TheSamba.com :: View topic - Anyone ever fabricate rear side windows that open?

Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:45 pm

My dog thinks it would be really cool if I could make one of my rear side windows open. Any known modifications out there?

Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:41 pm

I saw one for sale a while back on www.ebay.de

Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:48 pm

Yea that was an option in the later models (euro). I have seen them quite a bit on ebay UK as well. They even had a side center swindow that opened like a "safari" window that you see in the earlier busses (I think that was Westfalia only though)!

Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:33 am

there was a thread in here.. or on the vanagon list of how someone made a rear corner window a slider using parts from a 'vented rear window' and a side slider.. but i'm at a loss to find it..

it doesn't open much, but for the back passangers some air is good air..

maybe someone kept the text or has done it.

Dan in NY

Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:54 pm

When we have driving rain, I keep thinking of those good German louvers the breadloaves have--I know that folks have installed them on the window behind the range. I wonder if versions could be found that would work on the rear side window or even the hatch!

Best!

Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:32 pm

msinabottle wrote: I keep thinking of those good German louvers the breadloaves have
I transplanted a 70s one to my sliding door and I'm very happy with it:

...but it's almost a foot too long for the rearmost side windows =(

Didn't the splittie-era campers have a more-or-less square window like this?

Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:52 pm

How about a longer post on the sliding door mod, and some inside and outside pictures? I'll take all the air in Winston I can get!

Very good idea, Mr. Yote!

Best!

Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:15 pm

msinabottle wrote: How about a longer post on the sliding door mod
I actually found the window on ebay "modified" to fit a vanagon. The modification turned out to be strips of thick plastic bolted to the top and bottom to make it the correct height:

Installation was easy - I gave like $30 to the local auto glass shop. They caulked and used sheet metal screws to mount it, because though it came with a gasket it was larger than my window opening...maybe the sliding door window is a little shorter than the driver's side one?

If I had it to do over again, I'd get some thick, 1 1/2" wide aluminum stock, grind the ends to fit the top and bottom, and rivet that to the old window.

Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:45 pm

Couldn't have asked for more, thank you very much!

Best!

Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:57 pm

On my '90 Carat, the side windows on the sliding door and opposite that both slide open quite far. Is that not standard on Vanagons? Or were you looking for more than that?

Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:11 pm

I have seen the rear side windows as a slider but it was a South African rarity. I scope for a pic. May be real hard to find one here.

Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:22 pm

Well.....No pics of this rare rear window slider. I'm still lookin' for a pic I've seen in the last few months in my surfin' around. They were offered on special edition "bus exclusiv" south african models. Way, Way to rare apparently. :cry: Many people are looking for them too. I didn't know of Vanagon " jail bars until just recently.

Thu Aug 09, 2007 6:26 pm

I think mine is from Germany, so I can't say for sure whether it's a common feature on U.S. models or not. But here are a couple pics I just took for your reference.

Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:26 pm

by the way, Van-Go, sweet ride. Checked it out on another post of yours. Nicely done on the wood interior.

Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:12 am

The same mechanisms but, the rear side windows that are usually fixed on our US models are turned into sliders as well. The only differance is the angle section is the fixed portion of the slider pair. I'm not sure if some "Sambie" posted a pic of this a while ago or in my lurkin' of other sites.

BTW. Thanks for the comments on my "woody interior".

Sat Aug 11, 2007 11:09 pm

[img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=320670[/img]

page 4 of the members rides sticky

Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:36 am

I was walking around Winston, staring at him in a way I know made him nervous...

I wonder if we could figure out how to get a set of louvers in the passenger's side rear window. That would be a LOT of air right where you'd want it at night.

Probably wouldn't fit... But there are, at least in Europe, sources for louvered windows that aren't old or shattered breadloaves...

I contemplate...

:shock:

Best!

Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:32 am

msinabottle wrote: I was walking around Winston, staring at him in a way I know made him nervous...

I wonder if we could figure out how to get a set of louvers in the passenger's side rear window. That would be a LOT of air right where you'd want it at night.

Probably wouldn't fit... But there are, at least in Europe, sources for louvered windows that aren't old or shattered breadloaves...

I contemplate...

:shock:

Best!

I pulled an awning off what I belived to be a country homes baywindow in the junkyard once for one of my other westies. It had jealosies in all back side windows. they were 2 panel not like the 3 -panel westfalias. They made up the angled space in the reamost corner with just aluminum plate. It was a pretty neat.

I'm seriously thinking of searching out a a pair or at least a leftside "doppelfenster" window that was available in europe. They did make a screen for them and they open almost 90 degrees so that would be nice airflow plus it could be open during rains unlike the sliders. I wonder how those double pane acrylic windows are in the summer as opposed to glass? anyone know?

Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:36 am

[email protected] wrote: [img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=320670[/img]

page 4 of the members rides sticky

Mister T's ride is staight up SA and looks like it does have the rear slider's.

Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:11 am

weird, looks like all those side windows are taller too. kinda looks freaky.