I'm looking for some plastic windows for the rear section of my wagon and looking for advice on where in the bay to go get them.

I know TAP plastics does semi-custom work, but I'm looking for a more reputable/respected shop that does this sort of work often.

 

I wouldn't do it unless your car only sees the track.

 

Home Depot/Lowes/ACE sells sheets of this stuff. Go see if they have them in the size you want. If they do, buy em, whatever the tool is to cut them, some adhesives to bond them in, some cardboard & sharpie for a template...and go sick.

 

Tap Plastics in San Leandro.

 

what will you save like 30 lbs?

 

What is your goal for using the lexan? Something to look out for is the stuff requires a lot of care to keep visable due to it's tending to scratch very easily.

Which exact windows are you looking to replace? the one's behind the rear passenger doors? I could be mistaken but if weight is your primary concern I am not sure you will save that much, granted it will probably be in the 8lbs total region but for the work involved if your not searching for every lb in the car there are other easier ways to shave the weight.

All of the tap plastics I have been to sell it by sheet, side and rear windows can be a lot thinner than fronts and they have various gauge thicknesses available.

As others suggest it's fairly simple to work with, get some cardboard make a template, overlay the template onto the lexan and then use either a bandsaw or jigsaw to cut out. As for how to install it on your wagon that I am not 100% sure on as for race cars we can be fairly crude with rivits or dzus fastners, for a street car I would imagine a little more thought would be required to come up with something a little more elegant.

Mike

 

Well, the primary goal is to get rid of every single pound I can without completely making my car unstreetable. I've pretty much got all of the excess weight out of the rear of the car, short of cutting off useless bracketing and such.

For those smaller, triangle/oblong shaped rear windows I had thought to pull them, prep them, and make some carbon pieces to go in their place... however, I think it would look pretty out of place to have a stock-ish looking wagon with those pieces installed.

Secondly, I wanted to completely gut the rear doors and was at a loss for how I would possibly keep the window glass.

I couldn't care less about NVH, and unless my teeth physically fall out of my jaw or I go deaf, in which case how loud it is won't matter any more, I'm happier with the car being more "able."

And, as long as it has two seats my girlfriend will be happy.

If I wasn't so grassroots (readoor) and had tons of disposable cash I'd just drop the car off with you guys at GST and have you go at it.

 

Ah gotcha, I would before anything work out how your going to secure the Lexan as you might end up adding weight and making it a wash. I am unaware of what the window your removing weigh so can't say one way or another what gains you might or might not get from doing the work.

To be honest things like this I would say you would have more fun doing yourself than having a shop install and it's much more rewarding anyway seeing the end result turn out stellar when it's your work.

If you need any pointers or anything feel free to stop by I would be happy to help in anyway I can.

Mike

 

Also, I need/want my fenders cut and rivet-on flares put on so I can mount a more appropriate wheel/tire combo for hard track use, eventually swapping out the wagon's naughty bits (axles, hubs, brakes, etc) for beefier/wider pieces... be it from the STi or the aftermarket.


I apologize for making two posts and seeming like a *****, I'm reduced to posting from my PS3 because my laptop's screen decided it wanted to look like a bad acid trip.

 

Duct tape and a prayer.

Seriously, I thought about clear plastic sheeting and butyl tape instead of those windows. I'd leave them out entirely if I could. I mean, they probably don't weigh all that much but who needs em? Can't really see much out of them either way. I'd move the hatch inward if I had the fabrication skills.

Plastic is my "compromise" decision and I'll probably end up using something like dzus for the chance that I'll need something that'll come off relatively easy if the plastic yellows or scratches beyond the point of looking jacked up.

I'd like to make one for the hatch window as well because of the hole left over from the rear wiper, but that's a whole nother issue.

 

Careful with dzus on a street car, it's a easy way for someone to get into your car.

With regards to bolt on flares, check out www.teamprototype.com they do a bunch of universal fender flares. As far I know there is nothing out there bolt on for your application but with some fiberglass, a grinder and little love anything is possible.

Mike

 

If you go with dzus fasteners, get the allen head style. Much less chance of slipping and scratching your paint. Also harder for someone to take a dime to them and get into your car...