Hatch Glass replaced with polycarbonate/lexon or whatever plastic its called

[Rice86]

Car - AE86

Comments: so for some reason my glass demister on the Hatch does not work, whether its electrical issue or a plug issue or dead 28year old wire issue, it wont work and i dont wanna bother making it work as im fine driving without it working..
The Hatch itself is due for new paint and minor rust repairs (have a second hatch in worse condition which will be the lab rat for this first)

so with the 2 above comments, im thinking of taking out the glass and replacing it with lexon because 1 reason lighter!!

i thought about it and have come down to just using pop rivets all around to hold it down and them black silicone glue from Burnings for sealant, and i'll be tinting the lexon for a bit of stealth look

any other thoughts on how to apply the lexon to sit flush like the glass like this ??

[Sam-Q]

I inquired about this a while ago and the plastics guy said instead of polycarbonate (lexan) use an acrylic sheet instead. Sure it isn't as strong but will still take a serious hit and is less prone to scratch.

[jakel]

Acrylic sheet is usually cheap too, but I have heard that when is breaks hat it shatters into sharp looking pieces. I was going to use it for my car too but not really much point just make a bit more power

[Rice86]

polycarbonate aka. lexon is way "stronger" then acrylic or glass by far and is "doing it right"

[meadan]

Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate, commonly mistaken as its own type of material.

I wouldnt say that it is "way" stronger than glass or acrylic, and on a street car it is definately not "doing it right". Goodbye insurance, rego, and all the rest if someone crashes into you.

That being said, would you be able to fit the piece in using the standard rubber? Im looking at doing this sometime in the future too actually, have you got a hatch with no glass on it? Might be easier to figure a way then, as I havent removed a hatch glass off an ae86 before.

[Gunner]

Its not a cheap thing to do, I know there is a specific grade used for motor sport, very scratch resistant, and really thin, but it supposedly costs a heap I have never personally bought it. From how I have seen some guys do it, the only way to get trims on nicely is to glue them on as its thinner than the glass and clips don't work. As I have said though, never bought it, never fitted, so can't say anything for sure, but the hardest part is supposed to be getting it cut nicely.

[evil86]

taking glass out if not too hard, some rope and flat screw drivers, will give u a hand if you need adan. would be interesting to see it on the street

[meadan]

well I have one acrylic side window at the moment, which is bonded in. It has no scratches, doesnt break when you lean on it and appears factory.

Maybe one day Ill look at getting a rear one made up, I cant really see the advantage of polycarbonate unless its a windscreen or door window. Would be interesting to see how the correct thickness plastic would sit in the stock rubber. It would seem like bonding is the best option, that car in the link would only have rivets so that it looks cool.

[Sam-Q]

one thing of note, you can not run a rear wiper

[t-nol]

I don't think you can just replace the glass with it in the original rubber, it'll get sucked straight out and under the next guys car by it coming loose under flex. Check out any race car that has them front or back, and you'll find tiny metal stiffners that will stop the flex.
What it will do without them is push in with the pressure, and eventually catch the wind, if you weld in the tiny supports (2 of them), i can't see any other issue.