Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
Forum rules
If you need help logging in, or have question about how something works, use the Support forum located here Support Forum
Complete set of Forum Rules Forum Rules
If you need help logging in, or have question about how something works, use the Support forum located here Support Forum
Complete set of Forum Rules Forum Rules
-
Topic author - Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2019 4:26 pm
- First Name: Gary
- Last Name: Giarratano
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 27 Roadster, 26 Touring in progress
- Location: Arvada, CO
- Board Member Since: 2018
Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
Does anyone know what the procedure is for drilling a hole in safety glass to install a through the windshield spotlight? Can it be done without taking the glass out of the frame? Should I take it to a glass shop?
-
- Posts: 6856
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:21 pm
- First Name: Allan
- Last Name: Bennett
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1912 van, 1917 shooting brake, 1929 roadster buckboard, 1924 tourer, 1925 barn find buckboard, 1925 D &F wide body roadster, 1927LHD Tudor sedan.
- Location: Gawler, Australia
Re: Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
If it is tempered, it cannot be drilled. You can have laminated glass drilled
Allan from down under.
Allan from down under.
-
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:01 pm
- First Name: Chris
- Last Name: Levi
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 touring 1927 roadster
- Location: Boulder, Co.
- Board Member Since: 2017
Re: Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
I believe the trick is to mask off and sandblast all the way through. I’ve had success with diamond hole saws made for ceramic and glass, but I didn’t try it on my expensive windshield….
Id take the whole windshield frame to a local glass shop and ask. Same as a hole for a handle in a shower door, but they will know how to treat the safety glass. I had a handle added to the new glass for a sliding window in a truck cab and I that’s how they did that job.
Good luck with the installation and please post some pics! I have always like those “Clymer” style lights with the pistol grip.
-Chris, in Boulder
Id take the whole windshield frame to a local glass shop and ask. Same as a hole for a handle in a shower door, but they will know how to treat the safety glass. I had a handle added to the new glass for a sliding window in a truck cab and I that’s how they did that job.
Good luck with the installation and please post some pics! I have always like those “Clymer” style lights with the pistol grip.
-Chris, in Boulder
-
- Posts: 1562
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:57 am
- First Name: Adam
- Last Name: Doleshal
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: ‘13 Touring, ‘24 Touring, ‘25 TT dump truck, ‘26 Tudor, ‘20 Theiman harvester T powerplant, ‘20 T Staude tractor
- Location: Wisconsin
- Board Member Since: 2000
Re: Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
There was an installation tool for those lights. It is a drill turned tool that clamped to the glass and worked with a single-use packet of grinding compound that essentially ground a proper sized round hole in the glass.
There was a collector near me about 20 years ago that had one of the tools and a few of the grinding packets but they are gone now.
Here it is:
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/8 ... 1261769535
There was a collector near me about 20 years ago that had one of the tools and a few of the grinding packets but they are gone now.
Here it is:
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/8 ... 1261769535
-
- Posts: 6375
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 4:56 pm
- First Name: Frank
- Last Name: Brandi
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: Speedsters (1919 w 1926 upgrades), 1926 (Ricardo Head)
- Location: Moline IL
- Board Member Since: 2018
Re: Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
Take it to someone that knows how to do it. Time is money & so is the windshield.
https://www.trueviewglass.com/locations ... s-company/
The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either.
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
-
- Posts: 7777
- Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:08 pm
- First Name: Pat
- Last Name: McNallen
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926-7 roadster
- Location: Graham, Texas
- Board Member Since: 2021
Re: Drilling hole in safety glass for FYRAC spotlight
Glass won't drill like metal. You have to grind a hole in it, and you don't want to get in a hurry and generate much heat.