Hello, new member here. We are restoring a 1925 Chevrolet R truck. Has a wood cab and I am missing the windshield frame. Looking for one that is a 50/50 split. Good used or if someone knows of another source, I am game!
In 1925, Chevrolet did not manufacture their own truck cabs. Your cab was made by one of several companies who built cabs for multiple truck builders. If it has sliding doors, Martin Parry company would be my first guess. If the cab is wood, it is possible (likely) that the windshield frames were also made of wood. A local cabinet shop or talented amateur wood worker guy could probably make them for you. Good luck.
Thanks for the reply. From my knowledge (limited, I know), the windshield frames were metal as they had a hinge that allowed the glass to open. Our cab is probably not a Martin-Parry, or at least I don't believe it is from the research I have done. I looked at another old 1920's Chevy truck in a salvage yard earlier this week, it had a metal frame for the windshield. However, it was so badly rusted that it isn't usable. A fixed windshield would allow absolutely no ventilation into the cab as the door side windows are fixed.
Many truck cabs had wood framed, upper and lower, windshields that opened for ventilation.Don't misunderstand me, I am not arguing with you. You have the truck and you know best what it takes to restore it. With so many cab suppliers and you not knowing who made your cab, it will be hard for us to help. Give us some measurements and maybe someone can find a workable pair of frames for you. I have several unidentified metal windshield frames and I would be happy to help if there is something in the pile that would work.
I am going to try and get some pics posted. First, let me explain a little more....
I am doing this restoration for our family owned business. The business will be 100 years old in 2025. When the business was started in 1925, the first and only vehicle they had at that time was a 1925 Chevrolet truck. I have only two pictures of that original truck, which, due to the poor quality of photography at that time, do not show good detail. I can see in the pics that it appears the truck had a 50/50 split windshield, however, I cannot tell what kind of frame was around the windshield nor do I even know who made the cab. If anyone here recognizes the cab maker when I get the pics posted, I would be grateful for their knowledge.
Moving forward to today. The truck we are restoring is not the original one the business had in 1925. My quest is to make it look as close to the original as I can. This 1925 came from North Dakota/Wyoming area and it appears that the windshield was likely replaced with one piece of plexiglass sometime in it's previous life. Again, I don't know the maker of the cab on this truck either so if anyone recognizes it and can give me more information about it, I would be grateful. I admit I have a lot to learn about these vehicles as they are much older than anything I am used to working on so any information is really helpful to me!
I guess I am not very smart, but you say it is split "top to bottom". To me that would mean that you have a drivers side half and a passenger side half. This is possible but unlikely. I'm guessing that you have a top half and a bottom half which would be far more common. Are there hinges remaining? If so what type hinges are they?
I have some metal ~ 39" wide metal windshield frames that have the metal on 3 of the 4 sides. Have one that is ~ 43". If you list the dimensions you are seeking I might be able to help.
Sounds like he is describing something similar to the attached picture. If your looking for channel to make your own check out the guys at NC industries (windshieldframes.com) Bob I think I talked to can make you pretty much anything you want. They have a page with profiles and sell material in 7ft lengths I believe. last I talked to him about making some for me it was 18.00ft for the material. I since found good used ones. If Chipper has some good frames you could maybe use that material to cut and fabricate you own also. David
Last edited by David_S; 12/29/2312:02 AM. Reason: added info
In the picture, posted by David, the top half hinges at the top and the bottom half appears to rotate on a circular hinge. These usually have detents to help them stay in position. Sometimes both halves use this hinge. Chipper says he has some frames that fit your dimensions. Perhaps he will return with some hinge info that will help. I might have a pair of rotating hinges, somewhere, if I can find them.
Ok, here are some pics of the original 1925 and one of the current 1925. Can anyone identify the cab maker for either truck? What kind of windshield frame did the original have?
The original truck was apparently an "early" model without the headlight bar between the front fenders. There are a few differences in the roof and of course the windshield. The dip in the top center of the radiator shell and a straight across top for the new one. Otherwise they are very much the same. Whether the windshield had wood or metal frame is difficult to determine but it looks more like the narrow metal vs wider wood in the photo pulling the planter. The darker center strip is a rubber seal between the two pieces of glass.
The original truck is a Series M with quarter elliptic front springs. My friend Joel Haden restored one in the late 1970s and my friend Don Calhoun restored one before that. Both trucks had Martin Parry, sliding door cabs and deep, pickup style beds with full length canopys. This photo is not very good, but it is all I could find of Joels truck.
