Beyond frustrated, rear glass keeps breaking

I cant believe this happened again. This is the second rear glass for my 59 American that broke the same way. The original glass sat on a shelf in my garage for years with no problems but after laying the glass in and out of the opening in the body several times as I figured out how to remount the glass. It was laying on wooden saw horses that were also padded for about 30 minutes and it just exploded.
That was last summer. In the fall I located another window and have been working with it the last few weeks being vary careful. I finished the work on the body to remount the glass and just left it sitting in the car. It was supported on the bottom in two places on rubber and just laying against the body not mounted or stressed in any way.
I was feeding my grandson this morning and heard what sounded like something falling in the garage. Opened the door and there is glass everywhere.
What the h*** is going on?
I can't keep doing this. Glass for this car is not easy or cheap to come by. This glass cost me $300 and it was local.
Any suggestions on what may be happening would be greatly appreciated and any leads to another piece of glass would too.

Ed


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Ed, I am sorry, that is BIZZARE! I have had tempered glass like that stored for years on top of roof joists and every other damn thing and never had such a thing happen. We cut out and store glass outside at work everyday, there are probably 10-15 windows out there in a rack right this minute, NEVER had a problem.

I have no idea, none what so ever other than some rapid temp change that could cause this.

If you were closer, I have a window for you!

Brian

I'm no glass man but sometimes getting a little chip on an edge Plus direct sunlight is enough to shatter one when test fitting glass I always wrap masking tape around the edge about three times.I used to think glass was easy till I started breaking a couple then I learned real quick thats one thing that a pro should do, if they break it they replace it at no extra cost...I'd let them handle it.

I know of NO glass shop or glass man who will replace a window if they break it, never have. Glass is to unpredictable, they can't guarantee it and I don't blame them.

If you have a guy who will, you are very lucky and should feel guilty if he buys you a new window.

Brian

When you buy it from them they will.not a used piece that you supply....sorry

also for new glass. The suppliers in these parts will sell you "insurance" for an additional $2-$10, IMHO money well spent.
But when it comes to used glass, just be durn careful with it.

I saw a door glass in a car sitting in the parking lot explode. come to find out a few days earlier, the owner had been running a weedeater near it, and a stone hit the glass. (small chip ensued).

Glass can do funny things at times.

Neighborhood kid with a pellet gun?

Go out in the garage and turn out the light's. When you click on the flashlight you can see their eye's glow in the dark. GREMLINS!

That is an oddity no doubt. One thing that could be happening is if you have a furnace in the shop and it being as cold as it is the furnace may be blowing hot air on the glass causing a drastic temperature change.

This used to happen at car dealerships where if the car was started and ran unattended with the defroster turned full blast in the winter the windshield would crack.

YES! Blame the Gremlins! I've never heard of glass shattering like that. My best guess is you damaged it when handling. You can cause microscopic cracks to occur within the glass which are invisible to the eye. When expanding and contracting from the temp. fluctuation they can spread quickly. Once they reach the inner tension layer, you can get the results you're having.

It has to be from handling the glass even though I was so careful with this second one. It was colder this morning than it has been for a while but it still isn't much below 50 degrees in my garage. This glass came out of a car that sat for decades in a desert salvage yard and saw many seasons of extreme temperature changes. Maybe they don't like me messin' with 'em. I did have the glass in and out quite a few times because I've been fabricating a new opening so I can mount the glass in urethane and I fabricated my own trim so it will look smooth.
I'm going to be gun shy now with the windshield because I have to do the same thing with it.
Brian, are you parting out one of the old Ramblers you have?
I wish you lived closer too. I don't think I'd try shipping one of the windows with my luck.
I tried to think of another piece of glass from a different vehicle that I could make work but that glass has a lot of curve in both planes.
Sometimes I wish I would have picked a different car to hot rod. This American is very difficult.

I thought of that Vince,but if it was true the guy be be up for murder so I left that one alone.Try putting an old POS of glass in the same spot see if anything happens to that one.Set that little Bass turd up.

Lexan?????

either you have poltergeists or a wife who's not getting enough attention.

Yes I am parting out the parts car, but like you said shipping it would be SCARY.

Brian