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Old 10-20-2017, 07:18 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Strongsville,OH
Posts: 1,131
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I need to cut the windshield and my Go-To guy is going for a knee replacement Monday so I'm on my own. I've done this before on my 57 Chevy but I don't like working with glass. I got it first time with the 57 and chalked it up to dumb luck. I don't recommend this method but I'm going to cover everything I do so here it is:
The reason for cutting is that the Buick windshield has a forward leaning A pillar which is what I want but the angle is too steep. On the original application, they used an inverted pie slice shaped vent window which allowed the run channel for the door glass to be vertical. I'm not using a vent window so the run channel will be angled and the door window will move rearward as it is rolled down. I allowed for this when I was working on the doors. Do you remember that I cut the top 12 inches of the back edge of the doors and leaned them forward? I wasn't just goofing off. This was the reason for doing that. I need the room back there to let the windows come down without hitting the inside of the door frame.
You can see in the picture below that the piece I'm cutting out is wedge shaped. I used striping tape to mark the cut. Masking tape can come off from the water. I set up a hose to trickle water over the work area.

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I use a Roto Zip and a 1/8" diamond bit. This one is 40 grit but if you were going to do this, I would recommend an 80 grit bit. It may cut a little slower but will give a smoother edge on the glass.

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Slow and steady. Patience is the main ingredient. Get in a comfortable position and take a break when you need to. Once I got in about 3 inches, I put spring clamps on to keep the waste glass from vibrating and causing a crack. Also, make small stress relief cuts every few inches.

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Next, just smooth out the ragged edges with 40 grit paper, then 80 grit on a DA and it's done.

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I started on the upper frame first. I'm using 1" x 2" rectangle tube on top and 1"x 1" on the sides. There will be additional 18ga sheet metal layers also. I put reference mark every couple inches along the length starting from the center and going out toward the ends. This is just to help locate exactly where it might need more work when going back and forth from the bender to the windshield.

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This will be bent in the vertical and horizontal planes so it goes through the process twice. Start bending from the center outward and creep up on it til you have the right shape. Many small bends to minimize kinking.

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