Date:         Sun, 16 Jul 2000 23:56:57 EDT
Reply-To:     FrankGRUN@aol.com
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@aol.com>
Subject:      Window Trim Install - Details & MisInfo in Archives
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Just finished installing the chrome trim strips in my windows all around and
thought I share the details.

Mine looked like hell and really detracted from my otherwise fresh '82
Westfalia. You have probably all followed the thread about removing the
oxidized strips - then 1) leave em out, call it the California look! 2)
replace them or the window will fall out, 3) to replace them you must pull
out the whole window, replace the trim then replace the window and seal and
4) replace them with the window installed - use a bent paper clip  - no big
deal! In searching the archives all of the above are there along with dire
warnings.  Lots of doomsday workers on the list (sorry).  I'm here to say
that the archives are full of misinformation (sometimes termed BS). And so
begins my story.

First, the issue of obtaining the trim strips. They are in the EKTA CD and
stocked by the dealer. Price will bring you to your knees.  They are also
carried by West Coast Metric at a reasonable price. But Bus Depot had them
for half the West Coast Metric price, so I ordered them from the Depot. This
was not one of Ron's finest hours, but the 2 1/2 month wait helped me put off
the operation for three to four months. Tempus Fugit.

In the interim, I checked out the local Pick-a-Part yards which have
contributed so much to my knowledge and my Westfalia. I went up to several
Vanagons and pushed (vigorously) on windshield, rear window and side windows.
The glass withstood my efforts admirably. I then removed the trim strip and
repeated the experiment. Amazing, the windows popped out readily (pushing
from the inside). After several of these I developed a qualitative measure of
the force required to pop the windshield w/o the trim strip. The force
required to pop the window with trim strip in place was at least twice that
required to pop the de-stripped ones. This continued until I was escorted
from the yard as some kind of nut.

So, sorry,  Chris and the other purveyors of "pull 'em, leave 'em, its just
fine!" are wrong (in my opinion). The trim strip is clearly a locking strip.
Take it out and seriously compromise the safety and integrity of the Vanagon.
No comment about water leakage, but the archived suggestion of increased
leakage after removal of the strip makes sense to me.

Then on to the problem of the install. The Doomsday approach of having to
remove the window and rubber seal, pop in trim and replace the whole assembly
just made no sense to me. There is one report in the archives of making a
tool out of a paper clip which seemed reasonable but I felt there had to be a
tool. Well, there is!  The tool is manufactured by Leslie Tools as Model
Number 47000, and costs $12.95 at the local FLAPS. They probably won't have
it in stock and will have to special order it. Typically 7 days. Plenty of
time to play with it until the order from the Bus Depot arrives. BTW, amazing
that no comment about installation method or the tool comes from either WCM
or BD.

OK, tool in hand, soap and water solution spray bottle in mouth, I attacked
the Vanagon. One hour for the first one, 10 minutes for the last. The keys:

1.) Lube the channel copiously (50/50 mix of water and dishwashing soap
worked well).

2.) Guide the strip to the tool by holding down 4 to 5 inches of material
ahead of the tool with notch in groove.

3.) Use the smaller of the two tool heads provided.

4.) Relax, Mozart helps, well-placed colorful curses impede progress (Don't
ask, we're talking data here).

5.) Leave about 3 hours total for the job with cleanup (Windows in place).

6.) Leave several days if window removal is attempted, also kiss up to
neighbors before job (while waiting for delivery), in order to procure
necessary additional hands for messy job.

The results: Excellent, my friendly machine looks years younger. A quick test
shows a mileage improvement of 0.03 mpg, clearly related to better moral of
both driver and machine. Could be some reduction in drag, but I haven't had a
chance to quantify.

Negative: My 12 year old told her mother I repainted the camper! Later she
qualified her statement by saying that I had removed the brown trim.

Summary: Piece of cake. By the tool and rejuvenate your ride. Also: the
Doomsday procedure involving the removal of the windows is certainly not the
only way to make this modification. I could still be reserved for the
masochists among us.

Hope this helps someone, and my apologies for length.

Frank Grunthaner