved glass toughened?

[wendleburger]

Hi,

I am having a few difficulties with compliancing and registering my Pilothouse over here on the other side of the world.

One of our regulations requires that all automotive glass be preferably laminated, but at a minimum, toughened.

All the glass in my cab other than the curved corners is labeled as toughened, but the corner glass has no markings at all.

Does anyone know for sure if they are toughened?

The engineer doing the paperwork told me that if I had a spare one I could break, showing it was toughened and photograph, that would be acceptable as a substitute for the proper markings.

Anyone got a damaged one they can hit with a hammer and get a pic

This is the car in question.

[ggdad1951]

I believe that they are laminated.

[wendleburger]

I believe that they are laminated.

Interesting. Thanks.

I might have to get some new rubber so I can pop them out and have a look...

[MBF]

I have a couple of spares in a box on a shelf in my garage. I'll check tomorrow to see if they're lamintated. I've got to believe that by this stage that all US automotive glass was of the safety type. I'll post again tomorrow after I look. Mike

[ggdad1951]

I stand corrected, I just checked the 2 pair I have and they are NOT laminated.

[Dave72dt]

It'd be a shame to break one just to see how tough it is. It'd be different if they were being reproduced.

[TodFitch]

Would Plexiglass/Perspex be legal to use in your area for that rear corner application?

It is pretty easy to form to a curve by heating it in an oven and then forming it to shape when hot....

[PatS....]

I believe it is tempered...if broken it will shatter into very small chunks. Same as the vent windows, the door glass and the rear window.

Not much of an engineer if he can't tell just by a rap of a knuckle...very distinctive sound, very different from ordinary glass.

Did the 'ENGINEER" just granulate from university? Breaking a similar one only proves the broken one was tempered. Says nothing of the one in question.

If all the rest of the glass is marked it is a safe assumption on a 60 yr old vehicle that the corner glass would be as well, negating the need to destroy a good one for the same assumption.

Edited November 19, 2011 by PatS....

[catfishcuz]

They are tempered thats why thier are still so many of them tempered glass stays clear and last along time.I ask a similar question and it was answered by Merle Coggins thiers not much that man dont know about these trucks. Butch

[HanksB3B]

DESOTODAV!

"who but a mild mannered mate...able to knock that inspector-bloke's noggin into the corner window to see if it's tempered...DESOTODAV to the rescue!

Hey other people in OZ have their 3-window UTE's registered...What's that guys problem...?

Temper This!

Hank

[Don Coatney]

I would think that the glass specifications for the year the vehicle was manufactured would suffice. Was toughfened glass required in the year your vehicle was built? I would think the registration agency would have that answer.

[Merle Coggins]

What do you mean by "toughened" glass? The curved corner windows should be tempered glass and the rest of the windows should be laminated safety glass. Most modern vehicles use tempered safety glass in all windows except for the windshields which are laminated safety glass.

Merle

[austinsailor]

They are tempered, us stadards required it for quite a time before that. a little bit of googling should give the dates.

As to breaking one, once it's broken, it'll be tiny pieces and you couldn't tell what it started as. I suppose a guy could show a picture of an intact one under a hammer, next picture shows a bunch of tempered glass shards, who could tell where it came from?

But, to prove yours without destructive testing, use polorized sunglasses to look at it. Get the light right and the tempering shows right up. No broken glass, no searches and it proves the exact glass in your truck is what they want.

[Rusty O'Toole]

Was the vehicle originally sold in Australia? If so it must have complied with Australian law when new. In that case I should think it still does, as they do not usually make safety laws retroactive.

[wendleburger]

Thanks all for your comments.

Sorry, I should stop using the word toughened, it's just local vernacular for tempered. Same thing

As for all the questions on why it is a problem registering it when there are others in Aus registered, I live in the Australian Capital Territory, the city is basically set up around being somewhere for the government to operate, it's like it's own little country (think Vatican City LOL). Everything here is way more difficult and beauracratic than it needs to be.

On the upside there's always plenty of work for a tradesman like myself, because all those politicians and public servants make and spend a lot of cash.

And yes, the car was originally sold in Australia, but it came from interstate and from a completely different set of rules. The problem I had is that they won't accept that the glass is tempered without a label on it like the rest of the glass has.

However, I've now been told that I can apply a security film to the inside face of those windows and I'm all good. Ridiculous but true.

Thanks.

Edited November 20, 2011 by wendleburger
Grammar

[Don Coatney]

Why dont you leave Vatican city and go to Hicksville to do your paperwork?

[HanksB3B]

we cornered the market when it came to stupid politicians. It's a sad day when I have the notion that I would make a better president than any of the current candidates.

Hank

[wendleburger]

Why dont you leave Vatican city and go to Hicksville to do your paperwork?

There's a couple of niceties about our system here which make it worth persevering with.

The first is that there is no inspections after the first one. If I register it interstate I have to get it inspected every 12 months.

The second is that we don't have to have continual registration. I can register it for 3 or 6 months at a time. So if I don't want to drive it over winter, or need to pull it off the road for an engine rebuild for example, I don't have to pay to keep it registered while it's not being driven.

[Desotodav]

Apologies for the belated reply - I've been out west.

Hank: you have a way with words!

Wendleburger: A relative of mine had the same problem with his Engineer when trying to register his truck. He ended up filling the corner windows in with metal in order to get the truck registered. His truck was somewhat 'modified' though. I was not so unfortunate as my truck has remained in its original configuration. A couple of questions: Where are you at? Has your truck been altered from original standards? if not, then you need a different Engineer! Send me a PM and we can chat further as we seen to be the only country with this issue.

The rear corner windows in the Oz trucks are plate glass. I can tell you this because I broke one recently whilst trying to fit my new (correct) rear window rubbers with my Window Fitter mate. Maybe I should have taken a photo? but I think there were too many swear words being thrown around at the time! I was fortunate enough to have a spare set of corner windows in the shed. I would imagine that you would have problems installing Perspex here in Oz too as there is no set standard for perspex window applications in vehicles. My Window Fitter mate suggested that no Engineer would know otherwise if one was to somehow paint the 'Armourplate Safety Glass' circular motif (like on the other windows) onto the corner windows.

Desotodav

[wendleburger]

The rear corner windows in the Oz trucks are plate glass. I can tell you this because I broke one recently whilst trying to fit my new (correct) rear window rubbers with my Window Fitter mate.

Cool. Thanks heaps for that. Always good to hear straight from the source.

The engineer is more than happy with the glass if it has security film applied to the inside face. The problem is going to be if the RTA accept it, but it's been done before and passed, so I should be OK.

A couple of questions: Where are you at? Has your truck been altered from original standards?

I'm in Canberra. The truck is far from standard, unfortunately the only original Dodge left is the body.

Thanks.

[Desotodav]

Wow, I just looked at pictures of your truck on other threads. You're not wrong about it being "far from standard". Good job by the way!

I'd go with the film applied to the glass and hope for the best. It's a pity that my relative didn't have that option. Our RTA equivalent here in Qld have some interesting ideas too. The fella that inspected my 52 truck for rego was too excited about the truck to look at too much. Although, I think this truck came out alright and he would have been pushed to find a problem.

Be sure to send some more pics of the completed project.

Desotodav

[wendleburger]

Wow, I just looked at pictures of your truck on other threads. You're not wrong about it being "far from standard". Good job by the way!...Be sure to send some more pics of the completed project.

Desotodav

Thanks!

Rough kind of before/after photos are below. I'd like to find one in better shape and do a proper restoration, but this wasn't really suitable for that. Seized engine, snapped and stretched chassis, ruined front axle, cracked steering box, completely rat-eaten interior, etc.

I did think it was pretty much rust-free until I pulled it apart and cleaned it, then I found it was rotted out everywhere

It's turned out to be a nice, comfortable, reliable, old-looking truck that drives real nice and keeps people guessing. Couldn't ask for more

[Rusty O'Toole]

"My Window Fitter mate suggested that no Engineer would know otherwise if one was to somehow paint the 'Armourplate Safety Glass' circular motif (like on the other windows) onto the corner windows."

The best way to do this would be to photograph or copy the motif and use it to make a mask of thin rubber to glue on the window. Then gently sandblast the motif into the glass. That is more or less how they did it at the factory. Or possibly use acid to etch it in.

"I live in the Australian Capital Territory, the city is basically set up around being somewhere for the government to operate, it's like it's own little country (think Vatican City LOL). Everything here is way more difficult and beauracratic than it needs to be. "

A more apt comparison for Americans might be the District of Columbia, home of Washington DC

Edited November 25, 2011 by Rusty O'Toole

[ggdad1951]

there is also a etch you can by for glass to make decorative glassware. That might be a bit more forgiving that sandblasting.

[austinsailor]

my truck and I were in the same place today and I checked my windows. Near the bottom is etched:

"Herculite"

"AS 9-88"

Try as hard as I might I was unable to get it to show up in a picture.