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DATE CODES on Windscreen Glass - WT-103A

A side issue of potential interest:
Dating your car by its windows - based on the original compiled by Neil Cairns.
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     "MG's made in the 1950's to the late 1970's can be dated by the 'TRIPLEX CODE' etched into the toughend glass. My 75 GT has Sicursive side glass but a Triplex heated back-light with a code that fits the date of build of the car. This also works for any other make using TRIPLEX glass. Note that it dates the GLASS, so is only an indication of the cars age, assuming the glass is original. If you are not quite sure of the year of your car, but the decade is known, just look for two dots in the TRIPLEX logo on the glass.

One dot above T, R, E, or X gives the quarter of the year the glass was manufactured:
     T = Jan, Feb, March,
     R = April, May, June,
     E = July Aug, Sept,
     X = Oct, Nov, Dec.
But which year?
Nine letters make the word TOUGHENED,
one dot below a letter gives the year of the decade:
     T = 1
     O = 2
     U = 3 and so on.
     However, if you see no dot, the year is zero.
     Say your car is a 1950's MG, then
     TRIPLEX TOUGHENED, with one dot over the 'R' in Triplex, and the other under the last 'E' in Toughened, indicates 'April/May/June 1958'


Below are some date code pictures. The first (from previous page) is a 1950's vintage logo. The other four were supplied by Kevin McCabe on June 9, 2006: Per note at top of page, the dots above the letters T, R, E and X would represent 1st through 4th quarter of a production year. The triple-X logo is obviously older issue compared to others. The "TP" or "LP" designation may refer to Triple Plate or Laminated Plate, being composed of two layers of glass with the plastic film in between to prevent break-up of the glass if it is smashed. The term "Toughtned" may refer to hardened and tempered safety glass, which is the type that breaks into a million pieces smaller then your fingernail if it is smashed. I believe the tempered glass is a newer contrivance which can be stronger and may be manufactured in thinner plate to be less expensive.

This brings my attention to the year code. Word of warning here. The last four pictures came from a 1969 Rolls Royce, and the word "SUNDYM" is apparently a trade name for tinted glass. Notice in the first picture above the word AGREE with dots over the 4th and 5th letters. This may be 5+4=9 for the 9th year of the decade (origin of this picture is inknown). The next two pictures have "SUNDYM" witrh dots under the 2nd and 6th letters, which may be 6+2=8 for the 8th year of a decade. The next picture has "SUNDYM" with dots over the 3rd and 6th letters, which may be 6+3=9 for the 9th year of the decade. These three pictures can make sense for original glass in a 1969 model car.

The last picture shows teh later style logo with teh work "toughened" with a dot under the 5th letter which whould be the 5th year of the decade. Thos might be a later production replacement glass for the same car.
Triplex-Plate-Agree branding mark Triplex-Sundym branding mark Triplex-Sundym branding mark
Triplex-Sundym branding mark Triplex-Sundym branding mark Now notice the first three pictures have a dot in the center of the triple-x logo, but the 4th does not. I will guess that this dot may be a decade mark, but I wouldn't know for which decade, as the time sequence for the first four pictures is as yet unknown. I also don't know if the 4-section circle around the triple-x has any significance.

An additional point of curiosity is in the last picture. Why would it have two dots over the "T" and one dot over the "X" in TRIPLEX? Perhaps this may be a change to a system of dating the production month rather than production quarter. If someone was motivated enough they might take these pictures to an auto glass shop and see if they can find some old geezer who might remember how these things worked through the years.

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