Plexiglass Blues

[Jerry71]

I am cleaning up and fixing up a '71 Boler. And like most of you who have done the same, I
am suffering from the 40 year old Plexiglass blues. Other then replacing the front and rear windows, is there any magic formula to get rid of the cloudiness in the windows now after all these years? Or is it just the nature of the beast? Thanks.

[Doug P.]

No, once plexiglass goes cloudy there is nothing you can do with it.
I have replaced some trailer windows at our shop, its not a big job.
One thing when you replace it use Lexan or Marguard its the same
as plexi except it won't crack. Once replaced use a small amount of
Pledge furniture polish on a soft cotton rag and give it a good coat
this will help keep dirt and bugs from sticking and also helps hide
scratches. (this also works well for the Lexan headlight covers on
most vehicles).

[Donna D.]

From what I've read on the fiberglass forums, plexiglass fogs due to ammonia in glass cleaner. Lexan is more expensive, gets brittle overtime and yellows due to UV rays.

That said, here's a direct link to one post from the Legacy era that talks about yellowing headlights and what to do about defogging plexiglass windows. It's a long post, read it all.... especially the end.
Orbital Electric Buffers. Ignore the topic title, it's how the topic started.

[CliveAlive]

I used the 3M Headlight Cleaner Kit to buff out the rear window on my Boler. It took out quite some deep scratches and light hazing.

A very cost effective method for me as I don't want to invest in new windows yet myself.

[Carol Ann in TO]

I use Meguiars Clear Plastic Cleaner. We can see the traffic behind us through the windows while driving.

[curtis c]

use that blue headlight cleaner/polisher to get out the yellow and haze. do it many times. after it is clear. get a product called areo 303 uv spray. spray it on the window and wipe off the excess. it will help it to stay clear longer. its a plastic/rubber uv protecting product. i use it on all things rubber and plastic that are in the sun often.

[Jerry71]

OK, thanks everybody for the good tips. I'll give a couple of them a try. I thnk I will start with the Meguiars Clear Plastic Cleaner since I think it is available locally here. Since there are also scratches involved here, I may end up with the 3M stuff. That is if I can find it.

[CliveAlive]

I got the 3M kit from AutoZone. About $20.00. Enough for inside and out of one window in my case. Good luck.