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Making a New Windshield
Save a buck or make it custom
Ken Talbot
To replace the windshield on SWMBO's 'H, I bought a 2 foot square piece of Lexan from a windshield and glass shop. I clamped the old one to the new sheet with some wood clamps and drilled the mounting holes with a regular drill. I traced around the old windshield with a pen, unclamped the two, and used a jigsaw to cut out the new windshield.
To work the edges, I started with a rasp, moved to coarse sandpaper, and worked up to about 200 grit. For a real polished edge, you could keep going to 1000 grit but I consider that to be overkill. Once you're done with the edges, carefully peel off the protective paper and install your new windshield. This job cost us $45 Canadian for the piece of Lexan.
If you want to make a taller windshield, get the holes drilled and the original outline traced. Unclamp the pieces and shift the old windshield up by how much taller you want it. Trace your new top, then blend in the side lines.
HD Williams
My fairing windshield was badly scratched and had 4 cracks in it, "two on each vent hole", and I looked into options for replacing the windshield. Before I sent $54 plus $8 s&h to Swanee, I decided to try fabricating my own. I just happened to have a 3/16" thick, 2 foot square piece of Lexan in my garage. Here's how I did it.
I was fortunate to have a suitable piece of plastic for free, but I'm sure that most hardware stores would sell you the material for much less than $62. Total time, approx. 2 hrs.
Save a buck or make it custom
Ken Talbot
To replace the windshield on SWMBO's 'H, I bought a 2 foot square piece of Lexan from a windshield and glass shop. I clamped the old one to the new sheet with some wood clamps and drilled the mounting holes with a regular drill. I traced around the old windshield with a pen, unclamped the two, and used a jigsaw to cut out the new windshield.
To work the edges, I started with a rasp, moved to coarse sandpaper, and worked up to about 200 grit. For a real polished edge, you could keep going to 1000 grit but I consider that to be overkill. Once you're done with the edges, carefully peel off the protective paper and install your new windshield. This job cost us $45 Canadian for the piece of Lexan.
If you want to make a taller windshield, get the holes drilled and the original outline traced. Unclamp the pieces and shift the old windshield up by how much taller you want it. Trace your new top, then blend in the side lines.
HD Williams
My fairing windshield was badly scratched and had 4 cracks in it, "two on each vent hole", and I looked into options for replacing the windshield. Before I sent $54 plus $8 s&h to Swanee, I decided to try fabricating my own. I just happened to have a 3/16" thick, 2 foot square piece of Lexan in my garage. Here's how I did it.
- Removed my windshield
- Traced it out on the protective plastic cover on the Lexan
- Cut it out with my jigsaw
- Sanded the edges with my beltsander
I was fortunate to have a suitable piece of plastic for free, but I'm sure that most hardware stores would sell you the material for much less than $62. Total time, approx. 2 hrs.