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Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347298] Wed, 04 September 2019 02:36 Go to next message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
Senior Member
I made the following announcement Friday night before Labor Day. Since a lot of people were headed out of town for the Holiday weekend, some interested people may have missed it. Everything is still not finalized on this option. Today (Wednesday) we will have a meeting between the Windshield Installation Company owner who will sell and install the windshields and the tint shop, and myself. I will try to finalize to try to finalize the details This afternoon.

Mean time if you are interested, get your order in now because I do not know when I will have to shut the orders down. I do not know how much lead time the tint shop needs to get the film ordered and delivered. That is one of the things I hope to find out today.

Here is the original announcement from last Friday.

******************************************************************

I realize that it is Labor day weekend and this should probably wait until Tuesday, but if we are going to pull this off I only have 2 weeks to get it done. I will re-post this next Tuesday again when everyone is back from their holiday.

This offering is for attendees of the Mansfield GMCMI rally. Installations will be done on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. October 5 - 7, 2019.

This is an add on to the original offer. The windshield installation company will sell and install pre-ordered new ceramic tinted 80% VLT GMC front windshields. Most states allow 70% or 75% VLT front windshields. As a comparison my Blazer has 70% VLT ones direct from GM when it was built. VLT = Visible Light Transfer

Here is the story behind this offering. Every time I drive our GMC with our large front windshields in hot weather, especially into the sun, it is like driving inside a gold fish bowl with the heater on. A few years back I tried to get the only US manufacturer of GMC windshields (Viracon) to make tinted windshields for the GMC. I almost had an agreement with them until they discovered that they would have to go through the DOT approval process and get a new DOT number which is not cheap. They required a very high pre-order quantity that was impossible to meet. So I backed out and never pursued it any farther. A year or two later that company quit making GMC windshields all together.

Too keep cooler inside the coach, a few people have tried the fiberglass awning made by Fred Jenkins and others. A few others have tried tinting the upper 6" or so of the windshield. Both have helped some. There are now several companies making Ceramic tints with a heat rejection rates of 75% to 90%. We are proposing to use that ceramic tint. The one we are proposing to use has a VLT number of 80% so it is legal for front windshields. The problem is no one I have found will install any tint on a GMC windshield due to the high curve and dash blocking access on the driver's side.

Last year one GMCer ordered a pair of windshields and we transported them to a well known to him tint shop. The shop tinted them with this Ceramic tint and then our the windshield company later installed them in his GMC coach.

The owner's one year of use report is they are excellent.

At the end of July I contacted this highly recommended tinter and asked him if he would do 10 or 20 windshields for us. I wanted them tinted in the suppliers warehouse in Elkhart prior to packaging and shipment to the Mansfield rally. He refused to do it stating that he would only do them in his shop in his dust proof booth which is 35 miles away from the windshield warehouse. I also asked if he would come to Mansfield and do already installed windshields. He responded "no" like every other tinter that has told me and other GMCers. They will not do them because of the high curve in the windshield and the blocked inside access caused by our dash sticking up on the driver's side. Also he wants them done in his controlled environment shop.

So after three weeks time I got the warehouse to agree to transport new windshields (for a price) to the tinter in special made shipping containers and then transport the finished ones back to the warehouse a week later after they were tinted. At the warehouse they will then be combined with the non-tinted ones and shipped on to the GMCMI Mansfield, Ohio rally. I still have a few minor details to nail down. They are mostly to do with exact dates what steps will happen and some electronic copies of the specifications on the tint.

So here is the deal, If you want new Ceramic tinted windshields installed in your coach, contact me and I'll take your order just like the other orders I already have for non-tinted ones. If I get enough orders in the next two weeks then we will do this. If not, then I will notify all concerned that signed up that this will not happen.

PS: I already have 2 orders for 4 windshields. Two of them are mine. I do not need new windshields, but I want the Ceramic tint on my coach. I chose the most expensive and highest quality tint available. This is the only tint that will be offered at Mansfield.

If you want in on this, here is the information that I need from you:

1. Name

2. Windshield(s) to be ordered (Driver's side, Passenger side , or both) I assume every one wants both.

3. Address (street, city, state or province, and zip code.

4. Contact phone number (before the rally)

5. Cell phone (if you will have it at the rally)

6. Year and model of the coach (for the receipt)

7. email address

8. Any special requests.

To place an order / and installation reservation, before Sept 15th, (this date may change) email the above information to me at: GMCWindshield-AT-gmail-DOT-com

You can also email me questions (including pricing requests) to the same address.

I would appreciate it if someone would copy this note and paste it on the GMC facebook site(s). I do not do facebook.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Ken Burton


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
Re: Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347299 is a reply to message #347298] Wed, 04 September 2019 02:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
Senior Member
Billy, Please forward this to Facebook again.
Ken


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
Re: Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347318 is a reply to message #347299] Wed, 04 September 2019 11:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Justin Brady is currently offline  Justin Brady   United States
Messages: 769
Registered: April 2015
Location: Bell Buckle, TN
Karma: 11
Senior Member
Ken What's the cost on the windshields?
I won't be able to make Mansfield but am interested in a tinted windshield.


Justin Brady http://www.thegmcrv.com/ 1976 Palm Beach 455
Re: Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347442 is a reply to message #347298] Fri, 06 September 2019 16:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
Senior Member
The results of the meeting on the Pre-Tint option on new GMC windshields at Mansfield will not happen.

While it was a great idea, each of the individual players wanted more time to get their parts done than I had available. It was a serial operation and if one took too long the others behind him were also negatively affected.

Sorry, I really wanted them on my coach too.

I have contacted all that had reserved slots and all but 2 have responded. Only two so far cancelled. The others opted for standard windshield installation.

Sorry, It was a good idea bit I just did not have time ti pull it together. Also being remote from the players did not help.

This does not affect those who have reservations for installations of the normal DOT registered GMC windshields.

I still have time slots available for those installations.

Ken Burton wrote on Wed, 04 September 2019 02:36
I made the following announcement Friday night before Labor Day. Since a lot of people were headed out of town for the Holiday weekend, some interested people may have missed it. Everything is still not finalized on this option. Today (Wednesday) we will have a meeting between the Windshield Installation Company owner who will sell and install the windshields and the tint shop, and myself. I will try to finalize to try to finalize the details This afternoon.

Mean time if you are interested, get your order in now because I do not know when I will have to shut the orders down. I do not know how much lead time the tint shop needs to get the film ordered and delivered. That is one of the things I hope to find out today.

Here is the original announcement from last Friday.

******************************************************************

I realize that it is Labor day weekend and this should probably wait until Tuesday, but if we are going to pull this off I only have 2 weeks to get it done. I will re-post this next Tuesday again when everyone is back from their holiday.

This offering is for attendees of the Mansfield GMCMI rally. Installations will be done on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. October 5 - 7, 2019.

This is an add on to the original offer. The windshield installation company will sell and install pre-ordered new ceramic tinted 80% VLT GMC front windshields. Most states allow 70% or 75% VLT front windshields. As a comparison my Blazer has 70% VLT ones direct from GM when it was built. VLT = Visible Light Transfer

Here is the story behind this offering. Every time I drive our GMC with our large front windshields in hot weather, especially into the sun, it is like driving inside a gold fish bowl with the heater on. A few years back I tried to get the only US manufacturer of GMC windshields (Viracon) to make tinted windshields for the GMC. I almost had an agreement with them until they discovered that they would have to go through the DOT approval process and get a new DOT number which is not cheap. They required a very high pre-order quantity that was impossible to meet. So I backed out and never pursued it any farther. A year or two later that company quit making GMC windshields all together.

Too keep cooler inside the coach, a few people have tried the fiberglass awning made by Fred Jenkins and others. A few others have tried tinting the upper 6" or so of the windshield. Both have helped some. There are now several companies making Ceramic tints with a heat rejection rates of 75% to 90%. We are proposing to use that ceramic tint. The one we are proposing to use has a VLT number of 80% so it is legal for front windshields. The problem is no one I have found will install any tint on a GMC windshield due to the high curve and dash blocking access on the driver's side.

Last year one GMCer ordered a pair of windshields and we transported them to a well known to him tint shop. The shop tinted them with this Ceramic tint and then our the windshield company later installed them in his GMC coach.

The owner's one year of use report is they are excellent.

At the end of July I contacted this highly recommended tinter and asked him if he would do 10 or 20 windshields for us. I wanted them tinted in the suppliers warehouse in Elkhart prior to packaging and shipment to the Mansfield rally. He refused to do it stating that he would only do them in his shop in his dust proof booth which is 35 miles away from the windshield warehouse. I also asked if he would come to Mansfield and do already installed windshields. He responded "no" like every other tinter that has told me and other GMCers. They will not do them because of the high curve in the windshield and the blocked inside access caused by our dash sticking up on the driver's side. Also he wants them done in his controlled environment shop.

So after three weeks time I got the warehouse to agree to transport new windshields (for a price) to the tinter in special made shipping containers and then transport the finished ones back to the warehouse a week later after they were tinted. At the warehouse they will then be combined with the non-tinted ones and shipped on to the GMCMI Mansfield, Ohio rally. I still have a few minor details to nail down. They are mostly to do with exact dates what steps will happen and some electronic copies of the specifications on the tint.

So here is the deal, If you want new Ceramic tinted windshields installed in your coach, contact me and I'll take your order just like the other orders I already have for non-tinted ones. If I get enough orders in the next two weeks then we will do this. If not, then I will notify all concerned that signed up that this will not happen.

PS: I already have 2 orders for 4 windshields. Two of them are mine. I do not need new windshields, but I want the Ceramic tint on my coach. I chose the most expensive and highest quality tint available. This is the only tint that will be offered at Mansfield.

If you want in on this, here is the information that I need from you:

1. Name

2. Windshield(s) to be ordered (Driver's side, Passenger side , or both) I assume every one wants both.

3. Address (street, city, state or province, and zip code.

4. Contact phone number (before the rally)

5. Cell phone (if you will have it at the rally)

6. Year and model of the coach (for the receipt)

7. email address

8. Any special requests.

To place an order / and installation reservation, before Sept 15th, (this date may change) email the above information to me at: GMCWindshield-AT-gmail-DOT-com

You can also email me questions (including pricing requests) to the same address.

I would appreciate it if someone would copy this note and paste it on the GMC facebook site(s). I do not do facebook.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Ken Burton


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
Re: Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347447 is a reply to message #347442] Fri, 06 September 2019 18:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
C Boyd is currently offline  C Boyd   United States
Messages: 2629
Registered: April 2006
Karma: 18
Senior Member
Thank you Ken Burton for all you do for all of us.

C. Boyd
76 Crestmont
East Tennessee
Re: [GMCnet] Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347452 is a reply to message #347447] Fri, 06 September 2019 20:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Vern Crawford is currently offline  Vern Crawford   United States
Messages: 81
Registered: August 2016
Karma: -1
Member
Another big thank you Ken. Perhaps at some future rally the complex pieces
to obtaining tinted windows can be overcome, but meanwhile thank you for
your hard work in so many areas of the GMC Motorhome world!

Hugs,
Vern

On Fri, Sep 6, 2019 at 6:45 PM Charles Boyd via Gmclist <
gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:

> Thank you Ken Burton for all you do for all of us.
> --
> C. Boyd
> 76 Crestmont
> East Tennessee
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
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--
Vern Crawford (and Lenore Langsdorf)
155 JJ Lane
Center Point, TX 78010
(618) 203-8296 Vern's cell
(830) 928-5550 Lenore's cell
VernCrawford@GMail.Com
LenoreLangsdorf@GMail.Com
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Re: Ceramic Windshields at Mansfiield [message #347455 is a reply to message #347447] Fri, 06 September 2019 23:55 Go to previous message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
Senior Member
Thank you Vern and Chuck. I took on this project because it was something suppliers had not done before and I saw a need. I wanted it for my own coach too.

There was a temporary over stock at the local warehouse and they told me that I could have as many of them that I wanted. I also had a local respected tinter that was familiar with GMC's, So I went for it. Unfortunately I was not successful and ended up canceling 12 orders (plus mine) and converting a few others to a standard DOT windshield installation.

I tried... Sorry


Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

[Updated on: Thu, 12 September 2019 16:15]

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