Solar Glass? (1 Viewer)

[Cedr]

My right rear passenger glass is broken. The wrecking yard is asking if it is solar or not. It appears to be factory tinted and darker than the fronts, but I don't know how to tell if it is 'solar'. Generic search says the solar ones have a purplish tint. Any suggestions how I can tell definitively? Thanks for the help, Craig

 

[jonheld]

My right rear passenger glass is broken. The wrecking yard is asking if it is solar or not. It appears to be factory tinted and darker than the fronts, but I don't know how to tell if it is 'solar'. Generic search says the solar ones have a purplish tint. Any suggestions how I can tell definitively? Thanks for the help, Craig

Your truck is 30 years old. Put a piece of glass in and have it tinted to match the rest. Move on.

 

[Montana Cruiser]

Your truck is 30 years old. Put a piece of glass in and have it tinted to match the rest. Move on.

The factory tint is not easy if not impossible to match perfectly.

 

[jonheld]

The factory tint is not easy if not impossible to match perfectly.

These are things I don't cry about. If it's reasonably close it'll be fine.
You can also have the rest of the windows tinted to match. The original tint is probably discolored by now anyway. This is something I will have done in the spring as both front window tint has peeled off.

 

[Dr Gil]

I don't remember which post I saw this, but this poster said that the window tint film is a near perfect match.

Solar FX Prime 35%

 

[Irish Reiver]

The 80-series was for sale in Ireland in the '90's. We didn't see the sun until early 2001. Pretty sure no solar glass was used

 

[Kernal]

"The wrecking yard is asking if it is solar or not."

AFAIK the majority of 80 series that came into the US had a factory tint on the rear door window glass, so if the wreck in a US salvage yard is a US spec FZJ80 the rear door glass will likely match what you had in there before (unless you or the PO put something over the original glass).

 

[Cedr]

These are things I don't cry about. If it's reasonably close it'll be fine.
You can also have the rest of the windows tinted to match. The original tint is probably discolored by now anyway. This is something I will have done in the spring as both front window tint has peeled off.

Your truck is 30 years old. Put a piece of glass in and have it tinted to match the rest. Move on.

These are things I don't cry about. If it's reasonably close it'll be fine.
You can also have the rest of the windows tinted to match. The original tint is probably discolored by now anyway. This is something I will have done in the spring as both front window tint has peeled off.

"The wrecking yard is asking if it is solar or not."

AFAIK the majority of 80 series that came into the US had a factory tint on the rear door window glass, so if the wreck in a US salvage yard is a US spec FZJ80 the rear door glass will likely match what you had in there before (unless you or the PO put something over the original glass).

That was helpful, thanks Kernal. A separate glass installer saw my pictures and was under the same opinion.

 

[thatcabledude]

These are things I don't cry about. If it's reasonably close it'll be fine.
You can also have the rest of the windows tinted to match. The original tint is probably discolored by now anyway. This is something I will have done in the spring as both front window tint has peeled off.

You usually have great input, but you’re way off base here.

OP, buy a piece of glass from a 93-97 year 80 from someone parting a truck in the classifieds and you’ll be fine. I’m sure what this place your’re dealing with is referring to “factory tint” as “solar”. You have factory tint… A chemically applied substance, not a film. There’s no “tinting to match”

 

[jonheld]

You usually have great input, but you’re way off base here.

Maybe you're right. My LX450 was from Phoenix and the tint film that was applied started to peel off on the 2 front windows. I assumed this was factory tint. Sorry about that.

 

[CJF]

My right rear passenger glass is broken.

So what happened?

 

[Cedr]

You usually have great input, but you’re way off base here.

OP, buy a piece of glass from a 93-97 year 80 from someone parting a truck in the classifieds and you’ll be fine. I’m sure what this place your’re dealing with is referring to “factory tint” as “solar”. You have factory tint… A chemically applied substance, not a film. There’s no “tinting to match”

Appreciate your input. It’s a 3 hour round trip to the wrecker so I was trying to nail this down before making the drive. I’m still on the hunt for something closer.

 

[Cedr]

So what happened?

I don’t think it was nefarious. Glass appeared to crumble straight down on both sides. Doors were still locked and nothing stolen. It was the coldest night of the year, so I’m chocking it up to cold weather.

 

[Kernal]

Any teenagers in the neighborhood? They often do sheit like that just for fun.

In a few different locations I've had them shoot my garage windows out (with a BB gum), throw eggs at my parked vehicles, destroy my mailbox, break a couple of mirrors on vehicles, break into a vehicle and steal a box of parts, ---. The last kid's father brought the box of parts back when he apparently found it in the house (the Toyota parts of course all had my name on them, dumb kid didn't even notice).

 

[Cedr]

Any teenagers in the neighborhood? They often do sheit like that just for fun.

In a few different locations I've had them shoot my garage windows out (with a BB gum), throw eggs at my parked vehicles, destroy my mailbox, break a couple of mirrors on vehicles, break into a vehicle and steal a box of parts, ---. The last kid's father brought the box of parts back when he apparently found it in the house (the Toyota parts of course all had my name on them, dumb kid didn't even notice).

We’re in a pretty quiet neighborhood, but this occurred to me also. Was thinking somebody might’ve gotten a new BB gun for Christmas. We’ve also got a ton of tall trees that drop all kinds of crap that I can hear banging off the cruiser and our RV

 

[jatree]

I think this was already answered but I believe "solar" glass is a type of window from Toyota that has the tint mixed in. On my truck, it looks brown-ish. I am starting to think about the front windows and windshield...I seem to recall an old thread that showed examples of tint options from Australia and Middle East where the sun is pretty intense! I can't find it now of course.

Also trying to decide if re-installing the windshield with a new gasket is worth it...

 

[gaspain]

The rear windows are factory tinted light brown like jatree said. You can see it in your last photo. The front windows and windshield are clear.

USA version.

 

[Cedr]

The rear windows are factory tinted light brown like jatree said. You can see it in your last photo. The front windows and windshield are clear.

USA version.

Appreciate it. I just didn’t know if factory tint and what they called solar were the same thing. I did end up finding the glass at a wrecker which was identical and what they called solar.

 

[Cedr]

The rear windows are factory tinted light brown like jatree said. You can see it in your last photo. The front windows and windshield are clear.

USA version.

I think this was already answered but I believe "solar" glass is a type of window from Toyota that has the tint mixed in. On my truck, it looks brown-ish. I am starting to think about the front windows and windshield...I seem to recall an old thread that showed examples of tint options from Australia and Middle East where the sun is pretty intense! I can't find it now of course.

Also trying to decide if re-installing the windshield with a new gasket is worth it...

Yes, it turns out that their factory tint is also called solar. When I started this post I wasn’t sure they were the same thing.

When I was researching this, I did see information that there were there were tints that come pretty close to matching factory.

You usually have great input, but you’re way off base here.

OP, buy a piece of glass from a 93-97 year 80 from someone parting a truck in the classifieds and you’ll be fine. I’m sure what this place your’re dealing with is referring to “factory tint” as “solar”. You have factory tint… A chemically applied substance, not a film. There’s no “tinting to match”

I did just that, and it matched perfectly, thanks.