Soft ray glass Guru, help!

[JPSAUTO]

My 69CST has the soft ray glass option, question is about the windshield, did it come with the darker band at the top or was it tinted the same as the door and rear glass?

[OhioDan]

Mine is tinted like all the rest of the glass, but there's a darker band at the top.

[JPSAUTO]

Is you windshield factory or a replacement?

[OhioDan]

Replacement. Could have ordered clear, tinted, with the band, or dark tinted. Local glass shop installed it. Major glass shops in the area wouldn't touch it, and the one that tried, had the gasket so messed up, I told them to take it out and get off the property.

[JPSAUTO]

Anyone have an original that can give me an answer?

[DrtyJack75]

I guess this really doesnt answer your question but Ive been having a HECK of a time getting a new glass put in my 67....but the aftermarket one they brought the 3rd time they were out had that tent across the top but my original glass or what I believe to be the original one was clear

I have the 4th appt on Tuesday evening so we'll see what comes this time...

[special-K]

Factory SoftRay windshield were tinted/shaded.Shaded is refering to the dark band at the top.

[JPSAUTO]

Thanks

[oldgold70c10]

My '70 had stock soft ray windshield and it didn't have the dark band across the top. I know of another '70 with factory soft ray glass and it doesn't have the dark band either. Was 1970 an odd year?

[special-K]

Did those trucks have a/c?

[oldgold70c10]

Originally Posted by special-K

Did those trucks have a/c?

Both non-air trucks. Maybe a connection?

[special-K]

That`s what I`m thinking.Most of what I know (or think I know) is from what I`ve observed.That is,until this highly educational site came along.I`ll have to pay attention to this,now.I can`t recall which truck had what that I`ve owned.My`72 Blazer at my mom`s is a non-a/c truck with tinted glass.I`ll hjave to check that next time I`m up there.Most of what you see are non-a/c with clear and a/c with tint.Tint comes with air option.Look and see if air trucks have original Soft Ray shaded and non-a/c w/original Soft Ray are not shaded.Alot of replaced windshields these days.Maybe someone has some "book" knowledge.

[Longhorn Man]

I know 3 of my trucks had original front glass, one was a fairly highly optioned truck with A/C... the other two were lower level trucks... none had the shaded part on top. I have never seen anything as far as factory lit showing it, nor vintage photos.
I have always been under the impression it was not avalible.

[john]

Heres a pic from a factory brochure. I thought the a/c trucks had the shaded tinted windshields, but who knows after so many years.

[Classic Bowties]

Just went out and took a look in the yard and found four pickups, two blazers and a burb that are all retaining factory option A11 SoftRay Safety Flo-Lite windshields, all of them are only tinted (soft green like side glass) and do not have a shaded band across the top. Two of the pickups, both of the blazers and the burb are factory a/c equipped. I also have two factory SoftRay windshields that have been put away for future projects and they are both tinted only with no shading at the top.

One more quick note, while just checking all the windshieds I noticed a 72 cheyenne/20 super - bbc/air truck that came factory with A11 SoftRay of which side and rear cab glass is all there and marked as softray, but windshield is labled as E-Z-EYE Safety Flo-Lite and looks to be of the same tint as side glass with no shading at the top and it looks like a factory type windshield. Anyone know anything about this type windshield, maybe an early oe replacement or?

[Classic Bowties]

Originally Posted by Classic Bowties

One more quick note, while just checking all the windshieds I noticed a 72 cheyenne/20 super - bbc/air truck that came factory with A11 SoftRay of which side and rear cab glass is all there and marked as softray, but windshield is labled as E-Z-EYE Safety Flo-Lite and looks to be of the same tint as side glass with no shading at the top and it looks like a factory type windshield. Anyone know anything about this type windshield, maybe an early oe replacement or?

Anyone?

[Longhorn Man]

very interesting... thank you!
A factory photo pretty much proves it to me.

[special-K]

A shaded windshield may not be specified in literature,just supplied with a/c.

[70GMCer]

Don't know about the truck tinting or shading, but have always been told, (& what I remember seeing), that the only way of getting tinted glass in early GM cars, was if you had the AC option. Even GM cars from way back, I remember some having the shade on top of the windshield, and others did not have it. But they all had ac that had the tinted glass. Maybe the shading was another box checked on the order sheet with the tinting option, but still had the same RPO number for regular tinting. imo

[LUV2XCLR8]

Hard to tell from this pic. (Best I got on File) I got this windsheild at
a local glass shop (4WD) & they came and installed it in my garage.
It is the factory green tinted to match my other glass w/ the band.

[Classic Bowties]

Originally Posted by 70GMCer

Don't know about the truck tinting or shading, but have always been told, (& what I remember seeing), that the only way of getting tinted glass in early GM cars, was if you had the AC option.

I currently have a few trucks and a burb here that left factory with softray glass and NO air conditioning.

Originally Posted by LUV2XCLR8

Hard to tell from this pic. (Best I got on File) I got this windsheild at
a local glass shop (4WD) & they came and installed it in my garage.
It is the factory green tinted to match my other glass w/ the band.

Thanks for sharing but was trying for info on oem type glass options from back in the day, I think its the aftermarket/reproduction windshields that have caused the confusion on whats correct to be original.

[powerbench]

The windsheild i just pulled out of my 70( i think it the original) was an E-Z Eye tinted windsheild with the Tinted band on the top.All the other glass was soft-ray tinted.The truck has no A/C. Is the E-Z Eye window just what they called there Top stripe tinted window , and soft ray , was what they called a non banded version...ie(E-Z on your eyes ,by having a dark band)?

[Classic Bowties]

Originally Posted by powerbench

The windsheild i just pulled out of my 70( i think it the original) was an E-Z Eye tinted windsheild with the Tinted band on the top.All the other glass was soft-ray tinted.The truck has no A/C. Is the E-Z Eye window just what they called there Top stripe tinted window , and soft ray , was what they called a non banded version...ie(E-Z on your eyes ,by having a dark band)?

Thanks for the reply this is what I am trying to sort out. I am 100% sure that the E-Z-Eye in the 72 that I mentioned above is tinted a soft green (matches side and rear softray glass) and has no shading at the top?

[truckster]

The factory glass was available clear or tinted, but after a certain year the tinted was mandatory with A/C (can't remember the year). The shaded windshield was also optional. Some of the confusion on the markings comes from the fact that GM didn't produce their own glass. The OEM glass was produced by PPG and by Libbey-Owens-Ford (LOF).

[stope4]

From what I remember the original tinted windsheilds (soft ray) did not have the top darker ban. My first 71 had the original soft ray windsheild that broke when removing it. The replacement had the darker band and I was told I couldn't get tinted windsheild without the band. Wish they would make one today where the darker ban didn't look so darn dark. It almost looks black.