Rear window cloudy?

C_Parker

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Hi,

I believe my plane sat outside a lot in a past life, the rear window is pretty cloudy. I've seen a lot of headlights that were cloudy and restored, can a Cessna window be restored in much the same way?

I don't know much about it, I'm not sure if the haziness is on the surface or deep in the plastic.

Thanks
 
Hi,

I believe my plane sat outside a lot in a past life, the rear window is pretty cloudy. I've seen a lot of headlights that were cloudy and restored, can a Cessna window be restored in much the same way?

I don't know much about it, I'm not sure if the haziness is on the surface or deep in the plastic.

Thanks

Round these parts, we call it IMC when that happens.....
 
Hi,

I believe my plane sat outside a lot in a past life, the rear window is pretty cloudy. I've seen a lot of headlights that were cloudy and restored, can a Cessna window be restored in much the same way?

I don't know much about it, I'm not sure if the haziness is on the surface or deep in the plastic.

Thanks

Good luck.
 
Interested myself here on advice, I’ve got an old 182 with cloudy rear window
 
nothing works as well as replacement.
+1 Once the window is fogged or crazed, it must be replaced.

I replaced all the windows in my 182P and made a blog post about it. It sees a lot of activity as the technique used for the windscreen took about 9 hours as opposed to the usual 40 plus. A guy from a local aviation paint shop helped who knew all the techniques.

The back window is not hard except for bucking the rivets on the lower lip. I was told by both the window guy and a local FBO that a shop made bucking bar was needed, and made one from a railroad spike to arch under the rear interior lip of the airframe to contact those rivets.

Here the blog discussing window options and installation tips if helpful: http://welch.com/n46pg/category/windows/

-David
 
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Not much to stop you from polishing it if you are prepared to replace if it does not work out.

Auto headlights have 2 layers of plastic. There is a UV layer on top. The auto polishing works well if that UV layer remains intact. Otherwise they will clean up, but cloud again very quickly.
 
At the Supermarket, down here in Ensenada, a kit was going car to car, offering to polish headlights.

I figured.... what the heck. The 2004 Avalanche could use it.

I'd bought a kit from Harbor Freight, and it did okay - but that was two years ago.

He did a fine grade sand (once), and then sprayed from a pen-type airbrush with some kind of clear poly.

Looks great, and it's lasted for six months so far with no degradation.

This is only a related, anecdotal story - about CAR THINGS - and not any kind of recommendation for something to do to an AIRPLANE.
 
wonder why ya don't replace it ?
 
I have a '62 E model 182 which, I believe has the same two-piece split rear window as yours. The plastic gets cloudy all the way through, so polishing it will not work. You need to replace it. This was one of the first things I did when I bought my plane. It's a good owner-assist project if you're into working on your own plane because the parts are fairly cheap and the job is mostly labor (drilling out and bucking rivets).

C.
 
Thanks to those who provided constructive responses.

I attempted to use Plastx, and it did increase clarity by about 10%. camorton you are exactly right; when I got to looking carefully from the bottom side it’s definitely all the way through the window. The polishing took some of the scratches out and reduced the noticeability of the crazing to where I’m ok with it now. I’ll replace the windows next year.
 
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How does one go about painting the rivets after installing a window? I still have a number of unpainted rivets for the GPS antenna on my stratus as well.
 
How does one go about painting the rivets after installing a window? I still have a number of unpainted rivets for the GPS antenna on my stratus as well.
Use a playing card, punch a hole in it with a hole punch, place the hole over the rivet and spray.
 
Have you confirmed its not actually just cloudy outside?
 
I've said it here before, but don't think I got much traction from my advice: Polish both sides of the window with a teflon polish. I once upon a time had a franchise for detailing cars, boats and aircraft with teflon polish. Amazing stuff.
 
I've said it here before, but don't think I got much traction from my advice: Polish both sides of the window with a teflon polish. I once upon a time had a franchise for detailing cars, boats and aircraft with teflon polish. Amazing stuff.

Any brand in particular?
 
Any brand in particular?
I had a commercial franchise called "Apple Polishing Systems". I don't know what retail brands are available. If you have a cloudy plastic nav light lens or cover, you could test on that.
 
When I bought my C-150, all the windows were foggy green. I replaced the windshield immediately and never got around to replacing the back window. The fogginess is deep in the plastic and won't buff out.
 
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