Difficulty in re/re windshield to finish painting rollcage?
 

Okay, I've masked this and that and inhaled enough paint to put a coat on the Golden Gate bridge from end to end. What I can't seem to lay a nice layer on is the front drops of the cage (aligned with the front pilars). Am I crazy to consider removing the windshield to paint them? How difficult/time consumming is it? I was considering taking it out to fab up a single support bar in the middle. Is the molding brittle or? Thanks!

Jason,

That's what rollbar padding is for! ;)

Don't pull the windshield, unless you have a pro do it, you'll almost certainly break it, and have to put a new one in..

But, if you do try, get the proper tools, and get someone to help you. I found a nifty tool at the body shop supply store that was a handle with a 90* blade, and a pull handle so you could insert the blade, one person holds the handle vertical (so the blade stays parallel with the windshield), while someone else pulls on the pull handle, and cuts the seal.

Even with that, I broke the damn windshield (admittedly I didn't care, I just wanted it out so I could have the roof)

PaulC

From your sig it is going to be a GT car. Have you thought about a lexan windshield? Like Silkworm said, don't pull it until it brakes and you have to or you decide to do a lexan.

-billy

How much exactly does Lexan cost. Lets say to do all the windows?..

I had done some quick searching around in the past but never found anyone that gave a real quote. Do you have an idea of what you would be looking at?

FD or FC? Maybe $200-$250

The stuff isn't cheap by any means.

I believe it cost me just under $300 for my CRX. But I had rear quarter windows.

Call around to a couple local plastic suppliers. I simply looked a couple up in the phone book and got quotes from $30-$60 for a 3'x5'x1/8" piece of polycarbonate (Lexan). That should be enough to make an FC front windshield. But be sure to check your rule book for what's legal.
Good luck

1/8" is not thick enough for a front windshield. 1/8" will distort under wind pressure. I found out the hard way and had to make another one out of 1/4" material. You will also need braces to keep it from blowing in or out.

I sprayed as best I could up ther then I used a paintbrush to finish it off. Rollbar padding covers brush marks pretty well and people really don't look in that area anyways but I painted it for rust protection more than anything else.