Hapy New Year

Duh... Failed to put a title on this one.  I'll blame the post holi-daze. So, Hapy NewYear everyone.  I have spent a few hours playing with the bus, and I'll cover that first.  Otherwise, its been a week with the boys, and I'll touch on some of our adventures as well.

Slider Window Install

window in
color sanded paint looks shiny, eh?

The week started with getting the jalousie (jealous) window installed into the sliding door.  For all the other windows, there is a rubber seal that you really have to work onto the glass.  Then, you use the rope trick to get the seal-rimmed glass into the hole and sealed.  The jalousie window is different.  It is held in with a bunch of screws, and the rubber seal doesn't go over any lip in the door.  I tried to seat the window, but it wouldn't.  Maybe it was the new paint gripping the rubber.  I wasn't sure, so I color sanded the new white with very very fine sand paper.  Even then, and after cleaning the powder dust with cleanser the window wouldn't go in.  Finally, I ran a bead of KY jelly along the edge of the hole in the door.  This removed the friction problem, and I was able to force the window into place.  It didn't go easily; in fact, I needed to lightly smack the rear-end with a rubber mallet.  Once in-place, the window was simply screwed down.  Word of caution: do not use lubricant when installing a window that is not a-fixed with screws or bolts, otherwise it will not hold under pressure (read: collision).

Fixing a Hole Where the Rain Gets In

tools for patching a hole

In the 1972 Westy, there was originally a sink / ice box behind the front passenger seat.  This unit requires 2 drains: one for the sink and one for the melting ice from the ice box.  The drains route through a hole in the floor.  Well, 2 holes if you consider the hole in the floor and then another below it in a belly pan.  The sink / ice box units came with rubber seals to keep road moisture from coming up and in.  When I removed the old unit, I didn't address the hole that was left behind.  Years ago, when I bought the 1979 Westy interior, I installed the kitchenette / sink-hob down to the pair of holes in the floor.  Now that I no longer have the 1979 kitchen, I no longer need the corresponding holes in the floor.

driver-side hole patch

To fix a hole in a place where it really can't be seen, its much easier than "real" bodywork.  I got some aluminum sheets for the install of the radiator unit, and I had a bunch left over.  I cut a small square and bent it to fit the contour of the belly pan (see picture, there's a rectangular bump-out over a flat-file).  I drilled 3 (1/8") holes on each side and then a-fixed the patch with rivets.  I'll shoot the patch with under-body rubber stuff so it seals tight.  Later, I'll put something in the body cavity to reduce road noise.  We know we want whatever I put in there to be closed-cell, so any moisture that could get in doesn't get absorbed.  I have a roll of that foil insulation I could use, but I don't think it is very effective at absorbing noise.... at least not as effectively as it insulated temperature.  I may put some down on the bottom anyway.  Once I figure that out, I'll patch the hole in the floor.  While I think about it, I'll patch the floor in the belly pan from the original ice box / sink unit.

Holidaze
It's been an interesting holiday season, switching from no kids to a house full of them and, soon, back again.  Boo and I hosted my extended family holiday event and laid-low on the actual Christmas eve and day.  For NewYearsEve, we took 6 kids up to SkiBowl for Cosmic Tubing.  The Tubing was fun, and SkiBowl put on a great time even with hardly any snow.  The resort is effectively closed pending snow, and the others aren't much further along.  Without some fresh snow, they will have to start shutting down lifts too.  We hit Timberline on the 27th (our anniversary), and the snow was pounded flat with a little powder on top.  That was a week ago, and they haven't gotten any freshies since.  I don't think I'll go back until something comes from the sky.  Hopefully, that'll be very very soon.

That's it for now.  Thanks for following along.

Jalousie Window rebuild (part 2)

In my last posting, I detailed some or most of the dis-assembly of a jalousie (jealous) window.  Today, I'll cover the rest of the tear-down and the re-assembly.  Fun stuff.

Removing the Rubber

Some of the old seals are, quite frankly, brutal to get out.  In particular, the seals that run along the drip-edge on the top and the bottom edge are especially nasty.  I described hammering on the top (drip edge) seal with a chisel in my last post.  The bottom edge was more accessible, but the old seal had really attached itself.  I spent literally 4+ hours getting that seal out.  In fact, from the opening kick through the final score of the SF 49ers - Seattle Seahawk game I was working on that seal (plus over an hour the day before).  Ok, enough complaining.  Just be advised that some seals are just challenging.  The best tools are a putty knife, a thin-blade screwdriver and a small hammer to smack on the handles and drive the seal out.

New Seals
The rebuild kit (kit URL) from Wolfsberg West contains 4 types of seals: the grey outer seal, the drip-edge, the glass-to-metal u-shaped seals and a long spool of a "T"-shaped seal for all the openings.  I skipped the u-shaped ones, because those seals are completely fine on mine.  The glass frames separate the same way as the main frames: Phillip's head bolts from top & bottom at each end.  I found installing the seals to be similarly easy for some, hard for others.  Oddly enough, the ones which were easy to get out were the hardest to put in and vice-versa.  The drip-edge and bottom "T" seal were easy: start at one end, thread it in to start and then pull with a pair of needle-nose pliers.  For orientation of the "T" shaped seals, the flat half should be on the inner-side of the opening and the stripped edge should be on the outer-side.  To install the "T" seals on the sides, you will need to fiddle the louvers up and down while feeding the seal through.  I found a putty knife was a useful way of creating a tiny space between the louver arm and the seal channel so I could slide the seal through.

New Cranks

Before putting the window back together, the new crank mechanism needs to be installed.  I hit the hardware store on the way home from work and picked up 2-pairs of fastener sets: 4mm*20mm bolt, 4mm locknut, 2 washers.  These fit perfectly through the crank-control and the window side.  There are 4 holes in the control, but only 3 in the window frame.  Use the 2 which are diagonal from each other.  Otherwise, the bolt
head will interrupt the operation of the crank.  Orient the bolt so the nut is on the outside of the window for the same reason.  Put on the crank handle and tighten it down.  Rotate the handle (moving the controller) all the way open.p

Putting The Crank Back Together
Okay, so the seals are in, the metal polished (sorta) and the glass has been cleaned.  We're ready to put it all back together again.  First, grab the louver control arm.  It needs to have the 2 little tabs that look like old can pull tabs put back on the arm, if they aren't already.  They need to point the same way.  Take the rod and fit it into the crank / controller thing such that the pull-tab looking thing points towards the outside of the window and upwards.  Push the louvers up as if the window was all the way open.  Now, pull the C-clip off the louver control arm, slide the pull-tab thing onto the end and return the C-clip.  Repeat the process on the other end of the control arm.  I may be overly laboring this description, but this is key to getting your window to work right.  Once the louvers are connected, assemble the lower half of the window.

Window Assembly
At this point, you have a control rod barely holding 2 louver control parts together.  Grab the lower window frame and set it into place, lining up the outer window edges.  The screw holes and channels should line right up.  Thread in the 4 screws, checking the alignment along the way.  Before you torque them all the way down, check the movement of the louvers with the crank handle.  Next, start installing the glass panes from bottom to top.  These should fit right in, bolting in 2 bolts at each end.  I found it was easier to do the bolt further from the hinge first.  Once its most of the way in, start the bolt near the hinge.  After the top pane is in, crank the window closed and then install the top of the frame.  The drip-edge rubber, at least in my case, really wants to flop under the top glass pane.  So, check that as you thread in the screws, and then tighten them down.  Now, the window is back in one piece.  Next step: re-install.  I have some painting to do first (if the weather ever gets above freezing again), so it may be a while before I post that part.

That's it for today.  Thanks for following along!

Jalousie Window rebuild (part 1)

lower screws, grubby
frame, rusty rivets

Like the title says, and like I threatened in my last posting, I've decided to tackle rebuilding at least one of my jalousie (jealous, louvered) windows.  Today's posting focuses on the teardown, as that's as far as I've gotten to date.  If you've visited Richard Atwell's web site, he describes this as one of the most time-consuming projects you could go after.  As my 12 year old sons would say "challenge accepted" :)

Out Comes the Window
The removal of the jalousie window is actually somewhat well described in the Bentley manual covering the body.  The drawing in the Bentley shows a rubber seal on the inside, but my bus didn't have one, and I haven't been able to source one.  The window is held to the body by ~20 Phillip's head screws threaded from the inside.  You need to remove the curtain and the screen first.  The screen is removed by sliding it upwards a few centimeters and then pulling it slightly away from the frame as you pull down.  The window is tilted slightly towards the inside of the bus at the top, so you can remove all of the screws without the window naturally falling out.  Still, its wise to keep a hand on it from the outside.  Once the screws are out, the window should easily lift out of the opening, bringing the grey outer seal with it.  Put the screws in a zip-lock baggy and label it.  It will be a while before you're back to re-install it.

Break the Seal

window panes held on
with 2 Phillips

Pull the grey seal off the frame of the window.  Note how the seal sits around the inner edge.  I didn't take a picture on the way off (though I should have), but I'll photo it on the way back on.  Getting that edge right will be key to seating the seal correctly (read: keep water and wind out).  I expect that to be much harder to do than it was to type.  Once the seal has been removed, clean the window, frame and all.  I soaked mine in my bathtub with some dish-soap (while I sanded the opening in the bus for painting later) and then scrubbed on it.  Once clean(ish) and dry, take the window to a cleared area where it will remain for the rebuild.

Dissemble
Start with the end of the window that doesn't have the crank.  There are 4 Phillips head screws holding the side panel on: 2 from below and 2 from the top.  These can get stuck, so you may need some PB Blaster to get them loose.  I had all but one come free by hand.  That last one I needed to bang on with a rubber mallet to get free.  Set the parts down relative to where they were so you don't lose track of them.  Screws in a baggy.  Label it.  Once the sides have been removed, remove the glass frames from the louver mechanism.  Each pane is held in with 2 Phillips head bolts on each end.  Working one side at a time, remove the one closest to the hinge first.  Mark the windows top-middle-bottom in some way and set them aside.  We'll get to those later.

windows separated
from louver mechanism

Last, if your window has not been opening / closing properly or if it doesn't hold open/closed, now is the perfect time to replace the crank mechanism.  I ordered a pair of these so my windows will operate like brand new when I'm done.  If you want to change your window so they both open from the front end of your bus, the Pelland folks offer a left-handed one too, so you can mix and match.  Getting the old cranks out requires cutting the old rivets with a hacksaw (the way I did it) or drilling them out.  Either way works.

Removing the Seals
Some of the seals are easy to remove.  For example, the seal that runs behind the louver mechanism slides right out.  The top-side seal that has a little overhang, however, is a real bugger.  Atwell mentions this one too.  There's a little nub or bump within the channel at either end that prevents the seal from sliding out.  I had to manhandle the channel with a chisel to get the seal free.  In retrospect, I should have checked to make sure I took out the nub at the front (front is front) of the window.  My thinking is that way simple airflow past the moving bus wouldn't cause sliding of the seal.

Clean and Polish

crank assembly
removed

If your windows look anything like mine do in the pictures (or worse), there will not be a better time to clean them up a bit.  As RAtwell describes on his website, some of the corners have a black goop that helped create a seal.  This stuff chips off with a putty knife.  Once cleared, the windows clean up very nicely with simple steel wool, elbow grease and some basic cleanser.  I used a general use Armor-All, though it left a slight haze that I needed to buff off with paper towels.  I haven't resolved how I'll keep it looking nice, but the clean-up is tiring.  I have spent a few hours on this clean-up already and I've only done the side panels and the top, leaving the bottom, the louver control bar, the glass frames and the screen frame.  All told, I expect close to 10 hours of manual steel-wooling on a single window.

Thanks about it for today.  For those of you in the US, I wish you a Hapy Thanksgiving.  To everyone, I wish you a relaxing White Friday; may you spend it playing with your friends and family.  More next time..