My 71 supreme vert came with a new, uninstalled vinyl top with plastic window. My plan was just to get it installed, but it seems the glass window is more desirable.

Pros/cons of plastic window? What are you thoughts.....Just install the top I have, or is it worth it to buy a new top with glass window?


Thanks,
David

 

If you can get glass, go glass. I've yet to see a vinyl window that didn't go white from UV.

 

How much of the time will this car spend outdoors?

Back in the day, when this might have been your daily driver, concern about UV exposure damaging the plastic was legitimate. But if this car is mostly driven to car shows, cruise-ins, and occasional touring, and almost always with the top down, anyway, the plastic rear window will see very little sun and probably last as long as the top itself does.

If the latter situation is anything like yours, I wouldn't discard a perfectly good top and plastic rear window just to get a glass window.

 

Thanks for the responses.

I should've noted that my car will be driver-quality, and will be driven occasionally on the weekends. Also, the color of the vinyl top is white.

 

If you didn't already have a plastic window, we'd say, of course, get a glass one. But you already have the plastic window, and given your driving schedule with this car, the window won't see enough UV exposure to be an issue.

 

The plastic windows look really crappy, and the glass windows look nice.

Also, you can probably get a perfectly matched glass window from the company that made your top (and possibly from the other companies as well) for not too much money.
The part is called the "rear curtain."

- Eric

 

What I didn't like about all the glass rear convertible windows I have owned is they must be unzipped and laid in the top well before lowering the top....or BOOM! Glass explosion, big mess. With a vinyl curtain, just put it down.
Much easier.
And I had a rear curtain replaced in a car I was selling, a 66 98 convertible which came with a glass window and had become delaminated, it only cost $250, parts and labor to replace it with a vinyl one. So it you go with vinyl and it does get bad looking, replacing it is cheap.
Another thing to consider, the zippers are the most fragile component of the convertible tops, easy to mess it up. So glass window which requires unzipping can lead to zipper failure. Everything is stretched so tight with convertible tops I had to unlatch and slightly raise the top, place a spacer under it at the windshield, to relieve the pressure so I could unzip it, same to zip it back up. More steps in enjoying the convertible you wanted.
Good luck,

 

Stock was glass and looks much better. You don't unzip it to lower. I would take Eric's advice on getting a glass rear curtain from the same mfr since labor is a big part of the job. You don't want to change your mind later.

Your decision in the end. Maybe not worth the extra cost/hassle if it's a weekender that will be driven top down mostly anyway. Thats my excuse for not replacing my somewhat ratty top yet, but will stay with glass when the time comes.

BTW, don't store it top down for extended periods just because it's garaged. Top needs to stay stretched, especially new ones.

 

I have never heard anyone say this before in my life.

I have had A-body convertibles with glass rear windows and have run them up and down for years without a problem.

If this happened to you, the top was installed wrong.

- Eric

 

Usually (at least in the older cars of the 50 era) your vision is compromised to begin with , most glass windows are smaller than the plastic ones. I know in my car it would be a problem, it's hard to see out of it as it is with the top up......Tedd

 

I would go with glass, if you want the car to look its best, stay original, and if you are picky about its looks.
Original is glass, so that says a lot to me.
Plastic scratches, discolors, and will probably be optically challenging to look through.
It looks cheap in my opinion.
A new top does not cost too much - it is the installation that gets expensive.
I have a glass window in mine and never an issue with lowering it, and no zippers either. It is a Kee brand top, favored amongst experienced installers.

 

In my opinion the glass back window in a convertible was a great idea. The plastic windows are going to get scratched in most cases. If it is a driver it is going to get dirty and the grit is going to scratch it. Besides, the car came with a glass window.

 

A late comment but -

A problem with glass windows is that they have a tendency to detach from the top, particularly in the lower corners, and leak. Google it. I have seen this happen on cars that are garage kept and live under car covers. The rest of the top looks fine - not worn out.

You can re-glue the glass to the top, but it is not so easy. Most pros will not do this repair because they can't guarantee that it will work, and it takes a lot of time/patience.

Plastic looks like - plastic. I have a plastic rear window, and I have the original rear view mirror. They sort of go together. I can see that there is a car behind me.

 

Maybe I have been lucky but I have had the top on my 72 Cutlass for over 20 years and the window has not come apart yet. It was a driver for several years after I bought it in 1993 and sat outside. It has been inside for several years now.

 

I have owned a 1970 Bonneville Convertible for 35 years and never had a problem with the glass window. Even in the 80s, when the car was kept outside and the top was falling apart, help together with GE Silicone, the glass window was never a problem. It never leaked and it never delaminated. And no glass window I ever saw had a zipper. Vinyl windows had zippers, but not glass. I have only had my Cutlass 7 years, but the glass window has never had any problems.


Plastic windows need special cleaner and polish to keep it clear, glass needs windex. The only advantage I can think of with plastic is you can unzip it and it lets a lot of air flow through when the top is up. If you have A/C, that's not a big deal.

 

I have a 70 Supreme Convt with no problems with the rear glass. Its the original top and the only problem that i have is a rip on the side. I've heard this rip is common because of the way it folds up and down. I dont know if this is true. Maybe you guys ever heard of this? I remember somebody told me that in the owners manual there's a way how to fold the top down before you bring it all the way down. I have to look in my owners manual.

 

If you look at my car. The top was installed in 1989 with a lexan/herculite rear window. I am finally at the point where I will need a new top. I had a previous convertible with a plastic/vinyl window. I prefer the lexan. As the vinyl gets old it will show creases and folds and discolor. Besides your 71 probably came from the factory with the lexan/herculite rear window. It is far superior in my opinion.

 

Yes, that is correct. The top should be stopped about half-way down and the material manually folded so it lays correctly.

The rip on the side is due to the top being too tight in that area. I had that happen to the top I installed back in 1990. I was able to glue a small patch of leftover vinyl top material over the rip and that held until the next top installation.

 

A couple thoughts...I had a 71 lemans with glass but the glass was cut into two pieces with a flexible middle you did not have to do anything with the glass prior to putting down the top. Secondly there are very good products to keep UV damage on the plastic. I had an old timer tell me to use pledge polish after every cleaning. I had a daily driver Malibu for 15 years and the plastic looked as good as the day I put it in

 

I stop my top half way down and fold my plastic window to prevent sharp creases - in my Olds. I also use some plastic window cleaner and/or protector from the Ragg Top folks. I can look it up needed. Works OK.

I have no idea why some glass windows separate from the top. I was shocked when it happened on my Audi TT. But after researching on the web, I found that it is not uncommon. I would have thought that the technology to bond the glass window to the top was well understood by now, but apparently not. As I said, the dealer solution (and most pro upholstery shops) is to replace the top - even if the top is otherwise OK. My problem with this solution is that there is no guarantee that the glass window in new top will last any longer before the same thing happens. An expensive repeat. Google, and you will find others that have had the same problem.

 

At a little over $100, a glass rear window is the way to go. I replaced only the window on my car and it wasn't a difficult job, it just took about 6 hours to get it right. I've had it in for four years and haven't had a problem. My wife used to have a 240SX convertible and the foggy rear plastic window was a PIA. It seemed like I was plastic polishing it every six months.

 

allyolds68 - did you replace just the glass? If so, what did you use to glue the glass to the vinyl? Did you do this on the car (versus removing the rear curtain and doing it on a bench)?

I did not know that some cars originally had lexan rear windows. This is obviously lighter than glass, so there would be less weight trying to pull it away from the top. Adhesives also stick better.

Where can you buy replacement tops with lexan windows?

 

I found a recent picture of my plastic rear window. Installed in 1993 ish. The window wasn't recently cleaned or polished when this was taken - you can see dust and pollen on it. I was working under the hood, not photoing the window. The car lives in a garage under a car cover, so it gets very little UV.

 

My 55's plastic window looks very good after 14 years, of course it is kept inside except for road trips, shows and it is babied all the time and when I replace the top I'll probably order plastic again.just for the larger visibility issues. It's what ever floats your boat....Tedd