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Locking gasket for Sunrader wrap around windows


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Hi Everyone,

 

Finally getting to the front windows and I ordered a Trim Lok locking gasket, but the width of the gasket is less than the old one I pulled off.  I feel like this will be a problem with compression.  Do you have any thoughts?  Here is the Link to the one I ordered.

 

Thanks,

 

Rob

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If you only ordered the insert section yes it might be a problem. Need all parts to match. If you ordered the actual gasket section too it should be fine. Whole gasket is smaller now but it's been that way for a long time and many people have used the newer stuff with good results. Of course it needs to be the right size for window and camper wall thicknesses

Linda S

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  • 1 year later...

I just recieved new windows from the folks in Napa. Need to order gasket material now. Plexiglas is 1/8 ''. What should the fiberglass edege be, on my 86 sunrader shorty?

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/23/2018 at 9:18 AM, Len Charette said:

I just recieved new windows from the folks in Napa. Need to order gasket material now. Plexiglas is 1/8 ''. What should the fiberglass edege be, on my 86 sunrader shorty?

Hi Len - would you mind sharing details for where you found replacement plexiglass? ...thanks!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Job completed and the gaskets worked! No more leaks!!! Thanks to all who shared their knowledge above. I could not have done it otherwise.

I found these videos very useful. The SunRader video needs to be watched over and over because of the fast-mo. I know why they did it - the job takes FOREVER. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QGtJkAFPl8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NFd6A9lWvI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVUL7Y-FBos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbqarorplYE

Here are my lessons learned...

Wear gloves. The edges of the plexiglass are sharp.

The plexi looks warped when installed but flat when removed. This is normal. The tension fit with the gaskets causes the bowing.

When installing the gasket on the fiberglass shell, do not use soapy water because you want the rubber to really grab onto the camper shell.

When installing the windows, use tons of soapy solution. I mixed 1 tbs of dish liquid with warm water in a quart size sprayer. It was enough to lubricate but not so much that it did not evaporate after installation.

I found these tools invaluable and they save me a ton of time:

Locking strip insertion tool

Windshield Rubber Installation Tool

Be patient and careful not to tear or puncture the rubber gasket. The installation tool is for pushing not pulling. Use it to nudge things into place or carefully move edges of the gasket. 

Expect to have to reinstall the gasket on the camper shell because it comes off easily. Same for getting the windows inserted.

When removing the windows, I started on the sides and worked to the middle. I installed in the reverse order because I needed the added hold of the longer gasket while working on the corners.

The corners are the hardest. Do your best to get the windows pushed fully into the center (long side) before starting on the corners. 

My windows did not look fully inserted evenly once I was done. Particularly on the sides. I was fed up and took a break. When I came back to the job the next morning, things had adjusted and were workable without removing the windows again.

This is a WARM weather job. You need the gaskets to be as flexible as possible. Don't even try in cooler weather.

Clean all surfaces very thoroughly. The seal needs smooth and clean contact on all surfaces to work. I used Goof Off (or Goo Gone) plus a new razor to remove every trace of residue from the fiberglass and plexi.

My plexi is original and has some micro cracks that are visible when direct light hits them in certain spots. I was afraid that they would be brittle and break from the abuse but they were fine and I was very careful to not over flex them.

The plexi was kind off dull traditional washing of the RV did not change the look. However, I noticed that the plexi was very nice looking where I was using the Goo Gone so I used liberal amounts on the entire exterior of the plexi followed by window cleaner. Now they look like new. I think that grime and grit settles into the small abrasions on the surface over time (28 years!) but my cleaning made them look like new.

Here is the finished product (1990 V6 purchased from original owner in Kalamazoo with 32K miles - now 48K miles)...

image.thumb.png.286f1addecdcd2c502ea2476ceef0cde.png

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  • 1 year later...

I know that this is an overworked topic, but I have a small tip to add. I have been meaning to replace the gaskets on my front windows for a little while now, and because of life I unfortunately haven't gotten around to it. But I do have a small tip that has saved my upper bunk  plywood base from getting totally destroyed. In the very front below the wrap around windows there is a section at the very bottom that is all fiberglass and is lower then the area where the plywood is, sometimes its covered in foam and vinyl. That was the spot where small amounts of water would collect in my rig, and if it went unattended for too long it would fill up and start to get under the mattress and on the plywood. My simple/temporary fix was to drill small weep holes in the lowest parts of that all fiberglass section. Any water that gets into that area now has an exit point before it has the potential of contacting any moisture sensitive materials.  I also mixed up a little bit of epoxy and sealed the inside of those holes and that general area, because exposed fibers can wick moisture and cause other problems. Like I said, this is not a permanent solution,  but it has kept a small problem from becoming a big problem, and I hope this solution can help somone else .

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I would never recommend drilling holes in the Sunrader shell. Always just fix the leak. Window gaskets aren't that hard. I have done it by myself several times. Never even took a whole day. I do have a folding ladder that makes a perfect scaffold. About a hundred bucks on eBay. Everyone needs a good ladder anyway

Linda S

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I disagree, as a professional boat builder for 10+ years we often rely on redundancy, and as window gaskets are bound to fail at some point having a secondary "exit strategy " is cheap insurance.  I have had these 3/16" weep holes for a few years now and have had no problems with them, as such I'm a firm believer in having them as a backup new seals or not. And as far as ladders go I'm sure 1 of the 15 that I already own should probably do fit the bill!! Time is what I'm short on, do they sell that on ebay?

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Like I said took me less than a day and I'm an old woman. Probably took you more time to drill the holes. You can't tell me if driving in blinding rain that some water wouldn't get into holes. It's your Sunrader, drill all the holes you want. I just don't recommend anyone else do it

Linda S

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Hijacking this thread a little....

 

My Sunrader does not have the wrap around windows, and I don't see this locking gasket on them.  Is that correct, or has it potentially been removed?

 

Thx, 

IMG_2501 (1).jpg

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I thought about that before I did it, and purchased 2 of these to deflect any blowing rain, but I've driven it many miles in the rain and never had any more water then what was coming out of the faulty seals themselves, or if there was it drained immediately...

pko-315dp1chr_lg__08289.1558150315.500.750.jpg

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18 minutes ago, TravisJ said:

Hijacking this thread a little....

 

My Sunrader does not have the wrap around windows, and I don't see this locking gasket on them.  Is that correct, or has it potentially been removed?

 

Thx, 

IMG_2501 (1).jpg

It looks like you have just the standard flange and bezel type windows in the cab over bunk and you would reseal that with butyl tape and a sealant of your choosing, one that bonds to both fiberglass and metal (aluminum)safely and is also UV resistant. Heres another tip that I'm sure some will disagree with, but in my experience the bezel on these have usually been bent in the direction in which they are tightened, so on both boats and RVs when you go to reseal them you get to the part where you should be seeing a little bit of the butyl tape squeezing out, and there is nothing. I have had good luck with taking some sheet metal seamers and effectively bending the bezel back towards its original form, and maybe even past that a little bit. This will help by giving you a little more squeeze potential when you go to tighten things up again.

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15 hours ago, Rooster87 said:

 

It looks like you have just the standard flange and bezel type windows in the cab over bunk and you would reseal that with butyl tape and a sealant of your choosing, one that bonds to both fiberglass and metal (aluminum)safely and is also UV resistant. Heres another tip that I'm sure some will disagree with, but in my experience the bezel on these have usually been bent in the direction in which they are tightened, so on both boats and RVs when you go to reseal them you get to the part where you should be seeing a little bit of the butyl tape squeezing out, and there is nothing. I have had good luck with taking some sheet metal seamers and effectively bending the bezel back towards its original form, and maybe even past that a little bit. This will help by giving you a little more squeeze potential when you go to tighten things up again.

@Rooster87 and @linda s, thx, that is what i was thinking.

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