lowes race shop

Clear acrylic sheets at Lowes

Sizes -.118-.22-.80-.93

Found these and was wondering if it would hold up for replacement on quarter windows and door glass on a race dedicated car like auto cross , drag , drift , etc... Got some cheap go fast parts and going to slap a light weight car together for a mix of race stuff for a friend and he likes all kinds of racing.

Acrylic, and Lexan are not the same acrylic breaks easily

I bet you could find a 4x8 sheet of Marguard MR-10 Lexan for not much more than the lowes stuff by the time you replace it twice. MR-10 is hard to scratch but is easy to work with.

whatbumper wrote:I bet you could find a 4x8 sheet of Marguard MR-10 Lexan for not much more than the lowes stuff by the time you replace it twice.  MR-10 is hard to scratch but is easy to work with.

Can the marguard MR-10 be polished of fine scratches and where can this be bought?? Thanks

Home Depot has lexan for a good price

Polycarbonate (Lexan, Marguard, Hyzod, Makrolon and other names) won't polish up as nicely as acrylics after scuffing/scratching but is far more resistant to impact. If you use acrylics (ok in most rule books) be sure to use an "impact modified" type. Common low priced cast acrylics are almost as brittle as glass. Check with local sign manufacturing shops for drops and scraps. Whichever you choose, clean it with a fine liquid plastic polish and soft cotton cloth.

Call PRO GLASS 630 553-3141. MOST NHRA,TOP FUEL,FUNNY CAR,AND PRO STOCKS HAVE HIS WINDOWS in their cars.

Tell Him Rich sent ya

69F100 wrote:Home Depot has lexan for a good price

thanks I think our local Lowe's might have it too

maverick wrote:Polycarbonate (Lexan, Marguard, Hyzod, Makrolon and other names) won't polish up as nicely as acrylics after scuffing/scratching but is far more resistant to impact.  If you use acrylics (ok in most rule books) be sure to use an "impact modified" type.  Common low priced cast acrylics are almost as brittle as glass.  Check with local sign manufacturing shops for drops and scraps.  Whichever you choose, clean it with a fine liquid plastic polish and soft cotton cloth.

This is great info I will look into impact modified stuff

BOSS 429 wrote:Call PRO GLASS  630 553-3141.  MOST NHRA,TOP FUEL,FUNNY CAR,AND PRO STOCKS HAVE HIS WINDOWS in their cars.

Tell Him Rich sent ya

Thanks rich

Impact modified acrylics often have an "SG" in their name, referring to "sign grade".  From brand to brand, there's a varying amount of natural rubber added to the polymer which makes it more resistant to damage from impact or high winds.  Sign shops almost always have it and polycarbonates lying around.

Also, if you use sign grade polycarbonate, there is usually a clear, invisible UV screen on one side. Unprotected, PC will begin to yellow and lose some of its toughness over time. The UV or "solar side" is intended to extend the life of the sheet by filtering out most of the UV rays from the sun. That side is usually labeled "this side to sun" or something similar. Acrylics don't use the UV screen as they're natural UV screens. As a matter of fact, the UV side of polycarb is typically a thin layer of acrylic "calendared" onto the sheet.

If the solar side label is gone, you can usually identify the solar side with a blacklight.

Thanks smiley

Lowes here don't carry Lexan in 1/8 had to get it from Home Depo I think it was around $60 for a 3'x6' for my windshield

Touché it is a order only item and will be delivered to the lowes of choice is what the people told me today lol.... thanks for all the help

I have found that Plexus works great for cleaning, and seems to protect well also. http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

One additional tip: Resist the temptation to use countersunk fasteners for that super smooth appearance. A countersunk screw or rivet will stress and prematurely crack a plastic windshield. A button head works ok, with a hole drilled in the plastic just slightly larger than the shank of the fastener. Washer heads are a good idea... the larger the head diameter the better in order to spread the clamp load... and don't overtighten.

FalconEh wrote:I have found that Plexus works great for cleaning, and seems to protect well also. http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

I like that stuff, too. And if you can't find your favorite polish, pick up a bottle of liquid headlight restorer polish. It's everywhere now.

Some of the problems associated with using countersunk screws on .125" (and thinner) Lexan/Marguard can often be reduced if you use a countersunk screw OD smaller than 10-32 (like 6's or 8's). The bigger OD screw that is used, the larger the surface area of the countersink will need to be in the Lexan.

As mentioned earlier drill the screw hole ID in both the Lexan & the window lip a little larger than the screw OD to reduce the chances of the screw binding in the holes. And don't tighten/over tighten the countersunk screws & locknuts, leave them all a little loose. This will allow the lexan to move around a little & reduce the chance of it binding up against the screws and/or the window lip. Same goes for button headed screws too, leave them a little loose. And if you tighten/overtighten the screws too much the Lexan often gets that "puckered/bulging" look between the screws.


I like both button headed screws & counter sunk screws on Lexan. Which one gets used partly depends on the car body style, & partly on how wide the window frame/lip is. IMO the button headed screws usually look better on older less aero cars. And the counter sunk screws usually look better on the slicker/newer more aerodynamic cars. On full chassis cars with OEM sheetmetal (and all inner body structure removed) I don't like the use of the "quick-fix" plastic/rubber spacer material sometimes used to flush mount Lexan in stock window frames. It often gives Lexan the puckered/bulging look even if the screws are left a little loose. IMO if someone is at the point where all the inner body structure is removed, they might as well do it right & flush mount the window frames properly.

One other thing to add about countersunk screws is the degree angle of the head. The higher the degree number the thinner the head is. 82* is the most common out there but is not suitable for Lexan windows. 100* is your best bet and is commonly used in the aircraft industry as well as 120* and 130*, but the latter two may be difficult to find in the size you want.