M20J Windshield Replacement

[N3830H]

We're considering having the windshield replaced when we take our M20J in for avionics soon.

I see on the LP Aeroplastics website that there are two choices .187 and .250 - any real advantage to the thicker plastic? And would it be a real pain to install the thicker windshield?

Has anyone had a shop do the work - if so, about how many hours did they charge you? I'm just asking for reference - I'll let you know how it all ends up for us.

[1970m20e]

I went with the thicker windows on the side for my M20E.  I haven't changed the windshield yet but the small amount of price difference I always go for the thicker to try and muffle some of the engine and prop blast.

[Immelman]

Not quite the same animal, but I just had the windshield replaced on my 66E with a one piece conversion (sadly, not the more sleek and raked windshield on your J). I went with the .250 thickness.

I was charged 9 hrs labor....and that was generous. I was basically charged what my IA thought he'd do the job in, even though his mechanics he was overseeing took longer. The LP products are good but if the J windshield is anything like the E, there is a *lot* of trimming required in places and the repetitive process to place the windsield, mark, trim, and repeat will take some labor time.

I helped the install by putting in time to remove and replace the interior, and removed all of the fasteners on the old windshield that I could myself (a few were hard to get at and I left those for the pros).

[clh]

I am told that they are a PIA to replace.  My mechanic suggested that I take it to a place with a lot of experience working on Mooneys. (Several of these guys are well known on this board.) Otherwise, you are paying for someone to learn.  

[N601RX]

We just replaced our side windows with .250.  They are considerably stiffer than the .125 and .187 side windows.  We will upgrade the front to .250 also when we replace it.  The window is not hard work, but it is time consumming.  A lot of the time is cleaning the old glue, drilling and countersinking the screw holes

[testwest]

We recently replaced all the glass on 201JX. We went with Great Lakes Aero Products glass, not LP Aero. www.glapinc.com These guys are the OEM to Mooney, and they have much better prices:

M20J .187" gray windshield is $449.82 from LP but only $330.00 from GLAP

M20J .250" gray windshield is $526.56 from LP but only $386.40 from GLAP

Both companies now offer a UV blocking tinted product which is more money but it protects your skin and the aircraft interior...which OF COURSE came out just after we bought our glass.

If it were me, I would go with the GLAP .250" solar gray windshield $521.64 from GLAP (LP wants $684.52 for the same thing)

The thicker windshield offers better birdstrike protection and sound deadening than stock, enough to warrant the weight penalty and more difficult installation. The same thing can't be said for the side glass, so we went with standard thickness there to save weight. About 10 hours or so to replace, I would think about having it done at a shop that has done M20J style windshields before. Unskilled installers will wind up with gap-osis between the upper windshield sheet metal bow and the glass, it can be filled with the sealant but is ugly and draggy. Ours, OTOH, turned out very very smooth.

see here http://www.glapinc.com/Mooney/m20j.htm#windshields

 

[Immelman]

On the pricing, here is a little tip if you go with: Call Chief Aircraft and order through them. You will get a wholesale price for LP products that way. ALL windows for my E (4 sides, one piece windshield, and vent window) came out to $600 or so this way. It was a serious discount...... I feel like I'm sharing a dirty secret or something posting this

[outermarker]

I have a 65 M20E which needs new glass. So, the education begins...one question I have is where is the material from? US? Germany? Denmark? China? Taiwan? Could that be the reason, the quality of the materials?

I would like to do the work myself....what pitfalls should I expect? Any special tools required? Sealants, which type seems to work best? Old sealant removal?

thanks in advance, albert

[Hank]

Part of the fit problem is due to the handmade nature of our birds. As I understand it, even now the factory does not have robotic bending or welding jigs like you see at the auto factories. Someone cuts all of the sheet metal by hand, and even baggage doors are not interchangeable between planes. I had much trimming to do replacing just the nav light cover in my 201-style wingtip, about 1/2" at the rear corner slanting down to 1/8 at the front and rear curved edges. Then I had the pleasure of marking and drilling and countersinking the screwholes to match. At least no one will steal them to [not] fit their plane . . .

[N601RX]

Quote: outermarker

I have a 65 M20E which needs new glass. So, the education begins...one question I have is where is the material from? US? Germany? Denmark? China? Taiwan? Could that be the reason, the quality of the materials?

I would like to do the work myself....what pitfalls should I expect? Any special tools required? Sealants, which type seems to work best? Old sealant removal?

thanks in advance, albert

[ghost]

I am currently redoing my interior and panel on my 79 J.  My question is what type of glass do I put back in the airplane?? std?? Tinted?? or UV Tinted??  Would love to hear your thougths

[jezzie]

Quote: ghost

I am currently redoing my interior and panel on my 79 J.  My question is what type of glass do I put back in the airplane?? std?? Tinted?? or UV Tinted??  Would love to hear your thougths

[ghost]

What thicknesses did you go with, .250 in the windshield, .187 side windows??

[jezzie]

Quote: ghost

What thicknesses did you go with, .250 in the windshield, .187 side windows??

[captainglen]

The main reason for thicker plexiglass is noise reduction but in the event of a bird strike the thicker windshield offers more protection. Aero Plastics in the first paragraph of the installation guide states that the windshields are supplied oversize and require trimming. Aero Plastics will trim to exact size free of charge if your windshield is sent in with your order. I installed 6 windows in my Bonanza 35-F, the first took 2 hours and the rest took about an hour each; There was a learning curve. I will do the two windshields on my Mooney M20C and I expect no problems. A disk sander provides the best control and speed for the trimming. One more consideration is tint, My experience with green is that it rapidly becomes milky when exposed to UV unless covered from the outside I have no experience with grey but for traffic see and avoid as well as night flight I always prefer clear. The price at Chief is well below that of Spruce so that is who I will choose.

[captainglen]

Always remember when considering that when considering speed sloped windshield the airspeed gain is tiny and you loose avionics access.

[jetdriven]

3 knots isn't tiny and you also open up the access above the panel to access the radios. What you don't get is that avionics shops charge the same to put radios in a J or an E, and a J doesn't leak water on the radios through those access panels.  Unless you bed them down with fresh silicone and seal each screw, every time, they will leak. 

[PeytonM]

Any personal experience for who would be a good choice in the Midwest (Chicago) area?  

[CaptRJM]

Ditto on using Great Lakes Areo.  I replaced all the glass in my K Model with .250" UV Grey. 

I knew that they OEM for Mooney but, what sold me was my AP telling me about the fit.  He was right, we did very little fitting of the windscreen and nearly none on the side glass.  Very happy the way it came out.

[bradp]

LP aero (local here) has apparently improved their fit as well.  New .250 went in in May and A&P said almost no trimming.   I just brought my old side windows to them (201) and they needed to round off a single corner of the door window.  That was it.  Everything else an exact match.