Windscreens for Classic cars: We have been supplying them to the aftermarket for over 70 years.
At Pilkington Classics we still supply today the same original branding that we used at the time of supply to the manufacturer, correct to period and applied with the same methods.
If you are looking for replacement glass for your restoration project or need to replace a broken screen to get your pride and joy back out on the road, we have you covered.
Many owners have approached us over the years searching for a screen for a rare vehicle, or a special bodied ‘one off’ project. With a range of over 4,000 parts its likely we have the tools already, but if we don’t, we can re-manufacture tools using your old glass as a template.
We also have many different screens to suit different coach-built vehicles for Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Bentley and more…
If you can’t find your vehicle please ask our team using the contact form.
We also ship worldwide using special crates designed for Windscreen transport, if your enquiry is from outside of the UK please get in touch with the team for a shipping quote to your door or business..
Manufacturing Process Now and Then
Cutting
The basic windscreen shape is cut from a flat form using templates, this is done by hand in the same way today as we did in the 1960's.
After cutting, the glass has its raw edges ground and finished again by hand.
Oven Loading
Glass is loaded into the bending oven as a cut pair. Gravity bending is still used today, here you can see box ovens from Kings Norton (1967)
Bending
Each glass is bent by eye and by hand. The glass is heated until it sags onto the bending mould, once fully bent to the tooling we stop heating and move the glass out of the bending stage onto cooling.
Shape Check
Immediately after bending we check the curvature in the fixture to ensure the shape is a perfect match to the tool.
Assembly
The bent pairs are split apart and cleaned, a PVB sheet is added and the glass paired back together. Excess PVB is trimmed and a vacuum ring is applied around the glass edge. This is the start of the 'De-Air' process
Autoclave
After initial 'De-Air' the glasses are loaded into the autoclave. This pressure unit cycles for two hours reaching a high temperature of 140 degrees while applying around ten bar of pressure to the glass – this seals the two glasses to the PVB making the final laminated screen.
Final Inspection
Glasses are checked for defects like scratches or inclusions, cleaned and wrapped and packed to customer orders.
Projects and New Developments
Brands
Period correct and to the same appearance as the original production run, we offer all of our original Triplex, and SIGLA Logos Printed in White or black ink or an Etched 'Sand Blasted' effect.
We strive to match exactly the text and logo details from the period to give your Classic car the most authentic product possible.
For very specific requirements like concours vehicles we also offer a bespoke trademark designed to your requirements and made specifically for your car - please get in touch via the contact form with the details for this option.