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Post by brotherbob on Dec 2, 2012 19:55:01 GMT -5
Smoked plexy door/window gullwing for a GT1. Mine is cracked and has a corner knocked off . I'm in Texas .
Brotherbob@charter.net
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Post by Big-birds-ride on Dec 3, 2012 16:39:34 GMT -5
I could use one that is clear as I have one that is cracked too... I understand the below company used to/may still make new ones?
Sun Ray Products Corporation
8017 Ranchers Road Northeast, Fridley, MN 55432-1830
(763) 780-0774
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Post by brotherbob on Dec 3, 2012 20:07:27 GMT -5
Yes and for the money they charge I'd give a try at making one myself. So I continue to search ,thanks for the link .
BB
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Post by wd5bst on Dec 4, 2012 21:47:50 GMT -5
Try a lexan rear window. just cut some card stock to fit. Leave some space in middle to let air flow out
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Post by brotherbob on Dec 5, 2012 18:32:23 GMT -5
Huh? I'm thinking ....I'm looking for a GT1 PS window/gull wing door......? Maybe I missed something ?
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Post by Roodog on Dec 6, 2012 20:39:55 GMT -5
Ya it is extremely hard to make your own. When you heat up the plexy glass no matter how hot or cold you do it where it is bent it is blurry. Sunray does a great job doing the nearly impossible work for you . All you need to do is cut to fit. I tried to do it myself and "save a few bucks" but by the time I go the material for 168 bucks from lowes and a propane torch the first time around. Than a second piece for another 168 bucks and thinking I could do it and messed up another piece it was time to call it good and call Ray. Just save yourself the aggravation save up a couple of bucks and just buy new. For the most part if someone out there has a pass side window and back window if they are not cracked they will be shortly. Also a used window pass side, driver side, or rear sundowner window will probably not fit your car anyway. Every Bradley although looks the same they are all just a little different. When they built the body for these cars they had a mold, but the production wasn't to spec. If the tape measure was on the other side of the shop than it was the old "Looks Close Enough To Me" deal! This is why Sunray makes them just a tad bigger and you just have to cut them to fit. I bought both gullwings and the sundowner and paid just north of a grand with shipping. I figured this was just a small price to pay to get a great product. Well happy hunting!!!
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Post by Wyn on Dec 7, 2012 9:49:05 GMT -5
brotherbob; Check our forum many of the GT owners have made doors and rear windows for their cars. Some were simple and others were more elaborate. This one was done by geddes66  |
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Post by Jeff Troy on Dec 7, 2012 22:15:32 GMT -5
Hi, All,
Roodog has it right, except for the fact that not only Sun Ray cuts the doors and rears oversize. Bradley cut them oversize, too, and for all the same reasons. These cars are not all alike, and each window must be cut to fit. Instructions were in (some of) the manuals.
Original GT gulls and rears were made by Allied Plastics, and they had white D.O.T. certification engraving on each one. Later, Ray Tierney (Sun Ray Products) was making the Plexiglas parts for Bradley and the D.O.T certification was no longer required.
When Bradley finally went under, Ray bought the leftovers, and except for a three- or four-year dry spell, he continues to produce them.
A word of wisdom is needed here. Buy a new Cadillac and a side window might cost $400 or more. If you paid $45,000 for the car, that may not seem like a lot to pay for a window. If you bought a wrecked Caddy that was sitting out in the weather and growing mice in the wiring but you wanted to restore it, that window would still cost $400 and up.
Just because you bought a kit car for next-to-nothing on the dollar, the price of new, quality parts doesn't and shouldn't change. Ray's Plexiglas parts are the only currently available gulls and rears that get the job done correctly. They are slightly thinner than the original DOT-spec Plexiglas parts, but still the best - and the only way to get good Plexiglas on your GT.
And before closing... NEVER use Plexiglas glass cleaner on your Bradley gulls and rears. Just like that ridiculous Arm*r*ll chemical mess, it looks and works fine if you use it regularly, but if you stop or take a break, the treated plastic (or vinyl/leather) hardens and splits, cracks or breaks. Worst crap under the sun.
Windex is also a no-no. It contains ammonia, and that's what causes almost every soft-vinyl window on convertible tops to cloud over.
I've had at least a dozen sets of gulls and at least five rear windows on my GT over the past 36 years and 600,000-plus miles behind the wheel. I've cleaned them - and broken them - in every possible way. My experience says that the only way to properly, safely and effectively clean Plexiglas windows is with warm water and mild dish detergent, like Palmolive green or similar.
If you have minor scratches in the gulls and rears, try toothpaste on a soft toothbrush. Give the Plexi cleaner to someone who owes you money and won't pay!
Best of luck and warmest regards,
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Post by brotherbob on Dec 8, 2012 11:31:02 GMT -5
I really appreciate the insight folks I really do . The GT1 passenger side gull I have has a corner broken corner off of it and I will not get to restore this car for a a few months. I'm sure Ray provides a great product-no doubt- it was not intended to be a slam on them by any means . I'm glad there is a vendor willing to make a few parts for these cars! Bottom line is I'm cheap and I'm looking for a Passenger side gull for a GT1 only ....other than that my car is fairly complete and I want to seal it up . A used smoked PS gull with no cracks is what I am after. Maybe one day when the car is a daily in nice paint I'll consider replacing all the glass/plexy.....but until then a used PS gull is what I'm after.
I'm no professional car builder but I have owned over 40 VWs and more of "other makes" I enjoy the build more than the drive ,but this car got away from me several years ago and I bought it back to enjoy in the summer.....so heck I may just take the gulls off and run around top less...
I really do appreciate the vendors ,without them we could not "restore" cars but again I'm cheap build a bunch of my own parts when they can't be found for a price I can afford or I find gently used ones and complete a car.
Maybe I'll just have to take my lumps and try to bend one myself and learn the lesson but as a old sign man who worked in plastics and has some knowledge on the subject .....I just might try "If" I cant find a used one.
Side note- I'm also bringing back to life a 74 SAAB Sonnet III - so I know how hard it can be to find parts....
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Post by Jeff Troy on Dec 8, 2012 12:14:16 GMT -5
Positively not slamming you for being "thrifty," but I certainly am trying to save you cash in the long run. Buy crap once and you'll have to buy at least once more. Get the right thing in the first place and you'll usually come out ahead.
An important thing to consider with used Bradley Plexiglas is hole location. More often than not, a gull or rear window can be trimmed to fit reasonably well. The cars are different, but not too different. The basic shape of the bodies and T-tops didn't vary enough to make you completely give up on used windows.
Where the used Plexiglas bites you in the as* is trying to align the hinges on the gulls with the roof hinges, and worse, aligning the catches with the spring clips. Don't forget about the mailbox lock and sill-mounted striker plate.
Misaligned hinges mean having to either fill the unused holes in the Plexiglas or fill and paint over the now-unused holes in the top. Misaligned window catches means having to fill the old holes in the Plexiglas or repair the side-panel or jump-seat upholstery where the spring clips were formerly located.
Either way, you won't be happy, and it's HIGHLY unlikely - make that impossible - that all the hinges and catches on ANY two GTs will be in exactly the same locations - or distance away from each mating part.
More pointers:
1. The Sundowner Convertible Rear Window needs a fifth catch point at the top center of the window/roof. Without it, suction at speed can cause the center of the window to lift, releasing the side catches and dumping the window on the road - in several ugly pieces. Did that one twice before I realized what was going on.
2. My snap-strap window securing method is much cleaner and easier to use than the standard spring clips and catches that came with the car. More important, there's nothing to rust or rattle - or catch and tear your clothing when you get in and out of the car.
3. Take a pass on any attempt to use gas shocks on naked Plexiglas gulls. They might (snicker) be okay if you surround the gulls with metal or fiberglass, but the force of repeatedly compressing a gas shock will cause a naked gull to crack and break in the roof support area, and it won't take long. The weight of the window alone already causes the eventual failurure of the Plexiglas, even with the standard sliding props.
Further, when the window is closed, the force of the shock is still working against the window, and before it breaks, the corner of the gull will begin to warp, bowing upward and allowing airflow into the car, which negates any heat or air-co system in a car that is already poor to horrible for climate control.
4. Chris Geddes' window treatment is a great idea, but it detracts from the clean, terrarium look of the unobstructed gulls. To each his own with regard to appearance, so my opinion is nothing more than that, but the true down side is the further obstructed vision in a car that already has way too many problems in the look-see department.
Best anyway, and warmest regards...
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Post by Roodog on Dec 9, 2012 15:07:18 GMT -5
All great points Jeff. My point in a short is do it right the first time and save a load of money in the end.
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Post by trimagnum on Dec 9, 2012 17:23:11 GMT -5
I called Sun Ray in October and was told "We're doing a run of windows in 2 weeks" provided my billing info. Now it's Dec and still no window no call no email. While they might be the best option for quality but not the quickest solution lol
To be fair it's basically the same as buying parts for the Crosleys I had or the TVR and Citicar. They are provided by small companies as a side line . It's just a part of the collector car hobby .
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Post by Jeff Troy on Dec 9, 2012 19:49:53 GMT -5
Hi, Tri,
Ray's swamped all the time. He's a straight shooter and won't burn you, but putting anything from him in a sensible time frame when it isn't sitting on his shelves is....
I guess you've been there, so 'nuff said.
Warmest regards,
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Post by smyrnaguy on Dec 9, 2012 21:18:05 GMT -5
It was 14 months between the first time I talked to Ray and the date I got my windows. He called to tell me he was going to produce a run of windows about a year after we first talked so delivery was actually about 6wks-2 months later. As Jeff Troy inferred the windows aren't real sturdy and I doubt they could survive closing twice with a gas lift attached. That's why I made perimeter frames out of 3/4" conduit. My hinges are bolted through the plexi to the frames and the gas lifts and electric bear claw latches are attached to the frames. The doors don't even twist while open in 40 mph winds. Good luck in your search for a used door.
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Post by trimagnum on Dec 9, 2012 23:17:27 GMT -5
Hi, Jeff , Smyrnaguy He seems like a nice guy we were on the phone for 5 hours literally. So it's a delivery window of 6 months or so . Knowing the time frame makes me feel alot better this way I know what to expect. Once the door comes in and gets trimmed a pair of molds will be made so I can duplicate them in fiberglass. The clear doors will be for shows only the other set will be for everyday. Smyrnaguy your door mods are great  Was it hard to get that conduit bent? The tubing make the doors look more detailed almost "aircraft" like. Enjoy the holidays everyone thanks for the heads up Rich |
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Was it hard to get that conduit bent? The tubing make the doors look more detailed almost "aircraft" like.