# Fitting rubber mounted window



## SprinterStu (May 13, 2013)

Any tips or tricks in fitting a rubber mounted window?
Picked up a second hand window that I intend fitting to the rear door of my Sprinter. Using the window as a template seems to make sense but I have to take in to account the rubber mount! There is a bead/filler on the face of the rubber and I have seen folk using pop rivets to attach to a Van. I'm guessing the window came out of a caravan as the gap around the rubber mount is about an 1" wide, much wider than the sheet metal of the sprinter door, guess I need some kind of infill.
Does any of this make sense lol
Cheers


----------



## oldish hippy (May 13, 2013)

Fitting windows to your van conversion one of many version of how to do it


----------



## SprinterStu (May 13, 2013)

Thanks.
Although I've already fitted seitz windows before, it's much easier as they give u a template and they clamp together, slightly more room for error :dance:
Just a little unsure how much larger than the window I need to cut out to accommodate the window AND rubber. 

cheers


----------



## n brown (May 13, 2013)

having trouble here mate !is it a top hinged caravan window with a rubber seal that stays on the body,or is it a glass or plastic window that has a rubber seal that the glass fits into and then the seal fits onto the rubber,making a fixed window.  if it's the former then the rubber seal usually fits bodywork 3cms thick,so you have to make a timber frame this thick for it and fit it inside the door. determine the size of the hole by measuring in 3cms from the sides of the window and marking that,then working out your corner radius from this


----------



## Byronic (May 13, 2013)

A few pics would be worth a thousand words. Otherwise most advice is likely to be a waste of time.


----------



## SprinterStu (May 13, 2013)

Yeah I know it sounds a tad vauge, it's a fixed double glazed plastic caravan window. I'm contemplating ordering a window seal that will fit the van and the window.


----------



## Byronic (May 13, 2013)

Looks like frameless double glazed acrylic. You could get replacement "H" section rubber which would take the double thick edge of the glazing and fit the steel door panel. If you go this route the  aperture has to be cut  to as close as possible fit, it's the moulding outer face infill strip which is inserted after the window is installed that exerts a pressure preventing the window being sucked out. 
If you reuse the existing moulding then an interior frame could be made up in say ply or even with aluminium angle with flange cut to allow curving and bonded to the door panel (Sikaflex etc). Would look a bit ugly unless lining the door.


----------



## oldish hippy (May 13, 2013)

the other suggestion is to make up template using cardboard that way you can get it right size before cutting steel work and can use it to cut out a packing piece out of plywood to make up the difference on the thickness of the door and rubber seal


----------



## tommytransit (May 13, 2013)

i have fitted a few to transits and i always put grease on the bare metal of the cut out hole, it helps to fit it on and protects from rust, you can always tell a fitted window without grease on it as it starts to rust around the window after a year or two


----------



## Covey (May 13, 2013)

You might need to do the Indian Rope Trick!!

If you are fitting say a windscreen, then you normally have a thin (1.5cm) strip of metal bodywork around the opening and you slot the rubber beading on one edge all around the window opening.  So far it has been easy!!

However, when you slot the bottom of the replacement windscreen into the other slot on the rubber bead all seems well at first, but it gets increasingly difficult to get the edge of the rubber slot on the outside of the glass, and the more pressure you exert the greater the risk of damaging the glass, and in the case of non-laminated glass, there will be a loud pop and the glass will shatter.

The easy way is to buy/borrow/whatever enough nylon curtain cord to go all the way around.  Put some blobs of mastic every 6-8 inches to stick the cord to and run the cord around inside the slot leaving the tails sitting outside the slot on the side of the screen you are working.

When you are ready, press the glass up against the rubber and pull one end of the cord.  As you pull the cord it will pull the lip of the rubber from underneath the glass and into its correct location.  Continue gently pulling the cord but if the rubber is stiff, use some washing up liquid and it will slide much easier.  Best not to try this outside on a cold day as the rubber will go very hard.

I used this "trick" having seen a windscreen fitter do it on TV when I was replacing the windscreen on a Rascal van I bought in an auction!  :goodluck:


----------



## n brown (May 13, 2013)

you could get that in easily with a standard 'H' section rubber seal. these are usually about 6mm thick to take toughened glass windows,on the one side ,and about 1mm on the other side to fit the steel panel. if you look at the 'H' measure the thickness of the bar in the middle,about 3-4mm and add that to the shape of the window for the cutout.. to get the trim bead in,which tightens the seal, you can make a tool from a 10mm spanner,by bending the ring end to 45 degrees and using this to open the slot,plenty of grease or fairy liquid helps a lot   this is what I mean,and you can find it holding in cab windows in scrappies  http://rubberstock.com/window-seals-solid-rubber-23-5-16-3-mm.html


----------



## Byronic (May 13, 2013)

Try Googling WOOLIES TRIM (catalogue), they have equal and unequal grooved "H" screen mouldings with infill strip... fairly pricey. Cheapest way is utilising what you've already got I would say. 
A straight run of moulding can be a little tricky when radiussing a tight corner from a straight length.


----------

