hamster

Hello,

I am confused by one of the solo 2 rules for FP. Is it legal to remove the rear glass on a 1st gen?

thanks

Rx7carl

IIRC, you can substitute lexan for any windows no? Been a while since Ive autox'd so the memory is kinda hazy.

T_Racer

iTrader: (1)

Yup, prepared, all glass can be lexan. We run a 1st gen in AP and all the glass is plexiglass and lexan. Plexi is cheaper and not as tough as lexan, so we use that for the rear hatch and side sail windows. We trailer the car and it sits in a garage so windows are not that important, hence no door windows at all and no sealing of windows. The back is 1/4 or 3/8 plexi just cut to shape. saves a ton of weight. also note, when running alternate glass material in the back, you must have two retaining staps to catch it if it were to come loose, per rules. We just got some 1" wide aluminum strap, about 1/4" thick and made two that rivet top and bottom. The back window still slides out to get to the back and the fuel cell.
Also note, if you plan on using a different front glass, need to go with lexan. A lot tougher and more scratch resistant than plexi. I have heard that van steenberg and some other first gen EP guys use Monte Carlo Winston cup lexan for the windshield. He says they are cheap from race shops that will throw them away after a race, with like 4-5 tear offs still on them. a small amount ot trimming and there you go. A lot cheaper than Mazdaspeed part. 400 vs 150.

Rx7carl

Good tip! Thanks for the info. SO the Monte is close enough to trim to fit. Cool.

How does the 1st gen stack up in FP? Just curious.

hamster

regionally it does very well. I don't run nationals, but I would think that the M3 would be real tough competition.

thanks for the plexi suggestions. were is a good place to pick up some?

Rx7carl

Ugh, frickin M3's. I had to battle with one all season a few years back when they were misclassed in CSP.

T_Racer

iTrader: (1)

Your local home repair speed shop, Home Depot.

Travis
Sponsored by Home Depot, Tony Stewart Neckcar style

DamonB

There are some well prepared 280Z's running FP down here as well; very fast. Look at the Southwest Division regionals or the Houston National Tour results.

Travis R

I didn't think plexigalss was legal. I could be wrong.
Just call any local plastics distributor and ask them for polycarbonate, that's what Lexan is. I called a place here and a 1/8" thick piece big enough for an FC was about $50.
Good luck

Travis R

I read through the rules. It specifically states that if the windows are replaced it has to be with polycarbonate... plexiglass is not the same thing. Just fyi, don't want you guys to get into any trouble.
Good luck

25BP

I have run the saftey glass available at Home Depot Racing for side windows in the past. It is cheap and easy to work with, but will crack fairly easy. It also requires a band saw or a lot of cooling time when cutting.
It does not have the flexablility that Lexan/poly does.
I am sure plexi (nobody is going to check) would be fine to do on the rear triangle windows, but I would say go Lexan if you can.

I bought my rear hatch (FC) Lexan, cut for $68.00 at a local plastic supply shop. The front windshield was a little less, and the great thing is having the shop cut it ensures you don't scrap a sheet with a FU!

FYI there is a new Prepared website that is started and run by prepared drivers. www.sccaprepared.com
It's new and there is not a lot of info, but you gotta start somewhere.

Travis R

Cool site, thanks for the link. I've registered.
Did you say you had the plastic shop cut the back window for you? I've got my rear glass intact. That should make a damn near perfect template. How much did they charge for cutting it?

25BP

Yup, the plastic shop cut the rear hatch and the front windshield for me. Total price was $68 for the rear hatch, cut and all. I think they charge around $10-20 depending on time. I think they gave me a pretty good deal as i bought both within a week or so.
The funny thing is they charge for a 4x8 sheet, and cut out say 2/3rds of that. I didn't get either remnent or either sheet. Talk about using the scrap system.

Anyway it was well worth it.

diyman25

so u just bring ur hatch and they will cut it for U??? really need to do this . ( still using origional hatch glass)

25BP

I used the masking paper that you use when painting cars to make a template. It is about the thickness of a brown paper bag.

Lay down the paper and trace the molding if you still have it attached to the car. If the glass is out, them simply trace that. I traced it with a soft pencil and then went over it with a sharpie. If the molding is still on I would trace to the inside of it, as the cutting is done by hand and if there is any variance you won't have any trimming.

Bring the template to the shop, write your name and the thickness of Lexan you want cut on it for good measure. They will spray a adheasive to the template and Lexan to keep it put. They will cut the template and they should file the edges to help avoid cracks.

I went to Ace Hardware Racing and bought some foam weather stripping to keep a good seal between the hatch and the frame.

Hope it helps

Travis R

How did you get the front windshield out intact? I don't have the special tool that the FSM recomends.

25BP

HAHAHA I spent about 1 1/2 hours getting the glue cut around the WS to try to get it out in one piece. First gentle pry to attempt to tug it out, and it cracked about 12 inches. It's a shame because it was a perfect piece of glass, that I wanted to have installed in my daily driver.

I used the kick it from the inside method of getting it to come out. I used my daily driver to make the template, remove the trim and traced.

If you want you can have a glass installer attempt to pull it intact, but usually they don't promise anything. Just get some picture hanging metal wire, it's similar to what they show in the FSM.

Ralph

I don't have my rule book in front of me, but I think I remember that you cannot use "loose fitting" replacements for glass. Your replacement has to seal, meaning some sort of rubber bead. Double check this but I think it is right.

Also, don't use plexiglass. It can shatter into a thousand pieces just from the flex of your car's body. This is especially true if you spin out as I did last summer, showering the track with lots of shards of plexiglass. Lesson learned.