Fair labor cost to replace 337 windshield?
 

Fellow 'Thrasheristsi (Latin plural)

I am inching closer to the great windshield project.

I am based in Washington DC and trying to get some idea of fair and reasonable (HAHAHAHA) to replace the windshield. (HOHOHO)

The 'Great Book' puts it at 36 hours of labor and suffering.

These days aircraft mechanics feel more expensive than cardiologist.
Maybe I should find a cardiologist to install it, and save a few bucks?

Anyone done one recently?
Is 36 hours about right?

With windows that means about a $5k job all in.

Any shop recommendations near Washington DC / mid-atlantic?
Or within a few hours flight time?
Or at least on the same tectonic plate?

Should I put on my big boy pants and just peel off another $5k?

Muchos gracias

I’ve done a couple. 36 hrs might do it.

Windshield ordered
 

And being sent to someone ELSE to install!

I'm working my way toward painting my aircraft, but I want to replace or refurbish the windshield and side windows first. I have a few questions for those who have already done this:

1. When replacing the windshield, did you go for a clear or tinted windshield. I realize you wouldn't want heavily tinted windshields, but car windshields are lightly tinted and that does not seem to affect night vision.

2. For those side windows that have an inner and outer window, did you only tint the inside or outside or both?

3. There are windows that are Solar Control (resist IR and UV light), is this the same as tinting or something different?

4. Some old windows can be refurbished by buffing out the surface imperfections which might become new, did any of you do this, or if you were going to remove the windows, you just decided to install new ones. Sounds like new would be best since the labor is what cost.

Thanks for any help,

Karl

I just went through this
 

I drilled down pretty deeply on all options.


While gray smoked “looks cool,” and perhaps more modern,
at dusk and night it reduces contrast significantly.

Having done a LOT of dusk and night flying,
and lots of experience in low light, and Washington DC summer haze,
And 20+ years of hatteras mist,
smoked wasn’t for me.

The USAF and others have studied it in depth.

As I recall, and may have posted elsewhere here,
the light green tint is best for contrast against blue or gray skies,
and has the least impact at night..

I went with the DE LUXE solar tint on the outer side windows.
The inner windows are just straight clear.
Cheap enough to buy from GLAP
vs buying plexus and having to screw around w getting them cut.

What I noticed was indeed, moving my hand in sunlight from behind clear windscreen to solar shield side windows was ..amazing. Confirms less IR heat and UV getting through.

Great Lakes aeroplastics have a spectrum analysis somewhere.

I went with same DE LUXE on the windshield, light green, same reason.
Having neither inclination or time I went to a premier local shop to install the windscreen.

The shop told me they must have out it in and out 20 times to get it just right.
Which is what I’d heard was involved.

I had last done it 25 years ago.

While not “cracking” in the traditional sense
Modern plexi (even 1990s) is natural gas and inert
Even to UV

What it DOES do eventually however, over time, is release internal stress
by forming micro cracks within the material, visibile in offset sunlight.

I think all in, all the side and inner windows were around $5k,
and the front windscreen another $5k installed. YIKES!

Won’t have to touch them again until I am around 100 years old.

Other tip from high end auto restoration shops. Do not use a cover.
Just grinds stuff into plexi.

Mine sat outside Washington DC and Hatteras NC in summers for 25 years.
Corrosion x the airframe every few years, as preventative.
No covers.
No corrosion.

I also cheat by tying down facing north.
Angle of solar incidents is behind the aircraft vs direct.
Also leaves wings tilted toward winter sun for earliest natural defrosting.

The airplane was painted 10 years ago by the same shop I had to the windscreen.
Top notch. Planecare in Hagerstown MD.

Had some of the blue redone, as clear coat was fading.
Went to one step to avoid further issues.

When avidyne suite installed had it huffed up.

Looks like it just came from the factory.

Thank you, David, for all the information, including price. I've been wondering about that also. The price is close to what I was estimating, but I am usually horrible and estimating labor on airplane projects.

Karl

The factory windows and windshield were green tint

I changed the windshield, windows and just about everything I thought needed changing. I cannot give an exact labor hours since this was/became a "might as well" project. First I buffed the windshield but I ended up with a "bifocal" windshield. It was great on the ground but landing was not fun. So, I decided to change the WS and while I had the opening I said to myself now it's much easier to upgrade the panel, bringing it from the dark ages to some glass. Then I said to myself, well, I should change the side windows and while I have the headliner down I should change the vent tubes and anything I could change.
I don't know how long it took to do any of it separately but this was during the COVID, 2021.
Couple of notes here: I went with the green tint all around and thicker windshield (1/4") which I had to open up the lower tabs to fit it. The original/previous one was thinner.
I had to trim the windshield and dry fit it 3 times until I was happy with it.
I did not remove the center strap but I have heard that some do not reinstall the strap for better vision and aesthetics.

I've heard changing the front window on a P-model is an order of magnitude more expensive. For some reason $27k comes to mind. Maybe that's what Cessna wanted to do it? Mine is in good shape, but I'd hate to have a bird strike or some other incident befall my nice front windshield.

On the side windows, an easy option is to replace the inners with green tint. Did that. Great Lakes had the window channel too.

One more detail on side windows - offset liner
 

Great Lakes (and others?) sell the rubber liner that goes around inner window.
You want the slot in the liner to be slightly offset from center.
This keeps the two layers of plexi farther apart, so they won’t rub.

I also left a 1/2 inch (or was it an inch?) opening in liner at bottom
so the air between could vent.

When I did not do that, condensation would get trapped between the layers.

How’s THAT for obscure information!