Finding windows in the US

Hey y'all, brand new member and new owner of a HiAce super custom limited. I flew down to LA to buy it, and have been staying with friends in the area. I forgot their warning one day and left my backpack on the passenger seat only to come back to finding gone and my window shattered. It is the front left (passenger) window.

I've been searching high and low for the part number and the corresponding window, but have heretofore been unsuccessful, other than finding a part number of 68102 (if my memory serves me correctly) and autoglasswarehouse, an Australian company that sadly doesn't ship to the US typically. I sent them an email asking if they would make an exception, but if that fails, where else can I find some replacement glass? Already tried my local Toyota dealer and they said they definitely can't help.

Any and all tips appreciated, and thanks in advance!

Great looking van!

Sorry to hear about the window, that's a shame.

I don't know if it's possible to make a replica out of polycarbonate but while you look that is a possibility (and should never break). eBay sells lots of it.

Otherwise companies like this help - also use it to find your part number and do a general search.
http://jp-carparts.com/toyota/partlist.php?maker=toyota&type=711140&cartype=136&fig=6751
(check your Hiace model first - this is for my 2WD one).
Then select in the list below the diagram the glass for your year model (the number in the diagram keys to that list)

Mine is part 68112-26010
Doesn't look cheap, I'd be tempted to use Polycarbonate until you find a scrap window or a decent used one online.

Good luck.

Take a look at the link below, this is the Japanese Yahoo! auctions site, as seen through the lens of the Buyee.com proxy service. You can't buy directly from Yahoo! Japan, but you can buy items via proxy services (seller ships to them, then they ship to you). I have ordered stuff via Buyee for my Super Custom that I couldn't find anywhere else. I do see some door glass in the search results, look for LH100, it doesn't have to be LH107, as the front doors are the same across the gas/diesel/2wd/4wd versions sold from late 1989 through at least late 1993. Sorry for the nasty URL, it works though!

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A8%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%20100%20%E3%82%AC%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B9/category/26318?translationType=1

Thanks for the tips you guys! I really appreciate it. I spent a couple hours with some cardboard and a jigsaw the other day and managed to cut out a decent polycarbonate replacement window for the meantime, there's a small Gap near the mirror end rattles a bit on the freeway, but it should do the trick while I check out my other options. I'll let you know what I find in the next few days here. Thanks!

Yikes, its not too pretty but this is the best i could find.

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/6811295j08

I did find one for $75 but the shipping was $700.

Found this one currently at about $8USD. Not sure about shipping, but probably $$$ due to oversized shipping required.

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/f303664138

Unfortunately I'm still looking for a replacement window, though the polycarbonate has been holding up pretty well, especially with some shims stuck in between it and the rubber weather strips to cut down on rattling. Just getting around to really looking into it now.

djathens I sat down to check out Buyee today, I did find a guy in Greece with a bunch of parts through ebay who said he would ship and insure it to me for $300 even, but I wanted to see if Buyee had better deals. It looks like it does have deals, but I haven't found a lot of reassurance in terms of recourse if the window shows up broken. Additionally I talked with a guy down in portland at Van Life Northwest who was generally unhelpful and told me pretty much the last thing I wanted to hear when needing a window, which was that it is "pretty much the only thing he can't reliably get here because they always break in transit." Therefore, the $300 for an insured window seems a bit more attractive than ordering a $150 window from Japan only to have it show up cracked, have no recourse, and have to gamble a second time on it or risk spending $450 if I then get the insured window i should have gotten in the first place.

Are these fears warranted? Has anyone else here ordered glass from Japan and had it show up cracked?

Thanks again for all the info.

The windows sound really expensive TBH.

Would it be worth just making a thicker MKII polycarbonate window? Round the edges nicely and it should be better than a new glass one as it's extremely difficult to break.

Then later if a scrap van turns up you have the option of going glass again.

On a slight tangent - some people occasionally lock themselves out of their cars and break the tiniest window to get in. Ironically the tiny windows are usually pretty rare and expensive and a door or screen is better. Not that it really helps but windows can be tricky.

Good luck.

Yeah that might be a good plan, if I can put some mount points on it I think I could even get it to roll up and down, with maybe a little coaxing on the way back up. I will see how much a sheet of that costs from the home Depot.

Thanks!

Leeku13 wrote:

Yeah that might be a good plan, if I can put some mount points on it I think I could even get it to roll up and down, with maybe a little coaxing on the way back up. I will see how much a sheet of that costs from the home Depot.

Thanks!

In the UK eBay seems to provide polycarbonate of any thickness. If you exactly match the thickness of the glass it should curve ok in the channels to behave like the old glass. If you find a local place to you they'll do you a bit of the right size.

djathens wrote:

Found this one currently at about $8USD. Not sure about shipping, but probably $$$ due to oversized shipping required.

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/f303664138

I'm really tempted to buy this, but a 5 kg parcel would cost $165 to ship according to their shipping calculator... Not sure how much the glass would weigh, or if 5kg is a safe estimate, but if there was any additional surcharge for the weird dimensions, it would make it nearly as expensive as the one from Greece. The polycarbonate route is looking ever more attractive.

I can't think of a way they'd ship it to guarantee it not to break unless it was plastic foamed into a very solid box, if you could insure the post it may make more sense.

At least with the polycarbonate route you have an indestructible window, if it works really well you could do the other side too. They did this on Top Gear a few times when glass windows go smashed, results varies but if you get it accurate and the curve is slight it should work.

I put a straight edge on mine and there is only about 1/4" top and bottom of curve.
Possibly the way to get the most accurate shape is to copy the other side but depends on your workload..

I'm on the edge of my seat here. What did you get figured for the window?

i have the same van here in the usa. this is literally my worst nightmare. i worry about it all the time. i really feel for you

Well there are plenty of these windows around the planet, but getting it shipped to North America safely is a pain.
Here I can see them for around 100 euro but then the shipping would need to be arranged safely.