Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

KathyD19

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jul 17, 2012
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350
I acquired a 1964 Mariner fiberglass boat with an intact windshield but it's very dull and hazy so I just wondered, has anyone ever tried those products that they sell at auto parts stores for restoring headlights that have gotten cloudy over time? I have no idea if that would be worth the purchase price to try so I thought I'd see if anyone else has made the effort before me. Thanks!
:rolleyes:
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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47,542
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

if the windshield is flat, would be easier to simply replace it. however I have wet sanded and buffed tail lenses and headlight covers. I have not tried any of the restoration kits.
 

KathyD19

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

No, it's a curved one so it wouldn't be cost effective to replace it. The previous owner said they rubbed toothpaste on it and that would clear it up enough to be able to see through it for a few outings but it would get hazy again. Sounds like the polishing agents in the paste helped for a bit. I'm just curious about those headlight restoring kits though.
 

KathyD19

Petty Officer 1st Class
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350
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

I can't seem to get that link to come up...web can't find "www.oldglassboats.com" Odd...and now I'm curious what got those good results!!

Oops, now it's coming up. My computer is being fickle tonight!
 

KathyD19

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jul 17, 2012
Messages
350
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

I will check into those products, they are cheap and readily available which is great! One more stupid question though...do I have to do both the outside and the inside of the windshield or is one side more likely to be scratched and need restoration?
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
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Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

You need to do every surface that has a problem.

Old weathered plastic windshields tend to get very small but numerous tiny stress cracks in the curved portions, there is nothing you can do to fix that issue.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

I used the method TruckDrivingFool posted. I have copied it in Long form below. My windshield looks like a new one. It was 50 years old. Patience and Persistence is the key. $35 HF polisher.



John Gambill (JAG)
As some of you may know, I purchased this winters project a couple of months ago but told Julia
I wouldn't get started on it till first snow. But, I have been prepping things a bit and since the
windshield on my 59 Cutter JetDeville has two pretty good cracks in it have been on the hunt for
a replacement.
Well, last summer I remembered spotting this boat out in a field over by my office in Elkhart In.
So a couple of weeks ago stopped to see what it was. Guess what, Yep it was an old rotted junk
Cutter but, the windshield looked pretty good so I made a deal last week for the windshield and
all the deck hardware and drove over Saturday and pulled everything.
I was able to find an original NOS Taylor Made Windshield instillation kit with all hard wear as
well as the new Taylormade windshield logo that inserts through the glass on the port corner.
Now keep in mind that kit was totally complete and all together, New! I have one more of these
kits if someone needs it. E me direct on that.
In picture 3 you will see the five products that were used to do this restoration. I did this last
year on the Elgin and posted the pics and process but just so those of you who may have missed it
here it is again on the Cutter windshield.
Remember, Do only a small area at a time, 8 to 10 inches square. Use clean soft cloths such as
old T Shirts Etc. and keep them clean.
Do the deepest scratches first and start with the Red Turtle wax compound which is most
aggressive, its the one with the red label sitting below the Green labeled product. Then go to the
Green labeled Turtle Wax Product which is less aggressive. Then go to the Novus green labeled
product in the bottle and finish with the Red Labeled Novus product which is a fine scratch
remover and polish. Then I hit it with common liquid Turtle wax and it was done. I go over it and
over it in the last two stages and put three clamp on lights with the big aluminum shades that you
buy at a hardware store for a $1.99 clamped to a shelf above my work bench with 100 watt bulbs
shining down on the windshield so I can see the progress of the compounds I'm using. There are
no short cuts to this process, follow my directions. You can buy the Novus product from West Marine,
If you don't have a West Marine store close to you ,go on line to West Marine.com and you will find it.
The frame was polished out with "Never Dull" which is in the silver can. This windshield was
bad but as you can see. The process works.
Where to get the products:"Never Dull�, at most Auto Supplies I.E. AutoZone Etc. about$3.50
a can, The Turtle Wax Rubbing Compounds,WalMart,$1.90 a can, The "Novus" products are from
West Marine. Time to complete this project, is four to six hours. You might print and save this for
down the road reference. Hope this is of help to some of you.
Good Luck, JAG

ws1.jpg


ws2.jpg


ws3.jpg


ws4.jpg


ws5.jpg
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
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Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

WOG

That really looks nice.
 

Yacht Dr.

Vice Admiral
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Feb 26, 2005
Messages
5,581
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

WOG

That really looks nice.

Sure does .. but its not Woodies ;) .. its John Gambill (JAG). ( the link that would not work for the OP up top ).

Yes .. sanding and buffing is all you need to do if its not crazed out.

YD.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

Yep, ondarvr that is correct I just posted what TDF link was supposed to show, I used JAG's technique and got these results.
from this...
100_3462.jpg





to this
PolishedWindshield.jpg
 

KathyD19

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Messages
350
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

Thanks everyone! I am heading to the auto parts store today and I will work on this latest project this weekend as the temps are supposed to finally cool down a bit! In the meantime, I tried a quickie method a local boating friend told me about: using Pledge furniture cleaner because the polishing/wax agents in it will help. I was doubtful but lo and behold it cleared up enough that I was able to take it out on the lake and actually see where I was going! :)
 

greenbush future

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,814
Re: Vintage acrylic windshield restoration

You need to do every surface that has a problem.

Old weathered plastic windshields tend to get very small but numerous tiny stress cracks in the curved portions, there is nothing you can do to fix that issue.
They become very brittle too, after polishing my 64 vintage windshield, I had it stored away, but it did get bumped and the darn thing cracked really easy. So my effort to reuse has been ruined. Just use care when handling these older ones, they are really fragile.
 
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