fiberglass rear hatch?
12-20-02, 06:31 PM
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fiberglass rear hatch?
Howzit- In my never ending quest to reduce weight on my 83, I thought I saw someone that had replaced there rear glass hatch and rear side glass panels with either a replacement fiberglass panels or thin gauge sheet aluminium- Anyone heard of this?- aloha
Ooops x-mas is almost here, and I still havent got my body kit 10 weeks later!
12-20-02, 08:11 PM
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often such fibreglass weighs as much or more than the panel it replaces, due to the layers and resin needed to make it rigid.
If you want to reduce weight, replace the glass with lexan (the plasticy window material used on race cars)
If you want to reduce weight, replace the glass with lexan (the plasticy window material used on race cars)
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12-27-02, 06:49 PM
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Plexi is FAR lighter than aluminum of anything thick enough for a span that large.
Only trouble is, plexi is illegal for autmotive windows, for a very very good reason... Imagine you wreck your car, doors can't open, the EMTs need you out *pronto*. There is what is known as the "Golden Hour" after an accident - the first hour after an accident is the MOST important in detemining whether a crash survivor lives or dies. 20 minutes to get there, 20 minutes to get you out, 20 minutes to get you to the hospital, and any delays in any of those operations greatly dimishes your chance at survival. So they need you out ASAP, and they go to break the glass... WHOOPS the plastic won't break! They have to waste more time cutting you out, assuming they have the necessary tools - it is difficult to cut plexi with a Sawzall because the plastic likes to move with the blade and shake around instead of cutting.
I'll stick with glass, thank you.
Only trouble is, plexi is illegal for autmotive windows, for a very very good reason... Imagine you wreck your car, doors can't open, the EMTs need you out *pronto*. There is what is known as the "Golden Hour" after an accident - the first hour after an accident is the MOST important in detemining whether a crash survivor lives or dies. 20 minutes to get there, 20 minutes to get you out, 20 minutes to get you to the hospital, and any delays in any of those operations greatly dimishes your chance at survival. So they need you out ASAP, and they go to break the glass... WHOOPS the plastic won't break! They have to waste more time cutting you out, assuming they have the necessary tools - it is difficult to cut plexi with a Sawzall because the plastic likes to move with the blade and shake around instead of cutting.
I'll stick with glass, thank you.