Does anyone know anything about build in front window defrosters? I have heard they exist, but I have never seen one.
Windshield defrosters have been tried several times over the years with many car companies. The problem is that they did not work very well and were expensive to repair. The technology may come along some day but for now it’s something that has not been perfected. I had a good friend who bought a new Ford Taurus back in the mid-eighties with the windshield defroster built-in. It made the windshield look pink at certain angles and it never worked in the Maine winters. His digital dash suffered the same fate when the temperatures got around zero.
I’ve driven long distances in one of those Fords that Missileman alluded to. There’s a good reason they never “took”. They’re TERRIBLE, except perhaps for the color blind among us.
It wasn’t a built-in front windshield defroster, but back in the early 1950s, the Sears catalog had a 6" by 6" clear plastic panel with a heating element built in. This was attached to the windshield with suction cups and was powered by plugging it into the cigarette lighter. I don’t think the device was very successful because it was dropped in the mid 1950s.
I think Lincoln may have featured a built-in windshield defroster sometime in the 1970s or early 1980s. I think the alternator was set up to provide about 110 volts to this defroster. It was quite expensive and probably didn’t work very well.
Thanks to missleman, the same mountainbike and Triedaq for thise responses. Still looking for more info. it’s for a “history of engineering” project. if you have links or pics that would be awesome.
The lines of the rear window defrosters is not acceptable for a windshield. There have been a few cars with the same type of wire heaters in the windshield but they are placed very low and the purpose it to keep the wipers from freezing up.
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The Ford Sport Trac had it available for a few years, but they discontinued it.
Would putting a cover over the car work? I see those for sports cars in the summer to protect them from birds, but would it keep ice from caking on my poverty-box car?
My Caravan has the element in the lower portion of the front windshield, where the wipers sit. I wish I have something like this when I lived in New England when I have to release the frozen wipers at 5 AM. Now I am in CA and even when I go to big bear it has not been that cold.
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Well, your first post talks about a windshield defroster and then you mentioned window defrosters, which is it??
At one time, did anyone make a rear hot air defroster…or am I dreaming ?
dagosa–you aren’t dreaming. My 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber had a rear window defroster that was essentially a blower that sucked air from the passenger compartment and blew it against the rear window. It was a factory option on the car.
There were also rear window defrosters that mounted on the package shelf and had a heating coil and a small fan. These could be permanently wired into the car or plugged into the cigarette lighter.
Anyone have a picture of the front window defroster?
Nothing to see, except the windshield is tinted differently, reddish if I remember correctly.
Yup, a rose-colored pinkish red.
I drove one of these for a 150 mile round trip once. I absolutely hated that tint.
When I see dagosa I know it is an old discussion. Where is that guy anyway? I miss his expertise on negotiating steep roadways with winter tires. Hope he is still among us.
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Him, Transman, and Joseph Meehan. Haven’t seen any of those guys for a long time. Hope they’re OK.
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If you need a front window defroster, you may have other issues, I have never found the need for one, explain the issue please.
great Thank
If your windshield is fogging up, there are two solutions:
- Have the heater core repaired.
- Take a lesson from your dog and drive with your head out the window. You may want to wear goggles.
I prefer solution 1.