Polish lexan windshield

I've picked up an old NASCAR that I'll be using for HPDE and track days.  The windshield and rear glass have a bit of paint overspray and are quite dirty.  I've got a rotary buffer I use for cut and buff and polish on my other cars... I figured I could use it with some clearcoat buffing compound to clean up the lexan windows.

Or is that a dumb idea?

I’m not sure, but I was curious as to the difference between Polish lexan and normal lexan.

I imagine you could test it out on a small corner.

I used the same DA buffer and compounds on my plastic boat window that I used on the fiberglass.  Removed a bunch of light scratches, left it looking good if not perfect.

When I worked on a Trans Am race car we did polish the windshield when it started to get sandblasted.  I would first use some solvent like laquer thinner to see if you can get some of the paint off. You'll never get it looking like new but it will look better afterwards.

Bon Ami or bar keepers best friend and 000 steel wheel for the overspray. 

Claybar for the over spray then polish.

Thanks!

Finish up cleaning with Plexas which is a plexiglass/Lexan cleaner. It will fill in light scratches and whirl marks. Not cheap but good stuff. I would be afraid lacquer thinner might melt the lexan. 

Please no lacquer thinner. Or anything with chlorine traces.

I was expecting an attack on my heritage.

Most NASCAR windshields have a hardcoating face that will resist common cleaning fluids. It is there to help reduced the sandblasting effect. Start in a corner with whatever you use and dont get so aggressive that you go through the hardcoat. The windshield will scratch very easily if you do. The rear glass is NOT hardcoated, so go easy with that. In fact try the rear glass first and whatever works for you, do that on the front. That will make sure you dont get too crazy with the softer material.

TurnerX19 said:

Please no lacquer thinner. Or anything with chlorine traces.

This. The Novus system and brillianize both work well.

pirate said:

Finish up cleaning with Plexas which is a plexiglass/Lexan cleaner. It will fill in light scratches and whirl marks. Not cheap but good stuff. I would be afraid lacquer thinner might melt the lexan. 

I wonder how well that would work on polycarbonate glasses lenses.  Now matter how expensive it is, enough to do a windshield once would last just about forever for glasses, and once the swirl marks start, you live with them or drop another few hundred bucks on lenses, which of course will not be exactly like the old ones so there's a 2 week headache and eye strain period while your eyes readjust.

poopshovel again said:

TurnerX19 said:

Please no lacquer thinner. Or anything with chlorine traces.

This. The Novus system and brillianize both work well.

That's your answer.  We used to use Lexan to build cases for model airplanes.  The Novus multi-step was the way to go.  I would tend to shy away from mechanical buffers because, IIRC, it is possible to burn/score Lexan with mechanical polishing.  

I like the Ukrainian Lexan better.

Meguiars plastic cleaner then finish with Meguiars plastic polish. 

We use Acrylic Polish sold by Aircraft Spruce (sorry, dunno how to link from phone).

In a sailplane it's ALL lexan, it's what we use.  Works well but DO NOT use circular motions.  Fore & Aft only; swirls light up along scratch lines; really sucks when you can't see when landing.

EDIT: This stuff. Pricey but works!

914Driver said:

We use Acrylic Polish sold by Aircraft Spruce (sorry, dunno how to link from phone).

In a sailplane it's ALL lexan, it's what we use.  Works well but DO NOT use circular motions.  Fore & Aft only; swirls light up along scratch lines; really sucks when you can't see when landing.

 

EDIT: This stuff. Pricey but works!

 

Yes - this!

Take your info from small plane owners, whose lives, like yours in a car with plastic windshield, depends on keeping the plastic clear and in good shape.  I have owned two cars with plastic (polyacrylic or polycarbonate) windows (rear on an early TVR and side rear on a Jensen CV8) and went to the local strip for small planes to talk to them and buy what they recommended.  Like any cither question in cardom, you will always get a wide range of answers, some of which may actually be harmful. Stick with FAA approved methodology, is my advice.

FWIW I used a product called Plexus on the cars and on my helmet visors.

Cooter said:

I was expecting an attack on my heritage.

I expected to come here for a fight defending my people