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Frameless window fix?


Northoak

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Hello again.  I've been chipping away at restoring a 74 chinook I recently bought but am unsure how to fix these leaky "bird's nest" windows.  They are curved windows that lack the aluminum frame the other windows have.  They install only with a rubber gasket that sits around the fiberglass.  It has of course shrunk over the years.  I'm hoping to keep the windows rather than glass over them.  Any tips are greatly appreciated!

window2.jpg

window.jpg

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19 minutes ago, linda s said:

Can't be sure but it looks very much like the Sunrader gasket but with the locking strip on the inside. So show me the inside please

Linda S

thanks for getting back, I'll take a pic tomorrow when there is light but I did take a peek.  Unfortunately there seems to be no locking strip style gasket but rather a one piece thing.

Edited by Northoak
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Doesn't mean a locking type gasket won't work. I'll check on the pics tomorrow. 

Linda S

Oh  and measure width of gasket inside and out and where I see that little split on the outside edge see if you can stick something in there just far enough to estimate thickness of plexiglass window. And don't ever mess with it when it's cold. cold=crack, warm =might not

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Here’s some pics of the inside, haven’t been able to measure the thickness of the plexi but will when I pull it.  Thanks for all the help!

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Another mystery gasket. Well when you pull it try to keep as much of the gasket intact. I'm also going to need to know thickness of camper shell were window goes in and how tall is that little lip the gasket goes into on the camper. I might also ask that you send me a piece of that gasket . We'll see when you get it out and don't forget , hotter day the better to preserve the window

Linda S

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Hello again, we have a heat wave here in the Bay Area so I figured it was a good time to pull one of the windows! Sure did take a while!  The original gasket was in fact a locking style rubber one, not sure what they are properly called.

 

the plexiglass window is 3/16” thick, the fiberglass it sits in is mostly and 1/8” thick but gets thicker in the corners to a bit over 3/16

 

there was no lip on the fiberglass the gasket sits around but given the shape of the frame I think a replacement could sit almost an inch down on the do glass frame before running into problems. The old gasket appears to have sat 5/16” down on the fiberglass frame based on the marks it left.


I hope this makes sense!  I may need to borrow some calipers to get more precise measurements than I did with a tape measure.  Any tips on where to source a replacement would be greatly appreciated! Also I’d be happy to send you a piece of it in the snail mail if you want after I get a new one in.  Thanks for the help!

 

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Edited by Northoak
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Borrowed some calipers to double check! PlexiGlass is definitely 3/16”, fiberglass lip is on average 5/32” but has a pretty uneven thickness 

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So your telling me the fiberglass is thinner than the plexi? Trouble is self sealing weather strip like what's in your hand is made for glass so one side is always going to be 1/4 inch. There is flexibility in that so they do show the glass side as 3/16 to 1/4. I've got some here for my Sunrader 1/8 to 1/4. PM me your address and I will send you a few inches of it so you can see if it will work. Mine is 2 piece so I will send same size of locking strip. Need that in to see if it's tight enough. 

Linda S

 

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1 hour ago, linda s said:

So your telling me the fiberglass is thinner than the plexi? Trouble is self sealing weather strip like what's in your hand is made for glass so one side is always going to be 1/4 inch. There is flexibility in that so they do show the glass side as 3/16 to 1/4. I've got some here for my Sunrader 1/8 to 1/4. PM me your address and I will send you a few inches of it so you can see if it will work. Mine is 2 piece so I will send same size of locking strip. Need that in to see if it's tight enough. 

Linda S

That would be wonderful if you did that!  I'd gladly cover shipping and throw you some bucks for it.  I'll send you my address right now.  The fiberglass is definitely thinner than the plexi although it is not an even thickness and is actually thicker in a few places specifically the corners.  on average it is 5/32, i wonder if it ever sealed well with those inconsistencies?  Here is a photo to show how inconsistent it is.  Closest thing I am seeing online is this: but I imagine it would be quite hard or impossible to squeeze on

Quote

 

 

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Edited by Northoak
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  • 4 months later...

Here is link to the locking strip I went with for anyone troubleshooting this in the future

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NUHRE6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It appears to have been a good fit but I am getting a leak in one of the corners as well as where the gasket ends meet!  I think this could have been avoided if I had cut my strip a bit longer so it was tighter in the corner and glued the two ends together.  I ordered some sikaflex, I will report back on whether or not I am able to remedy the situation.

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