Cracked overhead glass February 16, 2005, 05:51:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50863I noticed that the cabover front window glass on my 83 TK is cracked. I wanted to know if this is something I can take to the mothership (which is a stone's throw away from my house)to get replaced. I have called your typical autoglass companies, and they won't touch it with a 10 ft pole which I find hard to understand!It was hard to notice given the tinted window, in that you have to get real close to see it.Now I know why they got rid of overhead front glass in the new models. It's a pain!Dave 83 TK
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #1 – February 16, 2005, 10:08:44 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50867Quote I noticed that the cabover front window glass on my 83 TK is cracked. I wanted to know if this is something I can take to the mothership (which is a stone's throw away from my house)to get replaced. I have called your typical autoglass companies, and they won't touch it with a 10 ft pole which I find hard to understand! Dave 83 TK Dave, Call the factory. They will direct you to a "glass place" in Pomona which I remember as being on Holt. Great work and very reasonable.Tom.
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #2 – February 16, 2005, 11:34:44 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50868QuoteIt was hard to notice given the tinted window, in that you have to get real close to see it. The glass cracks due to many factors, but the clincher is that the window frame weld cracks and flexes, allowing structural stresses in the body locally to crack the glass. We saw it on ours initially only from the inside, because this was the cracked pane (dual-pane with a ply of plastic in between). The inside of the glass has the sealant as the only isolation from the metal frame pressure point. The outside is isolated by a soft compression gasket. I am aware of at least one case where the replacement glass cracked in short order because the frame wasn't removed and repaired at the time the glass was replaced. For ours I solved the problem by replacing with a sheet of 3/16" Lexan polycarbonate. It was not available with a tint unless ordered so in quantity, but I cover ours from the inside to block light - so it doesn't matter.Steve
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #3 – February 17, 2005, 01:03:32 am Yahoo Message Number: 50870Quote I noticed that the cabover front window glass on my 83 TK is cracked. I wanted to know if this is something I can take to the mothership (which is a stone's throw away from my house)to get replaced. I have called your typical autoglass companies, and they won't touch it with a 10 ft pole which I find hard to understand! Dave The company used by the factory is: NAGCO Glass 243 E. Holt Av. Pomona, Ca. (909) 623-3343I had them replace the overhead front glass in my 1985 22FL in 1997 (Glass is a special blendlike 8% tinted bronze that LazyDaze uses), and after about a week it cracked again. We found the frame warped (straight edge across the upper & lower frame). I removed the frame from the body, and put a steel angle across the wood framework in the body(1 upper & 1 lower)and attached it to the wood, which took the warp out of it. Installed new window seal from the factory, and took iy back to the glass company. My neighbor now has that motorhome, and all is still fine.Lon 2003 MB
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #4 – February 17, 2005, 05:13:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50877Thanks Lon!!!!
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #5 – February 17, 2005, 05:15:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50879Steve,Where did you get the lexan and will a glass company do the work?Dave
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #6 – February 17, 2005, 07:09:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50884Quote Steve,Where did you get the lexan and will a glass company do the work?Dave Keep in mind that while Lexan (polycarbonate) is crack and break resistant (bullet-proof if thick enough!) it is softer than Plexiglas (acrylic) and scratches more easily. When it scratches, unlike Plexi, the scratches are almost impossible to remove. Unless treated, my understanding is that Lexan is not very resistant to UV. Either material has a much higher thermal expansion rate than glass, so allowances must be made for this when mounting.all the best,bumper
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #7 – February 18, 2005, 01:32:09 am Yahoo Message Number: 50890QuoteWhere did you get the lexan and will a glass company do the work?DaveKeep in mind that while Lexan (polycarbonate) is crack and break resistant (bullet-proof if thick enough!) it is softer than Plexiglas (acrylic) and scratches more easily. When it scratches, unlike Plexi, the scratches are almost impossible to remove. Unless treated, my understanding is that Lexan is not very resistant to UV. I did the work myself, tracing around the removed old window glass for a template. Cutting using a hand sabre saw was easy. I got the plastic from a plastic supply store local to me in the San Fernando Valley - I can get you the name if that is local for you too. Expansion is not an issue - none of the materials interfacing a glass pane have similar expansion to glass either. The frame mounting system compensates for that. Neither plexi nor polycarbonate are nearly as scratch resistant as glass without a special coating - which I did not get. This is an issue mainly if you intend to look out the window and cosmetically will find the scratches objectionable. A uv protectant coating was standard. Plexi is not nearly as strong as Lexan, but is more break-resistant (and stress-failure resistant) than safety glass. It is also more easily available with tints and scratch-resistant coatings than Lexan in my experience. Lexan is the material used in Fantastic Fan vent lids, and there has both tint and a scratch-resistant coating. Manufacturers have no problem ordering exactly what they want, and you might find some window companies will be able to get what you want if you have them do the work. In my case, I am half-way through a project to install a second pane of Lexan on the inside of that window - I purchased a full sheet so I would have enough. As I have designed it, that second pane should eliminate almost all condensation from the window frame, a major issue with a window at an angle where you sleep.SteveSteve
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #8 – February 18, 2005, 06:45:54 am Yahoo Message Number: 50891"I purchased a full sheet so I would have enough. As I have designed it, that second pane should eliminate almost all condensation from the window frame, a major issue with a window at an angle where you sleep."SteveMy wife was always complaining of the cold coming off the front window of our 83 LD. The problem was solved by cutting 1" foam to fit inside the frame, which held it in place. I also glued a layer of aluminum foil to the outside of the foam to block and reflect the sun. This simple modification really helped to keep the bunk much more comfortable and to keep that pesky sun from waking us early. This was done eleven years ago and its still working fine, according to the new owners.Larry
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #9 – February 18, 2005, 10:17:48 am Yahoo Message Number: 50896QuoteMy wife was always complaining of the cold coming off the front window of our 83 LD. The problem was solved by cutting 1" foam to fit inside the frame, which held it in place. I also glued a layer of aluminum foil to the outside of the foam to block and reflect the sun. This arrangement is also what we have used even before I replaced the glass, with a cloth-covered facade to hide the window frame. While this does the trick thermally for the window glass, it does not eliminate condensation on the cold frame, and dripping down onto the bunk matress. Since this is an issue in only about 10% of our camping, it has not been a major concern, but the frame isolation I will do with the double pane should virtually eliminate it. This will wait until the return of very dry, warm weather to avoid trapping humid air in the middle.Steve
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #10 – February 18, 2005, 10:22:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 50897"My wife was always complaining of the cold coming off the front window of our 83 LD. The problem was solved by cutting 1" foam to fit inside the frame, which held it in place. I also glued a layer of aluminum foil to the outside of the foam to block and reflect the sun." As many here will remember, I did much the same thing in the "upstairs bedroom" of my '85. First I put Reflectix (essentially foil plus bubble wrap plus foil) in all the windows. Then I mounted 1" polystyrene foam insulation over that, completely covering the front and side walls of the overcab. I covered the foam with quilted (low loft) muslin. The result is tremendously improved insulation. You can find a detailed description, with assembly instructions and step by step photos, on the Bedroom page of my "Improving Gertie" website:http://www.andybaird.com/travels/gertie/bedroom.htm> What you won't see on that page (yet) is the latest upgrade, which is now in the works: I've commissioned a 39" x 16" quilted landscape to hang on that front wall. The artwork is being created by my talented textile-artist friend (and former officemate) Holly Knott, based on a photograph I took in Saskatchewan a few years back showing canola fields in brilliant yellow bloom under a blue sky with puffy clouds. I figure that will be a cheery scene to wake up to! ;-) You can see a miniature version of the photo on Holly's gallery page...http://www.hollyknott.com/artquilts.html> ...and when the artwork is finished, she'll post large photos. Take a look at Holly's other work while you're there...she's really good! If I owned a "stick house," I'd hang one of her quilts in every room.Andy Baird
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #11 – February 18, 2005, 10:44:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 50899Steve,I would think it would be better to wait for a cold dry day to seal the window.
Re: Cracked overhead glass-now artwork Reply #12 – February 18, 2005, 11:30:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 50902have to wake up to!! I wonder if she could do a tropical one for our LD? But, then, we don't have mucho $$$ these days and I'm sure her beautiful works are not inexpensive-seems like there is much of her time involved. So, congratulations, Andy, it'll be a beaut !! Toodles, DeniseQuoteYou can see a miniature version of the photo on Holly's gallery page...Quote http://www.hollyknott.com/artquilts.html>...and when the artwork is finished, she'll post large photos. Take a look at Holly's other Quotework while you're there...she's really good! If I owned a "stick house," I'd hang one of her
Re: Cracked overhead glass Reply #13 – February 20, 2005, 01:03:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 50971QuoteIn general, warm air holds more moisture than cold air. That's why the moisture condenses when the air gets cold, and why the heated air from a furnace can be so dry. Given the same relative humidity, cold air has less moisture per unit volume than hot air. This is true, but in SoCal, a hot fall day with to find than a cold day with, say, 25%, e.g. Also, a lot easier to work in.Steve
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