The gasket (weatherstrip) installation is quickly becoming a thing of the past. However, there are a few gasket sets still out there. The vehicles they are mounted in are being used every day to transport families and friends. The ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard 003-2015 is written to cover all vehicles with safety glass mounting, no matter what kind.

7.2 of the ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard addresses gasket set installations.

Old:

If the OEM gasket installation did not include adhesive and the vehicle is licensed for highway use, the installation shall include polyurethane or an equivalent adhesive bonding system. The following are permissible exceptions: egress applications, antique restorations, the customer’s requirements differ even after being informed about the safety implications, or in cases in which this practice conflicts with current vehicle manufacturer specifications.

New:

If the OEM gasket installation did not include adhesive and the vehicle is licensed for highway use and is less than 10,000 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), the installation shall include polyurethane or an equivalent adhesive bonding system. The following are permissible exceptions: egress applications, antique or classic vehicle restorations, or in cases in which this practice conflicts with current vehicle manufacturer specifications.

The key issue here are the phrases, “licensed for highway use” and “under 10,000 lbs. GVW”. This means that the vehicle carries a license plate that gives the driver unlimited use on America’s roadways, and is considered a passenger vehicle. It is not a service or commercial vehicle.

The glass parts of large trucks and service vehicles are not regulated under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Truck and service vehicles are required to meet different regulations monitored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Though the glass used in these vehicles must meet FMVSS 205 for the manufacturing of safety glass, they do not have the requirements for glass retention, airbag deployment, or roof crush that passenger vehicles require. So, this means that we are to follow the directives in our ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard in respect with passenger vehicles only.

Now don’t get me wrong, we still have the responsibility to install all glass safely. However, we have to recognize that larger service vehicles do not have the safety issues that smaller, passenger vehicles have. Plus, the larger vehicles are working vehicles that usually need to be put in service sooner rather than later. Because of this, many times, immediate use (like gasket mounted glass parts) is built into the design of the vehicle.

What is a classic or antique automobile?

The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 30 and 49 years old to be a classic, while cars between 50 and 99 fall into a pre-antique class. Cars that are 100 years and older fall into the antique class. While the Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as 25 years or older. A classic is defined as 20–49 years old.

As you can see, there is no definitive definition of these types of automobiles, so I use the license plate definition of classic or antique. All states have licensing of special older vehicles, but the criterion used to designate one from another is different from state to state. The key point is the mileage restrictions.

Older vehicles exist because either they were well taken care of or they are vintage collectable vehicles. Antique or classic vehicles are usually pampered and driven few miles because the owner wants to enjoy the era that the vehicle represents. Or it is kept for investment purposes. Either way it is usually tagged with a special license plate that has a wide range of restrictions that limits its use and miles driven. These specially licensed vehicles are exempted from our ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard.

However, if the older vehicle just happens to be well taken care of, is licensed for the roadway like any other vehicle, is under 10,000 lbs. GVW and utilizes a gasket for its glass mounting, then the ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard applies and the glass installation must meet the standard as written.

Simply put, vehicles that have gasket set stationary glass and are licensed for the roadway as unrestricted must follow the Standard. Those that are specially licensed do not apply.