'58 Chevy Del Ray Rear Window

[Bruce Poage]

When the outside temp drops it is time to warm up some plastic. My project is a '58 Chevy Del Ray sedan delivery. I have a resin body I got somewhere, sometime. This came complete with the interior bucket. It looks good. My question is the rear window. Has anyone worked with this resin piece? Having very litte experience with resin bodies what suggestion do you have for coming up with a rear window. The users of this site are never short on answers/advice/suggestions!?!?!?! Thanks.

[FloridaBoy]

When the outside temp drops it is time to warm up some plastic. My project is a '58 Chevy Del Ray sedan delivery. I have a resin body I got somewhere, sometime. This came complete with the interior bucket. It looks good. My question is the rear window. Has anyone worked with this resin piece? Having very litte experience with resin bodies what suggestion do you have for coming up with a rear window. The users of this site are never short on answers/advice/suggestions!?!?!?! Thanks.

If it is flat, I would use the clear acetate plastic found on a new shirt collar. Cut to fit, then apply with either TiteBond II or Elmer's Yellow, or even silicone.

The acetate is very clear and flat, and if you sand the inside of the window jamb, you will get a very snug fit.

That is unless the window is curved, and you may have to do some schmoozing with some heat to bend the plastic.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[MrObsessive]

Bruce in case you can't find the acetate in a new shirt............ You can always go to an art and crafts store and ask for "clear stencil sheet". If you ask for acetate they'll look at you like you've landed from Mars!

You can bend acetate, but in only one direction------since your rear window is likely flat as Ken mentioned, this should be no problem. Compound curves can be done though as I've done several windshields over the years such as on my '58 Impala.............

Please excuse the dust!.............The trick is to epoxy one side, let it dry thoroughly and work your way across the windshield gradually------- letting it dry so the previous work doesn't pop out of place.

HTH!

[patrol52]

My local hobby shop carries the evergreen plastic stock. I'm not sure, about other places, but mine has all their inventory in the model railroad section. Anyway, they sell white plastic sheets in several thickness and also clear sheet (I've only seen the one thickness), that can be cut with scissors (.015" .4mm thick), unlike your common thickness of plexi-glass or something. I use the stuff for flat windows, and know it could easily make curvature (don't know how tight of a corner you are trying to make, but it may not be as flexible as what Bill showed.) I haven't ever tried, but it may be possible.

Here is a picture of where I used it. I didn't spend enough time fitting it though!

[Bruce Poage]

I like the wagon. My dad bought a new white Star Chief in 1958. It was a real mover. You ae correct that the shape isn't exactly flat. Is there a particular brand name or type of clear plastic sheet you used? Did you have to do some heating of the clear to bend it on the sides? Thanks.

[Uncle Mike]

I like the wagon. My dad bought a new white Star Chief in 1958. It was a real mover. You ae correct that the shape isn't exactly flat. Is there a particular brand name or type of clear plastic sheet you used? Did you have to do some heating of the clear to bend it on the sides? Thanks.

There's a 'way cool method we use for Control Line model airplane canopies: cut & sand a male 'buck' from soft pine wood. Heat a piece of a clear 2-litre soda bottle in the oven, remove it when warm and pliable; place the plastic piece over the wood buck and pull down. Trim off excess...

For the back window of a station wagon, I'd do the same thing...maybe a 1"X4" piece of pine, 3" in length, end-fitted into the window area of the wagon. Sand until the end of the board fits loosely into the cutout, from the inside. Now c/a glue the 'buck' onto a longer piece of wood, so you can vise it, pulling the warmed soda-bottle material down over. When it cools, if your 'buck' was accurately 'undersize', the window will fit like a glove! Polish the finished "glass" and you're done.

I used this method on an AMT '56 Ford, cut into a convertible, to replicate my old ragtop. Looked much more like a windshield than the AMT thick plastic in the kit!

[Aaronw]

My local hobby shop carries the evergreen plastic stock. I'm not sure, about other places, but mine has all their inventory in the model railroad section. Anyway, they sell white plastic sheets in several thickness and also clear sheet (I've only seen the one thickness), that can be cut with scissors (.015" .4mm thick), unlike your common thickness of plexi-glass or something. I use the stuff for flat windows, and know it could easily make curvature (don't know how tight of a corner you are trying to make, but it may not be as flexible as what Bill showed.) I haven't ever tried, but it may be possible.

Evergreen has the clear plastic in several thicknesses, I think the thinest I have is 0.05" (really thin and pliable).

Plastruct, Midwest and Superstyrene are other brand names of styrene sheet and strip supplies. Most model railroad shops will have one or more of these brands.

[Biscuitbuilder]

There's a 'way cool method we use for Control Line model airplane canopies: cut & sand a male 'buck' from soft pine wood. Heat a piece of a clear 2-litre soda bottle in the oven, remove it when warm and pliable; place the plastic piece over the wood buck and pull down. Trim off excess...

For the back window of a station wagon, I'd do the same thing...maybe a 1"X4" piece of pine, 3" in length, end-fitted into the window area of the wagon. Sand until the end of the board fits loosely into the cutout, from the inside. Now c/a glue the 'buck' onto a longer piece of wood, so you can vise it, pulling the warmed soda-bottle material down over. When it cools, if your 'buck' was accurately 'undersize', the window will fit like a glove! Polish the finished "glass" and you're done.

I used this method on an AMT '56 Ford, cut into a convertible, to replicate my old ragtop. Looked much more like a windshield than the AMT thick plastic in the kit!

It's actually lots easier to make forming bucks for most windshields and back windows by starting with a clear plastic part (the glass) that at least comes close, then modifying it with cutting, adding strip styrene, and using gap-filling CA glue, with whatever filing, sanding and polishing needed to get a good fit. You needn't bother with clarity, as this is simply a form for vacforming or stretch forming.

With wood, so much time as to be spent filling, sanding, and then polishing the surface, in order to avoid the grain of the wood from showing in the "glass".

That is the method I used for virtually every vacformed windshield or back window glass I made for resin kits. Also made it much easier to allow for the material thickness of the .020" clear plastic I used.

Biscuitbuilder