Plexi glass

With the roof chopped I know I need to find some glass to fit the windows, the front is not too hard, that is a standard laminate window which is cut to size, when it comes to cutting the front window I have decided I will send it out to a company with a 5 axis water jet machine though in the UK there aren’t too many of them…
The side and rear window in the mini are toughened glass and for that reason can’t be cut, there are people who say if you sand it slowly it can be reduced in size but having to remove such an amount of material would take months if not longer. I started to look for plastic windows. I know they can be purchased as some minis on the road and track are running them.
I called Kev from ACE (Association of Car Enthusiasts) who talked me through the standard and then pointed me towards the BIVA document of 290 odd pages. As my car will be subjected to the BIVA test I need to ensure I follow the guides. For the side windows the BIVA calls for safety glass which can be safety polymer too. To be classed as a safety plastic suited for highway use it is vital that the glass / plastic is marked ECE R43, if it does not have that mark then it is not suited for the road, basically illegal for road use. There have been quite a few cases of road track cars being pulled and fined for the windows when driven on the road. As a word of warning if its not ECE R43 and your driving on the road you shouldn’t be! Simple
After many hours of searching I came across plastics 4 performance, who advertise an E marked plastic window for a Subaru. On this I contact them and they quickly responded to say that yes they could supply the windows cut to my size, or supply them ready to cut and once the right size they would be able to stamp the windows and put the correct coating on required for the ECE R43, to top it off they said they would be able to apply the OEM style decal around the glass too.
All in all very happy, now I just need to really make a move with this roof so I can order me a set.
As for the warning about using non road legal glass, that’s your call not mine, I am doing everything by the book. Heed the advice and if you are changing the glass to a polymer and plan to drive it on the highway then don’t be silly pay the extra and have the windows marked correctly.