Rear window replacement...please help!

[Mark&Bet]

Our rear window in our 1970 Overlander was shattered by a vandal So we are needing to replace it. Is it possible to take it to any glass cutter to get it fixed or am i going to have to get a whole new one online somewhere? And if i do need to get one online, any suggestions on where to get it?? Thank you for any suggestions!

[Pschoerrn]

Hi Mark And Bet,

what a pitty! Damn Vandals!! As the Front and the Rear Windows are flat and not like the side windows curved, it should be possible to replace the glas in a glas shop. Just ask them...
If it isn't possible you can probably find a replacement at the salvage like CherokeeRV or you could call Andi at InlandRV if he has one...

Good luck!


Bjoern

[CanoeStream]

Hello Mark&Bet -- Welcome to the Forums! Finding the broken window had to be a low point in your day. Ouch!

A good glass shop should measure up your job and order a piece of tempered glass for you. I sure wouldn't want regular glass on an Airstream and most shops I know wouldn't sell to you for this application unless it were tempered.

[Mark&Bet]

Thanks for the suggestions...Yeah, i looked at the frame that goes around the glass and I am not for sure if a piece of fabricated glass could be installed in there. It almost seems as though the frame was built around the glass, if thats possible. So I called up Cherokee.com and I will see what they quote me. They are going to give me a call back with whether they have one or not. Hopefully they can sell me just the part I need, which is just the glass and the frame around it... not the whole thing.

[dwightdi]

Early Airstreams did not use tempered glass. In the rear window application, it is not likely it would be broken on the road. Our '63 rear window got broken while parked and it was not tempered. You can tell if it is tempered by how it breaks if it shatters in lots of little pieces (tempered) or just breaks (untempered). If it was untempered, I would replace it with untempered. We put double strength conventional glass in ours 19 years ago and have not had problems with it. Lots cheaper.

[Mark&Bet]

Did you just go to a glass shop that did custom work to get it done? Our glass shattered into basically a pile of dust! That much of a mess. I thought that meant that is was untempered hmmm.

[Mark&Bet]

Opps, thats what you said....that if it was untempered it would break into a bunch of pieces. I thought that tempered was the better glass to have....is it not? We did call up a glass shop and they suggested a piece of plexy glass that is frosted with it being such a big piece of glass. Is that what we want?

[codybear]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

Early Airstreams did not use tempered glass. In the rear window application, it is not likely it would be broken on the road. Our '63 rear window got broken while parked and it was not tempered. You can tell if it is tempered by how it breaks if it shatters in lots of little pieces (tempered) or just breaks (untempered). If it was untempered, I would replace it with untempered. We put double strength conventional glass in ours 19 years ago and have not had problems with it. Lots cheaper.

Hi dwightdi and Mark&Bet,

About 18 years ago, while backing our 64 Safari into our space, my husband bumped hard into our small Smoke tree..the back window broke in bits and pieces..he just took out the frame, took it over to our neighborhood glass shop; they put a new untempered pane (non double strength) one back in, and it's been all over the states with no problems..

[dwightdi]

Mark,
If it broke into a pile of dust it was tempered glass. UNtempered would have broke into shatter shards of glass of larger size and would have sharp pointy things which people do not like in doors. The window should be replaced with tempered glass of equal thickness. In 19 years I have not had problems with my untempered replacement but someday I might.

[Mark&Bet]

Well....we took it down to the glass shop and they recommended that instead of having a piece of glass put in there that it would probably be better to have a piece of frosted plexy glass put in. They said that it would last longer and be less likely to crack with it being such a large piece of flat glass. It turned out great and for $125 is less than we thought it was going to be. Thanks for everyones input!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Mark&Bet

Well....we took it down to the glass shop and they recommended that instead of having a piece of glass put in there that it would probably be better to have a piece of frosted plexy glass put in. They said that it would last longer and be less likely to crack with it being such a large piece of flat glass. It turned out great and for $125 is less than we thought it was going to be. Thanks for everyones input!

In my experience ........

Plexiglass "will not" hold up to sun light. It usually cracks in 60 to 90 days.

Also, taking a window apart that is many years old, creates four problems.

1. It's near impossible to put the hinge back on correctly.

2. The glass beading is old and cracked and will leak.

3. The glass frame has lost some of it's rigidity.

4. The gasket must be replaced, with the correct gasket and adhesive. That gasket is an Airstream exclusive.

Andy

[Sregon]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

In my experience ........

Plexiglass "will not" hold up to sun light. It usually cracks in 60 to 90 days.

Also, taking a window apart that is many years old, creates four problems.

1. It's near impossible to put the hinge back on correctly.

2. The glass beading is old and cracked and will leak.

3. The glass frame has lost some of it's rigidity.

4. The gasket must be replaced, with the correct gasket and adhesive. That gasket is an Airstream exclusive.

Andy

I am getting ready to order replacement window gasket from Inland RV for my 1967 Overlander. The PO must have replaced the window gaskets previously, as the current window gasket looks like the product that Inland RV sells for the screen door and not the product recommended for 1967 windows. There have been problems with leaking at the windows. I will also replace two windows over the twin beds that the PO replaced with plexiglass.

My question is how do you go about replacing the gaskets? My windows only crank open an inch or two. Do the windows have to be taken out to get to the gaskets? This is not a problem with the two windows that I am replacing, but what about the others? Is there a way to release the windows so they can swing open enought to remove and replace the window gasket?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Sregon

My question is how do you go about replacing the gaskets? My windows only crank open an inch or two. Do the windows have to be taken out to get to the gaskets? This is not a problem with the two windows that I am replacing, but what about the others? Is there a way to release the windows so they can swing open enought to remove and replace the window gasket?

The windows must be raised as high as possible. Scrape off the old gasket. Remove any remaining old adhesive with lacquer thinner. Apply adhesive to the window frame and then to the back side of the gasket. When that is dry to the touch, about 5 to 10 minutes, install the gasket. Start as high as you can on one side, accross the bottom and up as high as possible on the other side. DO NOT cut the bottom corners. DO NOT stretch the gasket. Simply make a 90 degree bend as best you can. Pat the gasket down to assure that it has bonded correctly. Then close the window on the new gasket for a couple of days or so. Then open the window, and flood the gasket with "silicone spray". Again close the window. After a few more days, open the window and wipe off the excess silicone. The task is now complete.

If your windows only open an inch or two, you have the wrong window operators or the correct operators were improperly installed. Each window should open about 75 to 80 degrees. This applies to all 66, 67 and 68 trailers.

Andy

[Alumin8]

Wow Andy. So generous with your knowledge and clear with the explanation. Thank you.

Joe

[dwightdi]

True Plexiglas is a tradmark from Rohm and Haas. It has been used for years in green houses and has excellent UV resistance. Some people sell Polystyrene and mistakenly call it Plexiglass. It will not hold up to UV. It will turn yellow and is quite brittle. Some people are selling rigid PVC and mislabeling it. It also has poor UV resistance and will turn brown. Aftrer it starts to turn brown it is very brittle. Lexan is a GE trade name for plycarbonate. There is a special grade for outdoor exposure and is quite good and far more impact resistant than any other material. All plastics are lighter than glass and you will find they open differently. They are also less rigid and therefore the window will bend more. They are also less scratch resistant so be careful how you clean them. I do not know what Andy is refering to but it is certainly not Plexiglas.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

True Plexiglas is a tradmark from Rohm and Haas. It has been used for years in green houses and has excellent UV resistance. Some people sell Polystyrene and mistakenly call it Plexiglass. It will not hold up to UV. It will turn yellow and is quite brittle. Some people are selling rigid PVC and mislabeling it. It also has poor UV resistance and will turn brown. Aftrer it starts to turn brown it is very brittle. Lexan is a GE trade name for plycarbonate. There is a special grade for outdoor exposure and is quite good and far more impact resistant than any other material. All plastics are lighter than glass and you will find they open differently. They are also less rigid and therefore the window will bend more. They are also less scratch resistant so be careful how you clean them. I do not know what Andy is refering to but it is certainly not Plexiglas.

Plexiglass as refered to by Home Depot and Lowes, as well as many other suppliers.

Granted, it is cheap, but it does not offer any UV protection.

Accordingly, it cracks and crazes in 60 to 90, when exposed to the sun.

Through the years, I have replace several hundred "plexiglass" windows, with superior products, using the original glass, acrylite or Lexan.

Andy

Andy