Lets replace late style window rubbers!
OK, so you feel a bit frisky and want to replace those
shrunk up
,
pulled out
,
hard as a rock, nasty exterior window rubbers on your side windows--- Hey, can't
be that bad.... right! The parts run @ $100 so lets give her a go!
Be careful for what you wish for, it may come true! No, this is not rocket
science but I'll all but guaranty you when you are finished you will say "I
would have paid someone to do that"! Hey, maybe not and maybe you are just
the one with mondo thumbs for the job, if so-- I have a position at my shop for
you!
Bill Bagley was a brave soul and decided to take a wack at
the rubbers on his coach
Ahhh, fresh meat, this will be fun, come on over hire my friend and let me steep
you in the fine art of window rubber replacement! Come as you are, be sure
to eat your Wheaties and losten up your hands before we start.
Step one, take out the window
Well, not exactly but we will do that and please believe me when I tell you it
is far easier to remove the window than leave it in when replacing the rubbers--
I'll show you why.
Actually, the first step is to assemble your tools, you will need a block of wood (2x4x say 12"), a rubber mallet, a paint scraper, drill gun with a 1/8" bit, a rivet gun, 2x 1/8"x1/4" rivets (for each window), tube of black RTV sealant, and your window rubber material. Oh yes, you need to bring a large box of patience and determination, a crying rag is optional.
So you have a ladder to get you to the top of the window and all of that stuff-- great, we're good to go. Now, first pick a warm day and point the glass toward the sun, oh you betcha it will make your job in the sun a sweat fest but you need the original butyl rubber sealant warm so it will release easy-- sorry. Dig out the edges of the large rubber (around the slider glass) and the small rubber (holding in the fixed glass) and pull it all out. Don't worry, the fixed glass should not fall out... but you may watch it, you never know. With the old rubbers out, you want to try and simply shuv the new rubber in-- sure, give it a try--- you will fail or if you do get some of it in, you will probably not get it all in. You see the original fixed window sealant has swollen up making the groove where the new rubber is to go too narrow-- new words will be thought up as you try and squeeze 10 pounds of rubber into a 5 pound slot--- trust me! No, we are going to go at this a better way, a way that sounds longer and a bit scarey but one that after you do a window will completely understand and be happy you did it.
OK, take the wood block and with the rubber mallet pound
off the vertical bar pinched onto the edge of the fixed glass
,
start at the bottom and work your way up as you go-- this will keep you from
bending the bar which is a no-no. This is a very easy thing to do.
Of course you must have the slider glass unlocked from the latch for the
vertical bar to come out. Set this bar to the side for later.
NOW, with the window facing the sun, the butyl tape
sealant holding the fixed glass to the window frame should be ready to release.
firmly but slowly pull out on the straight side of the glass-- do not twist the
glass (yes, it might break)
.
You might wonder why you have a lock on your entry door when you see how easy it
is to remove the glass and get in-- hey, don't tell anyone! Set the glass
on a rubber trash can and with your paint scraper get that old butyl tape (goopenpucky)
off the glass
,
your hands will clean up with mineral spirits but I would wear rubber gloves or
you'll end up looking like Sambo with the stuff on everything! Also scrape
the goop from the window frame, save the 2 lower shimms for use later
These surfaces do not have to be "squeeky" clean (don't think thats possible),
just flat and clean enough for your new sealant to seal and flat to the deck
enough for the glass to go flat to the surface.
While the fixed glass is out, its a simple matter to
replace the window latch and a &^%$# to do it after-- so do it.
Remove the 2 phillips screws, toss the old latch and screw down the new latch,
new screws are a buck a window so get those too.
OK, carry on with your glass install...
With these surfaces cleaned, get your small window rubber
out and load up your RTV sealant into your gun, cut the tip like this to lay out
an even bead
.
Lay a bead of RTV onto the frame
enough to seal the glass but don't put so much that you make a mess, work that
out on your own. Now, I did this step for Bill, install the 2 shimmes at
the bottom of the frame and set the glass in place on top of the shimms
The new sealant will allow the glass to go tight up agianst the frame which will
now make the opening wide enough to accept the new lock bead window
rubber. With one hand lightly holding the glass agianst the frame, start
pushing in the rubber into the slot making sure the protrusion of the rubber is
locking behind the extruded "tang" running in the bottom of the channel.
You need to look at how the original rubber was locked in as you pulled it our
originally. Find a way to force it into place, feeding it in as you go , I
was proud of Bill, no new words at least came from his lips and after a little
work he got the trick figured out
Easy does it and a little at a time is the way. Do not get in a hurry and
if the lock tab jumps out of the slot, pull it back till its again in and start
from there again. Cut the rubber to the edge of the fixed glass, yes the
vertical bar goes there but as you pound back in the bar, it will compress the
rubber tight into place-- thats what you want. Now something we did not do
on Bills windows (sorry Bill but I had too much on my mind) there is a brush
gasket in the vertical bar, we have that stuff for I think a buck a foot, it
slips out and the new slips right in, when you do this work its a no brainer to
install that stuff too. Pound back in the vertical be making sure the
piece goes into place properly (remember how you took it out). Next is an
important step-- this vertical bar must be attached to the window frame to keep
the fixed glass from "migrating" away from its position causing an open slot at
the front of the glass remember this pic
This is why that open slot formed as the glass moved. Cut a 1/8" hole
with the screw gun and pop rivet "pin" the vertical bar to the frame
Now pay attention where you drill the hole, do not drill into the glass-- thats
a bad thing! Put the hole and rivet right here
Pin the bar at the top & bottom and the glass will never move again. GM
figured this out in 78 so if you have 2 screws in this position, know yours was
done right but hey, get rid of that nasty screw
and replace it with an all aluminum rivet
and you too can be as cool as Bill! Now that you feel like a pro on
rebedding your window and all of that, all thats left is to install the large
rubber around the slider glass. Easy ---- right?
A tip, open the window and get it out of your way-- makes life easier! It
goes in pretty much the same way as the smaller lock bead rubber, take your
time-- your box of patience may be about empty, sometimes backing away from it
and go for a drink will make things go easier. Do that-- trust me when I
tell you it will go in. Cut the rubber 1/8" long at the end and shove it
into place, compressing like this will keep it looking good longer.
So Bill, how was it? Remember you only have 5 more to go! Wait, don't run away, take your coach with ya--- whats that, when can I schedule you in for us to do the rest? Naaaa, suck it up, you can do it and just think when your thumbs heal up you can say "I did it myself". No, no, you can do it, stop crying, you're a grown man, don't let that little piece of rubber beat ya. Now go on home and go at the next window, after 4 or 5 more, you'll get the hang of it. Whats that? You only have 4 or 5 windows in your coach--- well I guess you will be good by the time you finish-- go buy another coach so you can do the windows-- of course you could come here and do it for me next time someone comes in! Yes, life is short and doing more windows may shorten it even more-- but like I said, isn't it nice to say you did it yourself?
Hey, if you too want to giver her a go, I've got all the materials to make you a pro like Bill, thanks Bill for being my muse, hope you guys had fun with it.