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Just wondering... Plexiglass question.


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Is there anyone who has experience with plexiglass that could answer this?

 

How thick can plexiglass be bought in?

Do they sell or make it into large sheets?

Is it flexible when you get to the thicker pieces?

 

My idea was this, is it possible to replace the hood with a clear plexiglass cut to the same shape, mounted to the original hinges, and use the original locking mechanism? That would be cool looking. How thick do you think it would have to be?

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Do you think this would do the job?

 

Plastics

This product matches all of your selections.

 

bigsquaresheet.gif

 

Part Number: 8574K87 $238.85 Each

Shape

Sheets, Bars, Strips, and Cubes

Sheets, Bars, Strips, and Cubes Type

Square Sheet

Thickness

1/2"

Thickness Tolerance

+.025" to -.025"

Length

48"

Length Tolerance

+.625"

Width

48"

Width Tolerance

+.625"

Material

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate Material

Polycarbonate

Clear

Clear with No Tint

Backing

Plain Back

Operating Temperature Range

-40° to +240° F

Performance Characteristic

High Impact Strength and Flame Retardant and Weather Resistant

Tensile Strength

9000 psi

Impact Strength

12 ft.-lbs./in.

Tolerance

Standard

UL Rating

UL 972 and UL 94HB

Specifications Met

Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

Hardness

Rockwell R: 118

 

 

detailpg.gif?FAM=plastics&FT_138=117610&FT_130=546&FT_136=1003&FT_133=1574&FT_101=678&FT_1204=46200&FT_2362=104751

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Thickness Tolerance

+.025" to -.025"

that won't be very smooth at all...that is about 1/16 from a high point to a low point...

plus at 1/2 in thick that would be twice as heavy as a stock hood...and $238...whew...better not mess up bending it.

+240° F...and don't overheat your engine...

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just asking for the car to be stolen..

 

look everyone! I have a big turbo and very expensive engine components!

Hence the reason why I never quite understood aftermarket stereo equipment.

 

I have been toying with the idea of setting up a small business making custom acrylic and plexiglass panels. I'm going to need some for my car so why not get the expensive equipment and build stuff for other people too? Your hood is something that can easily be hot formed. I'm not too sure about cold forming it though.

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The polycarbonate sheet you posted would work, but it's about 3/8" too thick. Polycarbonate is the same stuff they make R/C car bodies out of, also known as Lexan. It is insanely strong, and very resistant to penetration, which is why it is also used for bulletproof glass. It hot forms pretty easily, but you'll need a BIG oven for something the size of a hood. You could probably hot form it right on top of the original hood. Cold forming with it would be nearly impossible due to its high strength.

 

Plexiglass is a totally different animal than polycarbonate. Plexi tends to be brittle, even in thin sheets. Drilling clean holes through it is really difficult without specialty bits. All in all, plexiglass would make a pretty poor choice for the construction of a car hood. I'd stick with the polycarbonate/Lexan sheet in the 3/32" to 3/16" range.

 

Mike

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I work with the stuff almost every day. The expansion and contraction properties are tremendous. The seams will never be the same between cool in the shade or in direct sunlight. And the stuff scratches if youlook at it wrong. Wash your car once, and it'll be all scratched up. Plexiglass (acrylic), no matter how thick will not be strong enough to hold a hinge mechanism. Lexan (polycarbonate) is strong, but I would recomend against it because it is not very resistant to UV light. Just not a good idea overall. Sorry.

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What I think would be cool is if you could hot form the acrylic to match the curvature, yet add in the vents and a functional 2" cowl induction hood.

 

I think if you had the right thickness, it wouldnt matter how much you spent on your engine compartment goodies, I hear polycarbonate is extremely strong. Get a good alarm to sense any vibrations and the first whack to break it would set it off. I dont consider neon lights bling, as last I checked I havent seen any rappers wearing them around their neck. If you can make your car run faster than the man with diarrhea running to the crapper, than why not make it look nice too?

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