Window scratched can it be repaired

[William H.]

Hello again,
I Have original side windows and winshield for my 65 coupe. Returned from the body shop with sandpaper and d/a scratches. Also the windsheild has some wiper scratches. I see you can buy polish from Eastwood. Has anyone tried it? How did it go? I talked to local glass shop and they said the side glass is tempered and very hard. They said to get out scratches you would probably overheat the glass and it would shatter! He said that he could try to do the winsheild but again it is very hard and proably wouldn't buff out. I would really like to try to keep my original windows. So any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again
Bill

[Pat M.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

Bill - I used the Eastwood product on the side windows on my 70. As per instructions, I did not linger in any one spot, and, in my opinion, deep scratches in my windows were greatly improved, but not removed.
If you're going to try on deep scratches, my advice would be to follow the instructions, go VERY slowly, and accept any marginal improvement you can achieve.

[Philip C.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

Bill the rule of thumb, if you can feel them with your finger nail, they will not go away, unless there is something new out there, hopefully there is and one of the guys will post about it. Phil 8063

[Chuck W.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

I have effectively removed scratches from side windows and windshields dozens of times using the Eastwood product. There are some considerations that you wil need to follow however:

1.) Read the instructions on the rouge container regarding rotation speed. It is critical to only run the polishing wheel at that speed on the glass. Too fast will quickly overheat the glass, too slow will not effectively cut the glass.
2.) Have a spray bottle of clean, cool water nearby and apply a mist to the area often observing the evaporation rate of the water on the area being buffed. You do not want to heat the glass to the point that a misting of water immediately evaporates from the surface. With some experience you will get familiar with the proper glass temperature and rate of evaporation which allows for good cutting but not overheating.
3.) Work the glass in all directions not staying idle in any one area for very long.
4.) Any scratch can be removed from glass. The problem is that the deeper the scratch the more distorted the glass becomes due to the feathering of the scratch areas to the adjoining surface. There is a trade off on the glass optics with the depth of the scratch.
5.) Place masking tape on the back of the glass and use a black marker on the tape to identify the scratch and its direction. Once you start buffing it becomes difficult to see the scratch at times.
6.) Use a wet finger to periodically clean the scratch area to verify that it is really buffed out. Often you think it is gone only to find out that it was simply reduced in size once the glass is wiped clean.
7.) Most importantly, take your time, do a section at a time, and do not push the process.
8.) Soak the buffing wheel in water the night before to saturate the stone.
9.) Use a paintbrush to apply the compound mix to the scratch area.

We recently buffed the original rear window glass on a '63 SWC which had DA marks all over it. It took the better part of a day but you would never know they were there and some were quite deep. I have found it easier to remove deep scratches from curved glass like C1 windshields and rear coupe C2 glass because the distortions created are less noticeable. I buffed wiper scratches from my '53 Cadillac a few years ago which were right on the crown of the glass and it is not noticeable unless pointed out.

Get an old junk piece of automotive glass and practice before attacking your car. The biggest pain in the job is the mess everywhere from flying compound.

Good luck.

[Dale O.]

Re: Window scratch can be repaired

Bill,
Eastwood also has a deep scratch kit (40030) that I used to repair scratches on my 85 side windows. It worked well but will cause distorted view at some angles. The kit uses 3M specialized sanding discs and orbital sander. If you go this direction order extra discs. I experimented with it on my 85 because I need to restore the rear window on my 65 coupe, that has sander marks.

[Steven B.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

Bill, "ditto" the Eastwood comments and advice. The kit worked on my windshield (wiper scratches), side and rear glass (sanding scratches). This is one time I read and followed the instructions closely and I am glad I did.

Steve

[Terry M.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

I too have had success polishing the side and rear glass on my 1970. C3s have a nasty habit of catching debris in the window wipes that scratch the glass when the window is operated.

I bought a kit from a supplier to the glass industry -- Sommer & Macca before Eastwood offered what is essentially the same thing. They have stores across the nation. Web site http://www.somaca.com/

I spent around 16 hours over a couple of weeks on each of the side windows, and about four hours on the rear window. It is slow going, but rewarding if you are willing to spend the time. I never worked more than a couple of hours at a time on them, both to prevent heat build-up and to avoid errors in judgment due to fatigue. It is mind-numbing work. And of course there is the joy of removing the side glass and reinstalling it.

I have used the kit on wiper scratches on vehicles other than Corvette, and found it takes the same level of patience. Covering the vehicle in plastic makes clean up a lot easier. The slurry of abrasive is a PITA to clean up -- especially after it has had a few days to harden.

[William H.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

Thanks for the advice Chuck,
Do you know if you used the kit for deep scratches, ( includes sandpaper disks) or the one with just the rouge?
I just bought a 65 truck back glass at pull a part to sell on ebay and after cleaning it noticed a few scratches so I guess I will practice on it before I tackle my glass.

Thanks again,
Bill

[Chuck W.]

Re: Window scratched can it be repaired

Thanks for the advice Chuck,
Do you know if you used the kit for deep scratches, ( includes sandpaper disks) or the one with just the rouge?
I just bought a 65 truck back glass at pull a part to sell on ebay and after cleaning it noticed a few scratches so I guess I will practice on it before I tackle my glass.

Thanks again,
Bill

Bill,

No, I have just used the standard stone wheel and abrasive powder that you mix into rouge.

Chuck