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I am have new glass cut for my '38. Did Packard have clear or tinted glass and if tinted, what shade? Parts book is silent.

I don't believe there was tinted glass in 1938 (at least not on Packards) so that's probably why no mention in the parts book. I looked around online but couldn't find any definitive answer as to when it first appeared other than the EZ-Eye glass of the '50s.

Reasonably sure 1952 was the first year for tinted glass for everyone.

PackardDon and Ross,

Thanks for the input. That is what I figured but there are a lot of things I figured wrong over time.

Just gotta chime in on this topic...
I don't have any Packard documentation on the tint of the glass...all I can do is post a couple of pictures.

1. The glass in our original 1937 RHD Super Eight 1500 has a definite amber tint...

2. The back door glass from the 1937 1502 limousine parts car has a definite green tint.

Maybe there is a glass expert out there who can comment.

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I believe that tint is due to the age of the glass and the UV rays of the Sun. Ever see 100 year old original headlights? They have a purple sheen to them, which is from the Sun (as I was told many years ago).

That has also been my experience of auto glass changing, especially laminated safety glass but other glass too. Even when not tinted, windows tend to have a greenish (or sometimes other color) look to them, especially when viewed from the edge or at an angle.

Bill (blue40devil), I did my best to find a thread that contains a pic of a 1920s Packard with lemon yellow windows. But my attempts weren't successful. I believe to remember that Dave (O_D) published the pic I was looking for with original clear but visible aged windows.
Go this ways, please, to get good advice nevertheless.

-> link 1

-> link 2

-> link 3

-> link 4

Tinted glass didn't become a factory option on cars until around 57-58 which is why it is a standard judging deduction.

If there is no visible laminate seam the glass may be tempered. Usually original glass has at least some visible laminate separation. If the glass is perfect in that respect it probably is not original. The original tinted glass options on cars was not a very dark color only a tint unlike the ghetto stuff you see today or the deep tint used to prevent the greenhouse effect in the south.

Winter this year in Michigan has been unusually warm.

I'll see if I can dig up a good example of original discolored 1938 Packard glass.

A few years earlier than 1957-58, Tim.