PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: ThePintokid on July 28, 2020, 11:39:54 AM
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Hi i'm new to this site and i was wondering if any one knew where i can find a windshield for my 1980 for pinto hatchback.
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Try Windshieldstog o.com.
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Thanks. I'm checking with them now.
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I have one that you are welcome to. Where are you located? I am in the Rochester NY area. Do you need any other glass?
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unfortunately I'm in Washington state. :-\
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Thanks one2.34me for the suggestion but sadly they did not have one. :(
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You're welcome. Sorry to hear they didn't have one.
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There are classic windshield sites on the internet. From my experience most "local" shop don't want to be bothered. That said, windshields will likely be the EOL of many a car. Most classic windshields cost in the vicinity of $350-upwards of $700! Shipping can be upwards of $200+. Throw in a $100+ new gasket (not an issue on an 80 Pinto) and it is likely a $500-$600 cost to replace the windshield in a best case scenario (if you can even find one).
Windshields can be a oddity as to availability. I have a '64 Studebaker Daytona (the last body type Studebaker built) and the windshields are very rare. But older Studebaker's are more readily available. In the case of my Studebaker I paid $100 each for two windshields with scratches and Bull's-eye's. And I was at the mercy of my son transporting them 400 miles to get them home safely. After that experience I got a spare Pinto windshield for $25 at Pick You Part and have it available for "the day when." I have contemplated moving on to older cars simply because the windshields are flat and easily recreated.
I also have a Corvair station Wagon with a rare 2" taller roof. 25 years and I found ONE windshield in a wrecking yard. However, in this case it seems I can use a regular (coupe/sedan) more readily available windshield if I create a metal filler in the roof.
When you think about it who wants to make a small run of windshields for the few remaining cars on the road? They have to sit on them for a LONG time and maybe never sell. It sure would be nice if some type of substitute that can be laser cut and properly formed would come along. On Wheeler Dealer they had to replace the windshield on a Saab and the remedy was to cut the section needed out of a late model Chevy Impala windshield. Cutting glass is always a risky thing, time consuming and probably not cheap.
It would be interesting to see if similar can be done for the Pinto. It does have a laid back look similar to modern glass. It will probably be an enthusiast spending hours in a benevolent junk yard where the keep laying the Pinto glass over other windshields to see it there is a potential match (less the trimming to fit).
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It will probably be an enthusiast spending hours in a benevolent junk yard where the keep laying the Pinto glass over other windshields to see it there is a potential match (less the trimming to fit).
That would be an excellent hobby for you if and when you ever decide to retire!!!
Dwayne :)
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I've been retire fore 6 years now. And while my brain would find the pursuit interesting I doubt my back, and feet are in agreement. And then there is the "benevolent" junkyard. My "go to" Pick Your Part is anything but a friendly place.
For YEARS I'd see people in there on the 50% off sale day dismounting tires and buying them by the stack load. So, I figured why not. You can break the bead with a scissor jack and tire irons will remove the tire. Anyway, the guy at the check out window had no issue selling me the tires. But the guy at the gate was irate that I had pulled the tires as it was no longer allowed. Mind you that there is NOTHING on their website nor posted at the yard that you can't remove tires. I've had other gate guys insist that certain parts were not included with a "Complete" engine and threaten to send me back in a lengthy line if I didn't give them money. So, yea, finding that benevolent yard is 50% of the equation.
Speaking of windshields. My son (home for a time because of Covid 19) stored much of his stuff in his second car (his grandmothers old car). One thing was a number of cans of Dust-Off that he uses while 3D printing. The sun struck a can just the right way and the heat expansion sent the can projecting through the windshield. We never found the actual can. The nozzle, trigger and a circular chunk (picture 3) that had blown out was about 20 feet away. If anyone knows how hard it it to not just crack, much less break a hole though a piece of laminated glass can understand that to remove a 2" piece completely is quite a force. So, this summer be careful where you place any aerosol cans!!!
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Well I don't think anyone on the west coast has a 1979 or 1980 ford pinto windshield thanks for everyone's help.
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Most glass shops stock very little glass. They get it from a glass warehouse that has "Runners" delivering the glass on a "as needed" basis. A few years back I had the windshield replaced on my daily drive (2000 Protege). I was at the shop for about an hour and a half and in that time I saw three different delivery trucks bring windshields.
So, the likelihood of finding a windshield will be through the warehouse which I doubt you can contact directly. Most installers know that a 40 year old windshield is a rare item and don't want to be bothered spending the time tracking down a rare windshield when they likely have many cars waiting for readily available glass. You best bet is to try a classic glass vendor that might buy up old stock. Unfortunately they have to invest in the shipping, storage and don't see a return on investment until the rare need come up. So, you pay for that - plus the shipping.
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I check all the glass shops in my area and one of them checked all the warehouses he had aces to in the USA and said they had none. And two of the class car shops in my area are still lucking for a windshield.
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You can take a nice cross country drive to NY State and have one for the price of your gas, lodging and food.
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How much do you think it would be to ship it.
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Have you considered looking for a suitable parts car with a good windshield instead? Harvest the windshield and any other parts you think you might ever use and scrap the rest. Even if you don't have space to store a bunch of parts, you could probably market them successfully online or at car show/swap meets. Just a suggestion!
Dwayne :)
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I looked but I could not find any. sadly
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One of the problems with the 79/80 Pinto's and pulling it from a yard is the glue in windshield. I tried once to get a glue in out of a wrecking yard for my daily driver and it was a nightmare. After about 1-1/2 hours in the hot sun I was about 2/3rds the way through and the windshield broke. The worse part was I got a second bout of frozen shoulder from the arm actions of the attempted removal.
For those who haven't had it, it goes like this. You do something and for about a week you notice little to nothing but by the end of the week your shoulder feels sore. There after it only gets worse. Within a few weeks you can't even lift your arm sideways - at all. By month 9 you think it might be getting better and by the time a year has gone by you are back to normal. About a year prior I had gotten frozen shoulder building my daughter's Tiny House. We had 4'x8'x 1/2" plywood (32 Lbs) stacked at waist height. I would slide it into my gut, grab the outer ends and transport it over to sawhorses just a few feet away for cutting. It was just 5 seconds to do each. And it was only 18 sheets total spread out over a few days. That too took close to a year to recover from.
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About 4-5 years ago there was a guy on craigslist selling windshields up in Kelso or Longview. He had a brand new Pinto windshield for $100 or $125. Don't know if it was glue in or not (did not matter to me as I have both style cars) but anyway, I didn't have the money then or I would have pulled the trigger. I wanted that thing bad just to hold onto but could not make it happen. I do have a few spare windshields but I think they are all the gasket type. I guess I will start keeping an eye out for a spare for my 79 wagon moving forward. Good luck to you.....
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If there is anyone in the northeast than needs a good windshield, rear hatch, and side glass, I have good examples in my doner car. The windshield has the blue tint at the top. High-end Pinto! The body panels aren't bad considering the NY salt if anyone is interested in them. The problem with this car is it sat in dirt for years so the floors and "frame" are gone.
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Would you be willing to ship the windshield if I pay for shipping.
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I would be willing but am afraid it wouldn't make it across the country intact. We would need a crate and use high density packing material to pack it as securely as possible. Transporters aren't always as tender with fragile items as one would hope! If you want, you can build the shipping crate, ship it to me with sufficient packing material inside. I can open it up, pack the windshield and return ship. In the end it won't be cheap but if you need it bad enough, I guess cost isn't a factor in the absence of other options. Think about it and let me know what you want to do.
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Ugghhh..., transporting windshields! It might be wise to see how the glass typically gets shipped. Is the box over-sized and they use spray foam..., or does the foam create too much transfer of forces and it will crack the glass? I had to replace the rear door glass in my wife's Civic and the curved glass came shipped in a thin sheet of cardboard folded over the glass like a file folder. I was shocked at the near nothing protection of the glass. But, maybe the concept is if the glass is seen they will treat it more carefully???
Below is the cradle I made when my son picked up my two Studebaker windshields. I fought for every fraction of an inch to get the glass vertical in his 2 door '96 Civic. It took me about 8 hours to configure everything. It would have been an 800 mile trip if my son hadn't been going/coming near the area the windshields were. It cost me $100 each for two windshields with scratches and bulls-eyes, 8 hours to configure the cradle and gratitude to my son for hauling them. This is sometimes what it takes. My other option was to spend over $600 and have one new windshield delivered.
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I was thinking about a wooden crate made of 2x4's and plywood. I am in the HVAC business and we receive coils packaged like that. They are solid so even if something is placed on top of it, there should be no damage. I'm about to cut this car apart so the sooner I know, the better if the windshield is wanted.
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I got it out...and didn't break it! I usually don't have have enough patience for a tedious project like this but I know these are rare and it is ready for anyone that will need it. It's a really light, thin piece of glass. I expected thicker and heavier. If ThePintokid doesn't claim it, I will hold it till someone needs it. In the pic, the windshields is up against the cardboard I change oil on and adjust my spray gun when I paint. I didn't clean the glass but it isn't black like you see in the pic...that's the cardboard color.
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Slit water pipe insulation is a good way to protect the edges. Especially the lower edge if it is going to sit on a hard floor. Since you are in the A/C biz you probably have some laying around.
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Good idea! It will get that treatment!
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thinking about it I rather not ship it because it would be a shame for one of the last windshields to break. Thanks you for your time.
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I'll hold on to it until someone needs it. For anyone that is reading this, the fenders, doors, quarter panels, rear hatch (all glass), front and rear seats are available. There are a variety of misc parts that are available too. ***The Parts are in the Rochester NY Area***
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Rob you might want to go to the above post and edit it to give your location. It is helpful for those who may consider driving to get parts.
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Thank you. Good idea.
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I found a guy locally that is daily driving an '80 Pinto. I saw it in his driveway and stopped to let him know I had parts available. He is going to stop tomorrow to look at what I have. His father has a Pinto too and has a homemade plexiglass windshield. He is excited that I have a good windshield. Based in this thread, I know they are rare. What should I ask for mine? I'm not looking to crush this guy and am going to give him pretty much anything he wants from my car that I don't plan to use in my project so he's going to end up with a great deal. It will help me create more floor space so I benefit from giving him anything I have no use for.
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The "out the door" price for a windshield at Pick Your Part is about $45. But that requires that they actually have one (not likely) and YOU have to remove it without damaging it. As I noted above back in 2012 I purchased two Studebaker windshields that have scratches and bull's-eyes and they were $100 each. On the low end I'd say $75 and on the high end I'd say $125. For additional reference four years ago I cracked the windshield in my daily driver (2000 Mazda Protege). $100 got me a brand new windshield installed and the old one disposed of. I just had to drive to a bad area and sit in their groody waiting room for an hour and a half. But Safelite was $350 and it seemed like a small price to pay to save $250.
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He came over today to look over my treasure. His father wants/needs the windshield. He can use my doors and fenders. Once I'm done with my project, he can have all my leftovers.
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The windshield has been sold.