Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Forum

Technical => 160 Series (90, 75, 164 Sedans) => Topic started by: Beatle on January 22, 2013, 08:52:42 PM

Title: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 22, 2013, 08:52:42 PM
I just noticed that I have three side windows marked Herculite Bronze, and one marked Saint Gobain TFA Bronzo.   Either the car has had window replaced, a whole door replaced, or Alfa just used whatever was the next glass in the parts bin.

Do all the Aussie-market 90s have bronze side glass tint?  Mine has beige interior, but do the blue-interior cars have a different shade of factory glass tint?   

I notice that my driver's side exterior mirror has a blue-ish tint while the LH mirror has a decidedly bronze tint. 

And, how do you dismantle an exterior electric mirror?  The LH mirror is rattling and I suspect the glass is about to come loose and disappear down the road.  I'd like to reattach it before that happens.
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Sheldon McIntosh on January 22, 2013, 10:19:36 PM
Damn, never spotted that, only ever noticed the 'Herculite Bronze'.  However, I have four 90s at my house right now, so went to have a look, and they all have a mixture of the two types, with no logical pattern to it.   

Looks like they're two different manufacturers, PPG and Saint Gobain.  Maybe they changed supplier at some stage (or one company bought the other), and then, as you say, just used whatever was next in the bin?

Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 22, 2013, 10:51:37 PM
So you also have mixed glass on the same vehicle?  And they are all 'bronze'?

The Herculite has the etching on the inside, the Saint Gobain is etched extrnally.  But I can't see a difference in the tint in daylight, so they are a good match.
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Sheldon McIntosh on January 22, 2013, 10:58:02 PM
Yes, all 4 of them each have a mixture, but they are all bronze.  I've certainly never noticed any difference in the tint.
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 23, 2013, 05:47:49 PM
Maybe we need to have an Alfa 90 Window Glass Swap Meet to see if we can get all remaining cars to have four matching windows!!!
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Sheldon McIntosh on January 23, 2013, 06:02:08 PM
Six matching windows.....

I noticed that mine can have a mixture of the rear quarter windows also.
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 23, 2013, 06:22:12 PM
The plot thickens!

I have Herculite glass in the RH door main windows, and the LH front door main window.   I have Saint Gobain glass in the LH rear main window and both rear quarter windows............
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Joe Garra on January 23, 2013, 11:33:12 PM
Guys I may be totally off the track but Herculite is a type of glass developed in the 30s in the USA. Saint Gobain is a manufacturer, so maybe they put their name on windows randomly.
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 24, 2013, 07:57:23 AM
That may be the case, but it still means the windows are manufactured on a different line.  This adds the risk of having a diffeent shade of tint on the same car if the glass isn't 'matched'.   It still seems odd though, that glass from the same manufacturer would be marked so differently.   

My SG 1/4 glass and all the Herculite windows are etched internally, while the single SG window is etched externally.

Still, it shows the 90 was well and truly an Alfa Romeo .....................   :o
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Sheldon McIntosh on January 25, 2013, 05:33:44 PM
Make that 7 windows....

To add to the intrigue, my three 90 Supers all have Saint Gobain rear screens, and the 90GCL has a PPG rear screen.

I seriously don't know what to make of all this....
Title: Re: Alfa 90 - OEM Glass Tint
Post by: Beatle on January 25, 2013, 06:10:11 PM
Truly one of the world's great mysteries Sheldon...... ???

My rear screen is Saint Gobain.  The windscreen has been replaced at some stage (Australian Autoglass).