Vistaviews - Interior Acrylic Pane refinish/polish

[raphspeaks]

Hey Fellow Forumers!

I have a 75 excella 500 31'. I've removed all of the vistaview windows. I have the snap ring version.

I'm noticing some significant haze on the interior panes. I believe they are acrylic. Does anyone have any ideas on how to best polish or refinish these interior windows?

In addition - on the flip side of that question.

1. Does it make sense to even use the interior pane?
2. Can I still use the snap ring to secure the exterior vistaview window?
3. Does anyone have a alternative solution for securing the exterior vistaview window without the snap ring?

Thanks for your help!

[raphspeaks]

Ok, I'm considering leaving the acrylic (2nd pane) of the vistaview out, but does anyone have a solution for taking up the extra space between the. Tempered glass to the snap ring? I'll have to find a way to make up for the difference to keep seal preasure against thr outside window. Any suggestions?

[Al Boondy]

I made single pane windows out of all my stack and vista views using some 5/8" square foam from local glass shop. It took just over 6' per window if memory serves me correctly. Worked great.

[raphspeaks]

Interesting! Do you have a pic that i can take a look at?

[raphspeaks]

That actually sounds very promising. The acrylic windows look like crap!!

[Al Boondy]

I ran a small bead of silicone on frame then held window in place with small blocks of the foam. I put the continuous piece of foam after window was set. Soapy water helps if tight.
Then I masked off the outside and used polyurethane.

[romeb]

We use lexan windshields for stock car racing and they do require special cleaners. Try cmwraceparts.com and search for Longacre plastic cleaner. They have several variations available.

[Amybeth]

Honestly, redoing the Vista view windows was the hardest part of the renovation on my ambassador. My husband finally felt sorry for me and went to Tap Plastics and had them recut out of new UV protective plastic. It was still a hard job though. My only advice is do not use silicone. I used Vulkum in grey (available at Home Depot) it's flexible and watertight.
I understand the sentiment of just getting rid of the double pane, but I wanted the extra insulation.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by Amybeth

Honestly, redoing the Vista view windows was the hardest part of the renovation on my ambassador.

We actually looked for a trailer with Vista view windows when we bought our '74 Sovereign. With the amount of work it's taken to reseal them and now trying to figure out a more attractive way to trim them I wish we'd looked for a trailer without Vista Views. In my opinion they're not worth the bother.

[Tim A.]

Novus Plastic Polish (put into "Search" in Amazon) works very well on acrylic (plexiglass) and other plastics. It comes in 3 grades, but number 2 is what many use the most.

Tim

[raphspeaks]

Thanks Tim, I'll check it out.

[03enduro]

I know this is an old thread, but to anyone looking for advice, don’t bother trying to get the etching out of the acrylic interior pane. I sanded to 3000 grit, polished with baking soda/water and after about 3 hours, threw up my arms and gave up. After visiting a local plastic shop and ordering 2 new panes I asked about my technique and reasons for my abject failure. “Once that is etched in like that you can never buff it out.” Wish I would have read that somewhere on here. 2 40” vista/stack panes cost me $70 CAD. Should have done all 4 but the smaller ones weren’t as bad and I already had the tint on an installed.