Date: Sun, 8 Jun 1997 10:12:07 -0400
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "David I. Tanzer" <dtanzer@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: Help from Mexico!
Thanks very much for your kind help. Hopefully I won't have to take the
whole thing out, but we'll see. In any event, your instructions make
perfect sense. I have plenty of nylon parachute cord, so that ought to b=
e
suitable for this job, no? It's strong and slippery and not too thick. =
And maybe I can spray some WD-40 in the channel of the rubber seal to
lubricate this thing. That might work even better than soapy water.
On the other hand, if the window and bottom metal flange come as separate=
pieces, perhaps I will be able to set the bottom flange in place (having
first put a bead of silicone cement in it), push the window up against th=
e
weather seal in the top of the track, and then, finally, push the bottom =
of
the window over the top of this flange, letting it drop into place. I
guess I'll wait to get these parts and see what's what.
Again, thanks so much for your help. It is very comforting to be able to=
communicate with knowledgeable people such as yourself, especially since
we're so far away from home!
Regards,
David
----------
>From: Joel Walker
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 1997 3:01 PM
To: "David I. Tanzer"
Subject: Re: !Help from Mixico!
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Date: Sat, 07 Jun 97 14:15:16 CDT
>From: Joel Walker <JWALKER@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject: Re: !Help from Mixico!
To: "David I. Tanzer" <dtanzer@COMPUSERVE.COM>
In-Reply-To: <199706070913_MC2-1808-65A@compuserve.com>
X-Mailer: MailBook 95.01.263
Message-Id: <970607.150112.CDT.JWALKER@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
On Sat, 7 Jun 1997 08:18:02 -0500 you said:
>the other day. We were driving by him, as we have many times in the pas=
t=3D
>and we smiled and waved at him, as usual. He smiled and waved back, and=
>then threw a rock through the sliding glass window that's in the sliding=
nice folks, huh? :( i've heard of them doing that to clean big Winnebago=
-
type RV's. but not to vw campers. things must be getting worse down there=
=2E
:(
>down here, because Vanagons were never imported into Mexico. I'm having=
=3D
oddly enough, you MIGHT be able to get the sliding windows from a 78-79 t=
o
work. i'm NOT sure of this, but they appear to be similar. if i had to be=
t,
i'd bet the vanagon windows were a little bit taller, top to bottom. but
the mexican buses might have enlarged their windows, too. so measure the
frame and check around in the local junkyards as well.
>1. The sliding window in my sliding door had a short black metal
>flange attached to the bottom of the glass (it ran the length of the bot=
t=3D
>of the glass). This flange is pictured in figure 64-138 on pg. 64.5 of
=2E..
>Volkswagen, but was unsure if it comes with this metal flange already
>attached (it appears to have been cemented to the bottom of the glass). =
=3D
the microfiche picture shows the flange as a separate piece BUT it is
included
in the part number with the glass. that is, it appears from the picture
that
if you order the glass, you get the flange with it.
>each end of it. Are these also included with the glass and/or flange (i=
f=3D
>the flange is, indeed, a separate part)?
the little guide pieces are separately orderable, but you should be able =
to
reuse the old ones.
>2. How is the sliding glass put in? The Bentley manual doesn't say=
=2E=3D
>The manual does refer to replacing the aforementioned guide pieces on ol=
d=3D
>... Can the new glass simply be pushed into place by pushing the top=
>edge into the upper channel in the window frame and then pivoting the
>bottom up and over the lip on the bottom of the window frame? Then, of
>course, the latch would be attached through the glass.
the best way, i think, would be to remove the entire window, so you can
work
with the pieces easier. this allows you to remove the rubber seal from th=
e
frame, then split the frame (at the back end, there is a joint/seam in th=
e
middle, about halfway up, cemented together with some sort of silican
seal),
then carefully pry the frame apart enough to slip all the pieces out. i d=
id
this on my 80 bus when i wanted to tint the windows. my 88 bus appears to=
be
the same, but the joint/seam is glued (whereas on my 80 bus it was not).
> The Bentely manual refers to removing the "outer window channel
>weatherstip/seal" in order to provide enough room to replace the guide
>pieces on pre 4/85 Vanagons. Is this necessary to do in order to replac=
e=3D
>the sliding glass as well? And, if so, how is this done? Mine appears =
t=3D
>be loosely cemented (with contact cement) to the inside of the window
>frame. Is it possible to just slide this seal out along the top of the
>glass? And then will it go back in and is it then unnecessary to re-cem=
e=3D
>it with contact cement? It seems like it fits by loosely snapping into
>place and, of course, it is supported by the glass, but I'm not sure, an=
d=3D
i'm not exactly sure what you're talking about being cemented here. but
this
is the way to remove the entire thing:
- peel back the rubber gasket, on the inside of the bus, at one end or th=
e
other. doesn't really matter which end (front or rear). and push at the
frame, thumping it with a rubber hammer or the heel of your palm, working=
your way up and down the vertical part of the frame (at that end). you ar=
e
trying to break the "suction" of the rubber seal to the metal of the door=
=2E
once it "breaks" loose, it will start to come out much much easier, so yo=
u
will have to have someone on the outside to grab the window frame/gasket =
as
it slips out.
once you have loosened the vertical edge of the frame/gasket, push it som=
e
more until it is visibly loose from the door ... then start to move your
pushing horizontally, at the top and at the bottom. go slowly and be
careful
=2E.. you can cut your palm on the sharp edges of the door's metal openin=
g.
you'll have to peel the rubber gasket back a little bit sometimes and pus=
h
it through the opening a bit, but once you get the frame/gasket pushed ou=
t
for about half its length, you can just pull it out the rest of the way.
the thing that really holds the gasket in its place is the slot in the
gasket
matching the edge of the door window opening. notice which way the gasket=
is
situated as it comes out: there are more than one "slot" in the gasket, a=
nd
only the innermost one (toward the inside of the bus) matches up with the=
door opening. the others are sort of water-stoppers, and go on the outsid=
e
of
the bus.
>a recommendation as to how to do that? And then, how is it re-installed=
?=3D
putting it back is a bit more involved. :( you'll need some soapy water a=
nd
some VERY strong cord and a piece of broomstick. when the window and gask=
et
are ready to re-install, put the gasket around the window frame (you DID
make
sure the window slides and opens and all that, right??) and get it situat=
ed
correctly. now starting in the middle of the bottom edge (always worked
best
for me), put the cord into the slot in the rubber gasket (the slot that
will
match up with the door opening). you should start in the middle bottom, a=
nd
go left, up, back across to the right, down, and back to the middle. leav=
e
at least a foot or so of the cord hanging out of the rubber gasket. you a=
re
going to pull on this cord. that's where the broomstick comes in, cause t=
he
cord can really hurt your hands. tie one end of the cord to the broomstic=
k
(it's better if the broomstick has a hole drilled in the middle, so you c=
an
feed the cord through it and tie a knot in the cord ...so you can use the=
brookstick like a pull-start handle on a lawn mower).
ok. got the cord all ready. now put the soapy water on the rubber gasket'=
s
inside surfaces, and even put some in with the cord in the slot. Armorall=
=3D
will work great for this as well, but it gets a bit tooo slippery for you=
r
fingers, so have a cloth rag or something to mop of the excess.
now have someone hold the window frame/gasket/cord assembly in place on t=
he
outside of the bus. get it adjusted side to side and top to bottom as clo=
se
as you can (to where it is going to sit in the opening). make sure the co=
rd
ends are sticking on the inside with you. now comes the fun: using only O=
NE
end of the cord, start pulling with the broomstick. the lip of the slot
will
be pull over the metal door opening's lip as you do so. this is what you
want
=2E.. the cord will be pulled out of the slot and come inside with you. i=
t
should NOT start pulling the other end of the cord. if it does, you'll ha=
ve
to hold back on the loose end of the cord. it usually doesn't need to be
held.
as you pull, the cord will pull the lip over the door lip, and the cord
will
move up and around the window opening. wrap it around the broomstick so y=
ou
can keep your hands about a foot or so from the rubber gasket ... to give=
you a good point of leverage. the people on the outside should be pushing=
on the window frame a bit, but firmly and gently! not hard. let the cord
do the work. anyway, it'll go up, over, and back down to the loose end of=
the cord ... the last couple of feet of rubber gasket will be the worst .=
=2E.
you'll definitely have to hold the loose end of the cord then.
and that's about it. a couple of things to watch out for:
- do NOT use a screwdriver to pry under the frame to get it out of the bu=
s
in the beginning. that aluminum frame is VERY VERY soft and bends easil=
y.
- you might have to use a screwdriver (phillips would be best) to
"encourage"
the slot in the rubber gasket to get over the lip of the metal opening =
in
the door. make sure you put some soapy water on the screwdriver and the=
rubber gasket ... it makes the rubber slippery and helps every thing sl=
ip
into place.
that's about it. it sounds and reads much harder and more complicated tha=
t
it really is, but you almost have to do it once or twice to figure out wh=
at
you are trying to do. the people on the outside are absolutely necessary
and
if they are not careful, the window can drop and break ... or scratch the=
paint on the door. so you need a competent person out there. you, on the
inside, will be very busy with your hands for a few minutes. :) once you
start, it takes only about a minute or two to pull the cord and have the
window gasket slip into place. IF you're doing it right. when i don't use=
enough soapy water, it takes longer and there is the danger of the cord
tearing the rubber gasket. go slow and careful, it's not a speed contest.=
the soapy water would ideally be in a little spray bottle, so you can spr=
ay
some wherever you feel it's needed. do NOT put any soapy water on the
outside
of the window ... the outside folks need to be working/holding onto a dry=
window and gasket.
once you get the thing in place, go around the outside edge of the gasket=
and
see if it's all snugged down tightly. push on any areas that are not ...
just
use your thumb. some sealant under the outer edges of the gasket wouldn't=
hurt, but are usually not necessary. be especially critical of the top ed=
ge
=2E.. as that will be where any major rain leaks start.
hope it makes sense and helps. it's a bit of a tedious job, but if you ha=
ve
someone large to stand of the outside and help, it's not too bad. the
choice
of the cord seems to be the most critical thing ... it needs to be very
strong (so it doesn't break), but not too rough (so it doesn't cut the
rubber
gasket). smooth surface cord is better. most non-opening car windows are
done in the same way, so if you can find someone who has done this on the=
mexican buses (put a side window in), they'll know more about what/how to=
do.
good luck!
joel
