I have also been contemplating cutting a few relief cuts in the top and bottom of the pillar and then using those to allow it to push out to where I need it and then weld it back together. That also has me concerned that if I mess something up I am really screwed!! I think the lexan window would work, but I am going to see how cheap I could get the frame pulled out for, it wouldnt be that much work but shops like to charge more than they actually have too. The hydraulic puller I got would work, but there isnt really a good spot to place it on the pillar to push it out without damaging it more.

 

use a block of wood to distribute the load on the whole a pillar

 

I've tried using a block to distribute the force, but with the seam on the pillar the block just splits. The pillar is really thin and has a seam running straight down the center that has the grey rubber on it so it's really hard to keep from messing it up.

 

Replied to your PM ...

i sent my buddy a message about it and a link to this thread, when i hear back from him, I'll post up more information, or hopefully he'll chime in with the answers.

 

Im the guy with the blue runner with the lexan windshield. Nicole^^ made me flop it. Anyways, My A pillar was about 1" in at the top. I just used regular lexan. It does have some scratches in it, but after 2 years, I dont think it is that bad. Lexan does have a scratch resistant version that is a little more $$. I think I had about $100 in that sheet of lexan. I just laid it over a glass windshield and used squeeze clamps to pull it down and cut it to fit the same shape. I tried to use a heat gun and form the curvature, but that didnt work. I just ended up using 100% silicone on the windshield track and squeeze clamping the lexan in place. I predrilled all of the holes and used aluminum pan head screws to hold it in place. No leaks and Im still driving it on the road a couple times a week. Shoot me a PM if you want to know anything else.

 

I think with the couple of ice storms we had last year, the defroster melted the ice quicker on the lexan than on glass. Rain and sleet sound weird now though.

 

Thanks for the info ^^^. I think I am definatly going this route, especially if you have had it for 2 years with only a little scratching. What thickness lexan did you use? I'm gonna call around to see how much a sheet of it would cost and see if I can find something with a little more scratch resistance. I'm really getting eager to get this thing on the road again. Its weird how bored you get with a vehicle, but as soon as its gone you think it was the best thing in the world. I am still going to keep my eye out for the right 1st gen, it cant hurt to have two yotas!!!

 

I think I got 1/4" lexan. Next time I will get 3/16 because it will be easier to bend. I think the scratch resistant lexan is MR10 or something like that. You can google scratch resistant lexan and get more info on it. The only reason I didnt get it is because my local glass place didnt have any and I didnt want to buy a whole sheet. The scratches from the windshield wipers are very small and dont mess with my vision any. The scratches from tree limbs are a little bigger but dont bother me. Just use plenty of water to wash it. If you get mud on it, dont rub it and dont use your windshield wipers. Use water to wash it off first.

 

just get the frame pulled out. by the time you spend the money,time,gas, on getting the lexan you couldve just got a new windshield.

 

I know I can flop my rig again and not have windshield glass all over the rig again. I tend to rub against trees too.....

 

I finally got around to putting the polycarbonate window in. 3/16 was plenty thick and I went with the abrasion resistant stuff. It was $255 for a 2.5'x5' piece of the "AR polycarbonate" but it was well worth the abrasion resistant stuff. I was going to paint a black rim around the inside of the windshield so I tried to scuff the window up a bit with sand paper and it barely even scuffed up!! I dont think i will have any scratching issues with this stuff. I dont have any finished pics yet since it was dark by the time I got done installing it, but I will get some pics for you guys. Also, I dont know if its the AR coating or what, but I drove in the rain today and it beaded off better than rain-x. I seriously dont even think I will need to use my wipers at all, but if I do I am not worried about them scratching the window. I used rivets to secure the window in and it looks like either a tank or like I tried to bedazzle my truck lol. I sealed the window with butyle tape on the inside and ran a layer of black RTV silicon around the outside. Now I just need to change the oil and rotate the tires, just in time for my trip over the mountain next weekend.

 

Glad to see you got it back on the road. Hows it driving?

 

did u get a new one?

GF I mean?

 

It's driving pretty good, runs fine but it veers to the left I tiny bit. It also has a clunk in the front drivers side from driving over the hood of the Honda, I'll have to figure out what it is and replace it.

As for the girlfriend, I Had to keep her just like the runner. I have too much invested in both to just let them go because of a little wreck. She is no longer driving any of my vehicles though, that's for sure.

 

In a good way.

Looks fixable, maybe turn it into a woods machine.

 

Lets see some pics!! Glad to hear you got it sealed up again.

 

Here are the pics.
This is it traced out on the sheet:

This is what the black rim was going to look like on the inside, but I didnt paint it.

This is test fitting it to the frame. I would suggest actually getting the shape using a piece of cardboard or something instead of using the window it self. The real windshield it self is tighter in some spots than it needed to be for the poly windshield. I also made the poly windshield about a 1/4" bigger than the real windshield all the way around. I used a cutting disc on a grinder to cut the window out and it worked great.

And here is the pic my brother took of it today, it was from his phone and sent to me so its smaller than the others. I will get some more if it isnt raining tomorrow, my bro took it to his shop to see about pulling some of the dents in the back end so the tail light fits better so I didnt have the rig today to take more pics.


He said driving it out to his shop in the rain, all of the windows fogged up except the windshield. He also said the wipers worked perfect on it. All in all, I think this was my best option. The money spent on the polycarbonate was what a new windshield was going to cost but I didnt have to have the frame pulled so I saved a few hundred bucks.

I'll get some better pics of the finished product and post them.

 

Lookin good.

 

anyway you can jerry rig the trim back on to cover the bolts?

 

I could have easily made it so the trim fit back on, but I didn't have any of the clips and with the way the passenger side looks I am not concerned with making it look 100% again. If someone were wanting to put a polycarbonate windshield in a perfect rig it would be pretty easy to put the chrome bezel back around the window. I also thought about using smaller rivets and painting them black, but I kinda like the "zombie killer" look.