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pinkflamingoes · 12-09-2005, 02:46 PM

This window is truly cursed.

I just posted a "help" message and got a 404-not found.

Now I have to type it all over again.

I am having a heck of a time putting in a front window. Lost the original corning on the way home from picking up the trailer. I won't even go into the gasket adventures. No trouble putting the gasket on the entire rest of the windows, however.

Removed old glass. Took off glass bar. Cleaned out old glass and sealant. Got Lexan replacement.

Old screws don't fit glass bar, it's stripped out. Got a self-tapping sheet metal screw and made new threads, screws now fit.

Here's the rub: Do I put the glass bar back on before putting the window pane into sealant-filled slot, or not?

Any help. At all. Would help.

BIGED52 · 12-09-2005, 10:49 PM

Ingrid, I Decided To Replace Mine With Glass From Airstream Dreams (now Vintage Trailer Supply). But Regardless You Should Use Bedding Tape From A Local Glass Shop On The Top Edge Of Your Window, And Then Re-install The Glass Clamp And Screws. That Way You Won't Have To Worry With The Mess Of Silicone That Makes It Harder To Remove Down The Road When You My Decide To Replace It With Real Glass. Hope This Helps....ed

TomW · 12-10-2005, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkflamingoes

... Here's the rub: Do I put the glass bar back on before putting the window pane into sealant-filled slot, or not? ...

It sounds like you have Type 2 windows. Your Lexan replacement should be set into the glass bar with RTV, and the RTV allowed to cure, before reinstalling the assembly into the hinge.

Tom

pinkflamingoes · 12-11-2005, 11:38 PM

I never thought to do it that way. I kept thinking either the glass bar goes on first then the window goes in, or the glass bar AND window go in together.

I shall give it a try. Thanks so much.

Another question: The bedding tape goes against the glass bar when assembling it onto the pane? Sorry if this is splitting hairs, but I really want to be done with this window.

eljay · 12-12-2005, 06:03 AM

You can do it! I know you can! (I'm still learning from your experiences

)

BIGED52 · 12-13-2005, 11:38 PM

Ingrid, The Tape Goes Over The Top Of The Glass Or Plexi From Left To Right From Edge To Edge An Equal Amount On Both Sides. Then Install The Clamp With The Window Installed As Far Up Into The Hinge Side As It Will Go. Tighten The Screws Holding The Clamp To The Hinge...[this Is Best Done With Two People, One To Hold The Glass In Place The Other Tightening The Clamp Screws]. Then You Can Trim Off The Excess Tape Along The Outside And Inside Edge Of The Clamp/hinge. Mine Came Out Looking Very Nice. Once You Are Sure You Have It All Tightened Down Snug Check The Window For Security In The Clamp/hinge By Trying To Work It Down Out Of The Clamp. If It Is Right It Will Not Slide Out Or Move At All For That Matter And You Will Be Done. I Believe You Have The Type 3 Window Clamp That Unscrews From The Inside Of The Trailer While The Outside (hinge Side) Stays Attached In The Window Frame As Mine Do. However, There Are Good Instructions For All Three Window Types Installation On Vintage Trailer Supply Website Under The Windows Tab For The '66,'67, And '68 Model Years Replacement Windows That Steve Sells. Those Are The Replacement Windows I Bought And As I Remember So Did Diane. Hope This Helps. You Can Pm Me If You Need Any Specifics. Good Luck....Ed

pinkflamingoes · 12-17-2005, 01:53 PM

Yes I do have Type 3 windows, Big Ed...

but the other posts I'm reading say I should attach the glass bar to the window first, with adhesive, *then* put in the window?

I have a fresh, warm apple pie with homemade crust and a gallon of French Vanilla ice cream for anyone who comes to my house and helps me with this.

BIGED52 · 12-17-2005, 02:25 PM

Ingrid, Throw away the silicone tube and use the bedding tape!......MUCH neater finished look when you are done. no real mess to clean up later! I would take you up on the pie-ala-mode if I lived closer. However, since I'm here in the frozen Midwest....[Illinois and Iowa border at the Mississippi river] I guess I'll have to pass for now! GOOD LUCK! Let us know how it comes out> Ed

pinkflamingoes · 01-02-2006, 01:03 AM

I fold the bedding tape over the top edge of the windowpane, so that it forms a "clamp" of sorts for the pane to fit into and then into the assembly?

Please don't flame me. I'm feeling very frustrated and sensitive about this window. I didn't have the luxury of seeing how the original one came out because it shattered on the trip home...

Plus I have a bit of a hangover.

BIGED52 · 01-02-2006, 12:36 PM

INGRID, Follow-up to my PM, SORRY ABOUT THE HANGOVER! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to shout...LOL

I hope you made out okay on the window install. The purpose of rolling the bedding tape over the top edge of the glass is to help seal out moisture, that could cause the tape to fail and the glass to fall out in the future. We want it to stay as dry as possible inside the clamp/hinge assembly. Especially between the tape and the glass! The other area of concern is to get a good seal between the window seal around the window frame and the glass. Once the install is done check this to make sure you have a good seal and no water can get in around the edges. Last, check the seal at the top of the hinge to make sure no water can leak in there. You may also want to place some silicone sealant at the top edge of the hinge to aid in sealing out all the water/moisture penetration possibilities around the hinge. You can read up on this in the install instructions for the replacement glass from Vintage Trailer Supply on their web site. Let me know if this helps... Ed

pinkflamingoes · 01-02-2006, 02:03 PM

Thanks Big Ed!!

It's raining cats and dogs here right now, you might have heard of some Northern CA "weather" which is tame compared to other states but our resources aren't prepared for it, so we get flooding and mudslides. When things dry up a bit I'll go back out and try again. I have renewed hope now that I have a new method and the bedding tape makes sense.

Yesterday I came very close to resorting to the Hair Of The Dog hangover "cure" but thought better of it. Watched TV marathons in our pajamas and I cleaned the window of dried silicone with a razor blade. I just ate potato chips dipped in sour cream instead. By the way: yes it was worth it!

OK then. This thread gets printed and I take a deep breath, wait for the flooding to recede and go out next time I can rely on dry weather.

My street flooding:

till · 01-02-2006, 05:19 PM

Ingrid,

I'm sorry that you are have such problems. Hope that the water stays in the street and out of you r basment.

BIGED52 · 01-02-2006, 05:41 PM

Ingrid, I know it's bad weather there from what we see on the national news. I also have heard that a long bearded man was spotted loading animals two by two into your Airstream! I guess this means you have the leaks pretty much under control!!! LOL. Keep your feet dry and good luck, and let me hear how you do on it once the weather cooperates! Ed

pinkflamingoes · 01-02-2006, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by till

Ingrid,
I'm sorry that you are have such problems. Hope that the water stays in the street and out of you r basment.

Thanks both!

We have no basement, but a three-foot crawl space and a substantial sump pump. The going wisdom in our mostly-landfill town is "don't put in a basement". We are at sea level, and our street happens to have a spring underground nearby. Still, neighbors down the street are re-doing their brick foundation (for those of you who don't live in California, there's a slight earthquake problem with that) and also "finishing" basement. Bad idea. We had a horrible rain two weeks ago, and the cement hadn't been poured yet for the new basement. Those contractors, whom I shall never hire, were pumping out water from down there and working their butts off in the pouring rain, shoveling out muck for two days. Friends of mine also finished her basement; put in living space with hardwood floors and expensive TV's, artwork...they have high-end drainage and pump systems installed, but still lose sleep when it rains and have to go downstairs to ease their minds.

If we do decide to expand our little shack...we build UP. Even if everything went perfectly for the next 100 years in our finished basement, the lost sleep is not worth it to me.

My airstream is my FEMA right now. It will be in better condition before FEMA is!

Have a wonderful New Year. Someday I'm going to have a Northern California "Everyone Who's Ever Helped Pnkflamingoes" rally, California wine, tour of Alcatraz, the works.

moogie32 · 01-02-2006, 10:09 PM

Hi there Ingrid! Sorry to hear about your front window blues...tell ya what, though - I'm coming out to visit my sister in Alamo next summer - if you're still having problems I'll come on over and give you a hand with both your Tradewind and that pie ala mode. How's that hangover doing? I'd add a smile here but for some reason I can't do smilies or give people karma. Keep up the good work! Diane

pinkflamingoes · 01-07-2006, 02:34 PM

OK, I visited the local glass shop and they don't carry 3" bedding tape. They'll have to special order it. Does anyone have access to some you can send me, since I'd have to special order it anyway? I'll pay you up front for the tape and shipping. Sometimes I find it's easier to find things here than to go through the process myself, since they just might end up giving me the wrong tape.

cursed, I tell ya. Cursed.

ingrid

pinkflamingoes · 01-07-2006, 02:35 PM

Moogie I like the new Avatar!

BIGED52 · 01-07-2006, 07:52 PM

Ingrid, I will go get you some Monday from my local glass shop. It's only about 4 miles from me, if you want me to. I will need you to PM me your address and also how many inches / feet you want. Let me know and I'll go over there early Monday A.M. I can send it either UPS or USPS your choice as I live less than a mile from both, and you should have it there by next weekend.....

...Ed

pinkflamingoes · 01-08-2006, 08:21 PM

BigEd, Check your PM's!

As I was cleaning the last of the window tint residue from a side window, the pane came out in my hand. It did not break. Whew! Now I can see how the whole thing is supposed to go back on and how the bedding tape goes on the windowpane. If you don't mind, 8 feet would be great. I did successfully remove the window tint from all windows, it's surprisingly light inside now. I also put on one more window gasket in the back. I am going to go around and pull on the other windows, if they come out they come out if they don't they stay. But I did get something done today!

BIGED52 · 01-08-2006, 09:07 PM

Ingrid,
If any window fell out while I was cleaning it, I would re-do the bedding tape on all of them! As we have discussed before the thing that most affects the ability of the bedding tape to hold these windows securely in the hinge/clamp is correct application of the tape, and moisture penetrating into and between the tape and glass.
However, there is one other thing that comes into play here, and that is time. After a period of time the ability of the bedding tape to grip onto the window, as well as the hinge/clamp, is adversely affected by time, the elements and the negative effects, (UV Damage), of the Sun.
If you add into the mix the way the trailer flexes and vibrates when on the road you can begin to see why these trailers lose windows for no apparent reason. The windows should be checked annually as to whether or not they are still firmly installed in the hinge/clamp. Just another thing to add to your annual maintenance checklist, but considering the cost of replacement glass, I think it is a reasonable thing to do.
It will help to keep the bedding tape "Alive" longer if once or twice a year the egde of the tape at the bottom of the hinge (outside) and (inside) at the bottom of the clamp is treated with some silicone lubricant. you can do this as you would to your window and door seals. Apply a small amount of silicone lubricant on a clean cloth along the edge of the tape then allow a few minutes to "soak in" then clean excess off windows with windex.
Hope this helps...look for your mail toward the end of the week...Ed