Does anyone have experience modifying the rear escape window to open from inside 19'

[pkm123]

In a previous post that I cannot locate, one of the forum members gave detailed instructions on modifying the window with parts from airstream that he ordered from the factory parts dept. Also how to remove the inside window frame and screen to make the modification to the frame. I have searched, but can't locate the post. I am interested in doing this rear window upgrade and would like to order the lifting arm and parts to do this modification on my 2007 AS Bambi 19'. It appears that the street side part of the window frame is buried under the bathroom exterior wall next to the corner bed. I wonder if there are screws under the paneling on the window frame that can't be accessed? If anyone finds out where to order the parts and has experience with installation instructions, I would love to hear from them
Thanks,
Ken

[kd7trx]

I tried, but abandoned the idea, so have a couple lengths of 1/4" dowel and just prop it open on warm nights.
I ordered all the parts, and the first screen that came in was about the correct height, but was about 1/2" too narrow. The dealer ordered another screen, and it was just about the correct width, but about a 1/2" too short in height. How Airstream makes these trailers I'll never figure out. You'd think you could stack a couple dozen screens on top of each other, and they'd all be identical. They must make the outer frame and inside screen together, and tag them as a matched set.
With the slightly shorter dimension, there was no way to cover all of the holes in the aluminum inner skin from the original screen. I suppose you might be able to machine the slot in the screen frame, but I didn't want to take the chance of ruining it.
There are screws for the screen just out of reach behind the shower wall, and I didn't have much difficulty reaching them when I loosened all the fasteners I could locate. When I abandoned the project years ago, I didn't loosen everything and put those screws back in, and everything' s fine after many thousands of miles towing since.


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[pkm123]

Thanks for your reply. My screen and inside aluminum trim piece appear to be all one piece with the screen easily removed by pulling on the cord that holds it into the trim for easy escape thru the window. Upon closer inspection I see no screws in the trim behind the shower wall paneling. It appears that by removing the screws that hold the aluminum trim piece and screen from the interior skin, I would have access to the window casing to attach the lifting arm bracket. I would need a sheet metal worker to route out the vertical slot in the curb side aluminum window trim for the lifting arm to move in. If the screen were damaged it could be replaced I think by a glass shop. It is fabric screening. It appears simple enough but I might be missing something. Would have to order the lifting arm and bracket from AS. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Ken

[OTRA15]

The 20-footer thread has a number of posts on this, Ken.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f516...rs-127845.html

If you start reading at Post #1327, the next month has other posts of interest. There are some earlier posts too, as I recall, and, once on that thread, you can "Search This Thread" for "rear window" to locate them hopefully.

I just asked subfan1 if he had the mod done as mentioned in his 10/13/16 post.

A private AS shop we use has indicated that AS would not sell him the parts for this modification, as our "fire escape" window has to stay that way, in the company's eyes, and supplying the part would violate their duty to provide a fire escape.

Good luck.

Peter

PS -- How are those 16" wheels and tires working out?

[kd7trx]

When I used the "screen" term, I was referring to the screen and frame assembly. When I ordered my parts through the dealer, I figured it would be easier to buy that assembly with the slot already there from the factory than get it machined in locally.
It will be easy to get the lifting parts through your local dealer, and installation will be pretty simple. The only issue I ran into was the slightly different dimensions for that frame/screen they sent me twice. I became frustrated, returned everything to the dealer, and abandoned the idea.
Update us when you finish the project. Maybe it will inspire me to give it another go.


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[jtwind]

I checked into that on my 19' would be nice. But it just wasn't easy and required lots of expensive parts. I just settled for a little custom prop that I put in from the outside. All after carefully determining how far the window would open with out dropping out. I remembered a trip to the Black Hills and there was a young couple in the campground with a brand new 19c with plastic taped over that rear window, seems there kids had opened it and the glass dropped to the ground and shattered first night out!

[sallye]

Is your concern with just being able to open the window from the inside?

BTW, our fire escape window is in the dining area, and the rear window over the sink is way too small to escape through, to say nothing of having to climb over the sink and faucet. (We have a 2014 20' AS)

Anyway, I find those windows difficult to open from the inside whether or not they have those "opening handles." But I did discover one day that you can push them out from the inside by pushing a small diameter metal rod through one of the holes in the screen. (My test of this was using the probe from my instant read thermometer!) The glass in those windows "feels" like tempered glass to me - I'm a glass artist and can usually tell the difference just by feeling. If you have ever tried to break tempered glass you will know it's not easy, so if you just push slowly and without impact your chances of breaking the window are small. This is especially true if you push with two rods at once or push in the middle.

This gives me an idea - I'm thinking that I could make a "pusher" board for that rear window by installing two (or more) metal rods perpendicularly into a piece of wood. The rods would be gently pushed through screen holes to open the window and then the wood would sit behind those little latch handles when in the upright position to hold the window open.

My 20' is currently under snow, so I can't try this until spring! If you try, it let me know. As I said, this idea is untried so you are on your own!

[MelGoddard]

Like almost everyone else here, I have had trouble opening the windows from the inside due to sticking seals. And I wondered many times; "Why the heck didn't AS provide inside pushers to solve an age old problem?"�� So....
I made my own; using one or two 4"×3/16"D. Button headed bolts with smooth shanks to 1/2" long threads.
I drilled one or two (as req'd.) holes in the lower frames, using a 1/4" spring, with 1/8" U.S.S. washers on each end of the spring, from the inside, pushed the bolts through the holes.
On each end I installed a rubber cap, to protect the glass.
(If I knew how to do it, I would enclose a photo or two.)
The Bill of Materials would be:
-Bolts: 3/16D×4"L. NO THREADS ON SHANK, SAVE FOR THE LAST BIT.
-Springs: 1/4" I.D 1-1/4" long approx.
-Washers: 1/8" U.S.S. to use at spring ends.
-Rubber knobs, push on bolt ends.
-3/16" drill bit.
Qty's as req'd.
Push gently to unstick window.
It works great!��

Trailer Trash........."

[jtwind]

Thinking about the idea of making the rear window in my 19' operable from the inside. At present I unlatch it and then go out and prop it open with a little prop I leave there. I think the easiest and cheapest thing would still use the prop but I might make a leather or other webbing grommeted opening in the screen that has a little mosquito net flap maybe velcroed. Just 5x3" or something like that where I can reach through and push open and prop the window.

[OTRA15]

If you use the windows regularly, and apply 303 Protectant to the rubber weatherstripping, there should be no need for a mechanical device to pop the window open. These wipes are a handy way to use 303, but it comes in spray bottles also:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0185PU4C0?psc=1

There are old threads here with an existing commercial window "popper" mentioned, as well as general threads on the sticking issue:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f454...et-132014.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f454...ws-160992.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...bi-141564.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f454...al-154142.html

[pkm123]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on solving the problem of opening the rear escape window from the inside or outside for that matter. It never ceases to amaze me how resourceful airstream owners are in coming up with ideas to resolve problems. This forum contains a wealth of information and ingenuity supplied by fellow Airstreamers. Keep the ideas coming. It seems that if the window seal was lubricated occasionally, one lifting arm and bracket should work.
Ken

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by MelGoddard

Like almost everyone else here, I have had trouble opening the windows from the inside due to sticking seals. And I wondered many times; "Why the heck didn't AS provide inside pushers to solve an age old problem?"�� So....
I made my own; using one or two 4"×3/16"D. Button headed bolts with smooth shanks to 1/2" long threads.
I drilled one or two (as req'd.) holes in the lower frames, using a 1/4" spring, with 1/8" U.S.S. washers on each end of the spring, from the inside, pushed the bolts through the holes.
On each end I installed a rubber cap, to protect the glass.
(If I knew how to do it, I would enclose a photo or two.)
The Bill of Materials would be:
-Bolts: 3/16D×4"L. NO THREADS ON SHANK, SAVE FOR THE LAST BIT.
-Springs: 1/4" I.D 1-1/4" long approx.
-Washers: 1/8" U.S.S. to use at spring ends.
-Rubber knobs, push on bolt ends.
-3/16" drill bit.
Qty's as req'd.
Push gently to unstick window.
It works great!��

Trailer Trash........."

Later on, reading some posts below; I see that quite a few others have had similar ideas to solve this problem. There's even a commercial version, similar to mine, called "Window Poppers"!
Seems that 'great minds' think alike, eh!😃
Gawd! This site is a 'gold mine' of information.😄

[pkm123]

The window popper is a great idea and I am thinking about that as a solution for the rear window, but the problem remains as how to secure it in an open position without having to go outside to prop it open. Could the popper be notched or modified to have a latching mechanism? A question for you amateur mechanical engineers out there? The popper would have to be a little longer I would think.
Ken

[pkm123]

I finally completed the modification to add a lifting arm and bracket to the rear escape window. I ordered the parts from Airstream Supply and Colonial Airstream. Colonial has all the parts and at a fair price. You need one pivot bracket that attaches to the glass using the pre exsisting thru the glass bolts. This piece fits left or right side. 2. Looking from inside out you need the left lifting arm and bolt. 3. Left lifting arm 3 position bracket. Both side specific. 4. Lifting arm knob. And 5. One piece of the insect guard. Total cost of the parts approx. $25.00 plus shipping.

We removed the screen which is released by removing 6 screws. ( there are no screws in the right side of the screen frame which is hidden behind the wood paneling.) Using the curb side window as a guide of where the slot in the window frame and screen should be cut, we measured the length of the opening and marked it on the removed screen. We also used the distance between the 2 left side screen mounting screws as a guide and centered the slot between these 2 screw holes. Next we drilled a 1/4" hole at one end of the slot that we were going to cut in the screen frame. Using a straight edge clamped to the screen we used a wood router with a new 1/4" router bit. We cut the slot being careful to keep the router level and vertical. (A wood router bit cuts aluminum easily and neatly.)

Next we put the screen temporarily back into place and used a piece of tape to mark the left outside edge of the screen so we had a reference point to measure where the slot need to be routed out of the window frame to match the slot in the screen. The screen was removed and a straight edge was then clamped in place from the inside to the window frame and a 1/4" slot was cut in the frame using the router from the inside. We used painters tape to protect the surface of the inside aluminum skin.

At this point we attached the lifting arm to the triangular shaped glass bracket using the small bolt and threaded the arm thru the precut slots. This then gave a reference as to where the lifting arm 3 position bracket needed to be placed
to allow all the positions to function properly. After establishing the correct placement. We attached the black 3 position bracket to the window frame with 3 stainless steel metal screws. (AS uses rivets). Some minor additional filing of the slot with a round file was used to allow the lifting arm to raise and lower without binding. The final step was to glue 1 piece of insect guard to each side of the slot on the underside of the screen. ( The insect guard is a flat piece of fabric with 3 white threads running the length of the cord. You pull one of the outside threads and it unravels leaving a brush edge. Took a while to figure that out with no instruction.) cut the cord in 1/2 and use the 2nd half to glue to the other side of the slot using super glue gel. When you look at the curb side window it is apparent on how the insect guard works. The screen was then reattached. The screen covers the slot in the window frame and covers up minor flaws in the router cut. The screen slot needs to be precise so it looks professional.

So that's it. I had a friend who is a metal worker help me with the router work and measurements. Cost $125.00 and took about 3 hours because we had to figure it out as we went. Sounds complicated but is very doable. I will post some pictures of the process from start to finish if anyone is interested in giving it a try.

The window does not fall out when fully open and opens easily from the inside with one lifting arm. The glass is not to heavy on my 2007 Bambi. Works great and provide great ventilation in the poorly ventilated bedroom.