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09-16-2017, 10:55 AM
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#1
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1 Rivet Member
1996 28' Excella
Churchville
, New York
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 7
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Window glass replacement re: holes for hardware
So our 1996 28ft Excella wide body got a shattered back window while setting up camp. Luckily hubby still had his sunglasses on!! What a shattered, splattered mess.
We are looking for replacement glass options. I see some have gone to a glass shop and ordered. My question is - what about drilling holes for the hardware fasteners? We have all the hardware and were thinking we could unscrew all and then put in a new sheet of glassware ---- not an easy find! I did see the window offered at Silver Trailer Supply and all the fasteners are on it. So how do we get it on the frame?
Any suggestions? (Whole new window was recommended by the dealer at nearly 900 cost!!! not gonna happen.)
know of any how to videos??
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09-17-2017, 07:11 AM
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#2
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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Hello, I have a similar problem, and at this moment I'm about to address it. There's a thread further down about replacing a side window that a thief broke out.
Most respondents are in favor of buying a new window and replacing it, which will cost about $250 if I do it myself. But I happen to have 6mm Makrolon (polycarbonate) that is intended for glazing (available through Home Depot). It has UV stablilizers and meets specifications for high winds. So I'm going to make a window from it. There are different formulations of it that may be better with respect to abrasion, but I'll use what i have for now. Since the galley window is the same size as the one I need to make, I am making a pattern from it. I was thinking that I might need to heat-form it to the curve, but I think the material will flex enough as is.
The material will cut with ordinary woodworking tools. If you're interested, I'll make a tutorial of some sort for the procedures.
Incidentally, I understand that breakage often occurs when raising a window using only one lift arm, and/or the glass is adhered to the rubber seal. If the trailer hasn't been used for a while, it would be a good idea to slip a credit card in between the glass and rubber seal and go around the perimeter before attempting to open the window.
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09-17-2017, 07:27 AM
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#3
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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Hmm, I just went outside and looked at the back window of my 95 28' Excella 1000. The glass is flat, which makes things much easier for you. When I get a some time today or tomorrow, I'll get some precise measurements for you - dimensions and the hole locations, and possibly the radius of the corners. I don't know if it's a widebody, but you can get the dimensions by measuring the distances from the outer edges of the rubber seal.
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09-17-2017, 01:23 PM
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#4
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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The polycarbonat window has been cut, fitted, and installed temporarily, because I need to buy new longer stainless steel nuts & bolts. The window was mostly fabricated from the Makrolon polycarbonate using only hand tools to size it and cut the corners - a Japanese handsaw, a coping saw (14 tpi blade), and a file to smooth the corners. It was necessary to use an electric router to cut a rabbet on the top edge where the hinge plate fits because the glass window was thinner than the plastic material.
I need to do some other work today, but I'll post pictures for you if you like.
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09-18-2017, 08:29 AM
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#5
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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A pic, with new nuts & bolts and black screw caps. It appears that all the windows have the same corner radius. I traced a pattern around the other side window so it wasn't necessary to determine it graphically, but I guesstimate that it's a 3.5" radius. The traced pattern matched the back window perfectly.
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09-18-2017, 12:26 PM
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#6
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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09-18-2017, 01:18 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2005 25' International CCD
Fleetwood
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 687
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When I stood on step stool under an open side window it exploded in a shower of particles and chunks. Sounded like a gunshot, made a mess inside and outside the trailer. We ordered replacement through nearest dealer and had them install it. Afterward we realized two things: we didn't need to rush order it because we could have put a piece of plexi or 2ply cardboard in, and we could have installed it ourselves. The dealer did a good job and nine years later it's just fine still.
Our windows are pretty dark-tinted and I think we could find close enough match in lexan or plexiglas. The glass is probably harder so more scratch resistant, but quite a bit more expensive too.
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09-19-2017, 12:43 PM
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#8
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4 Rivet Member
1995 30' Excella
Harper Woods
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 314
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DreamStreamr
When I stood on step stool under an open side window it exploded in a shower of particles and chunks....
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The more I read about these tempered glass windows breaking, then the more that I think I don't like them - they could be quite hazardous to the eyes. I have a mind to make templates and measurements of all of the windows and save them for future reference to make them from polycarbonate. If I had the CAD skills, I'd save them as digitalized files for printing out precise paper templates at a commercial print/copy service.
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