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

Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:16 am

mellow cat wrote: For what its worth,

If you have a early van with the early slider door, Long throw outside door handle....You "CAN" use a donor window from the Drivers side (LHD) of any vanagon, and fit it into the slider door in the "reverse" position. What this does exactly, is produce a usable window for a passenger riding on the bench seat in the rear. My dog always smiled, I could spy on him with the rear view.

I did it on on 84 a few years back, was a great mod, no leakage in strong rain+headwinds.

In fact, I liked it so much I've been waiting for a good early slider door, I would live with the "long swing" for a "proper" window.

Feel lucky if you have an early Vanagon.

Cheers
Scott

Scott can you explain why this won't work on a 1985+, are the openings different sizes? Haven't measured but they look the same.
Here is what I'm thinking, measuring will have to be done, but start with a centre slider, disassemble it entirely, have the frame reshaped to fit the rear opening, and have a new piece of glass cut, I know the glass I can have cut and the hole put in and temperred for about 100$. Sure this is work, but everything worth doing is work.

Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:18 am

vwlovr wrote: Steelhead wrote:
This is great idea. Drop it down into the body panel, out of site? Like a front door window?

that would be sweet, but that window won't fit in the bottom part of the door. at the most you'd get it like halfway down.

i would be happy with a rear safari window, i've seen them on splits and bays. i'm thinking that might be the easiest one to fab...that would still look good :) i've been daydreaming of picking up a hatch and window next time pick and pull has a 50% sale.
Keep in mind that these were common on station wagons "back in the day" which brings up 2 points:
1. A creative chap could probably use the motor/hardware from a '60s or '70s vintage American station wagon and adapt it to the Vanagon. It would take some serious mods to the hatch and it probably would only open part way, as VWLovr points out. Still, if you could crack it a little it would alleviate the "parachute effect" that Van-go108 refers to.

2. These rear windows were notorious for drawing in exhaust fumes that swirl around in the turbulence behind the car. The later vehicles even had warning stickers. My dad had fitted our station wagons with little metal deflectors (looked like chrome spoilers) that put fresh air from the sides of the car in the space around the rear window. I think a Safari-type pop-out window would be even worse for drawing in exhaust fumes if it were open when you were driving. It sure would be nice for when you're camping, though, to allow the night breeze through the van.

When I read this thread before I thought about just trying to find some side sliders and adapt them to the rear. I haven't had time to pursue this, but I measured things up and I think I could modify the frames and then recut the glass from stock sliders and make them work. It would look better than the Jalousie alternative or adapting windows that don't fit in my opinion, but if you're not worried about appearance then the Jalousie adaptation would work nicely (I always liked those windows in my older campers... well, except in the winter).

Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:30 am

Stock glass is tempered, once glass is tempered you can not cut it, that is why I suggested getting the slider made from new glass and tempered after the hole is put in it. I have a Beetle I put stock 1/4 pop outs in but replaced the glass with tinted glass. The glass shop used the original as a template, put the hole for the latch and sent the glass out to be tempered.

Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:52 am

Wellington wrote: Stock glass is tempered, once glass is tempered you can not cut it, that is why I suggested getting the slider made from new glass and tempered after the hole is put in it. I have a Beetle I put stock 1/4 pop outs in but replaced the glass with tinted glass. The glass shop used the original as a template, put the hole for the latch and sent the glass out to be tempered.
It's true you can't cut tempered glass and it will have to be remade if it's tempered. If you're not worried about it breaking off in chunks you could cut it yourself out of standard glass, or you could use safety glass like in the windshield (at least the older windshields were laminated but not tempered... I don't know about the new windshield glass).

If you're having it cut/drilled/tempered it might be worth setting it up as a 60/40 like a Westy slider window. That way you can used a screen without the latch handle getting in the way. I might be wrong, but that's the only difference I've noticed in the Westy windows.

Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:50 am

I have the measurements, & Instructions for putting the bay windows in an early vanagon on both sides, replacing the sliders. On the later models they will fit only on the drivers side. If you would like a set of them, please PM me and I'll get them out by mail. For some reason or other they just don't fit on the screen w/o cutting alot out

Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:06 am

vwlovr wrote: I would be happy with a rear safari window, i've seen them on splits and bays. i'm thinking that might be the easiest one to fab...that would still look good :) i've been daydreaming of picking up a hatch and window next time pick and pull has a 50% sale.

Maybe a person could half up a rear hatch with the glass section above and the lower section more like a tailgate. :-k
BTW. Yikes on the German E-bay window.(plus shipping) But.... They are out there though. \:D/ I want them. That is encouraging.

Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:22 pm

i'm not sure why i keep torturing myself...

http://cgi.ebay.com/VW-Bus-T2-T3-Schiebefenster-HI...dZViewItem

at first i thought it was for two and was ready to jump on it, but then i realized it was just one :(

Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:22 am

check this out

http://cgi.ebay.de/Aufstellfenster-aus-einem-90er-...dZViewItem

talk about air flow :shock:

Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:48 am

Quote: It's true you can't cut tempered glass and it will have to be remade if it's tempered.

Volksaholic - not quite true about not cutting tempered glass - it must be done gently using a thin diamond continuous rim (not notched) saw blade (.010" kerf is ideal), such as on a small rock saw, with a copious flow of water coolant and a lubricating additive. Also be sure to have a large table extension to hold the glass.

Alternatively, a large flat pan (oil protection pan, such as a metal pan used under a car), some 1/8" felt in the bottom with the glass supported on the felt, coolant flooded in the pan and a 6" sawblade (as described above) in an ordinary circular saw (mind you don't shock yourself!), with an assistant providing extra coolant flow, will work well.

I used to be a lapidary (someone who works with gemstones, very simply put) and found out that a cautious hand and either setup setup above will work very well, depending on the material size.

Recommend you try it on some flat glass from an old shower door or scrap from a junkyard first to get the hang of it.

Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:55 am

CF wrote: check this out

http://cgi.ebay.de/Aufstellfenster-aus-einem-90er-...dZViewItem

talk about air flow :shock:

i'd buy a pair of those (at the right price, of course) right now - if they were available in the USofA. anyone importing a container from germany soon?

r

Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:26 pm

sbclayton wrote: Quote: It's true you can't cut tempered glass and it will have to be remade if it's tempered.

Volksaholic - not quite true about not cutting tempered glass - it must be done gently using a thin diamond continuous rim (not notched) saw blade (.010" kerf is ideal), such as on a small rock saw, with a copious flow of water coolant and a lubricating additive. Also be sure to have a large table extension to hold the glass.

Interesting.... I've got one of those lapidary blades... maybe I'll try it sometime. I used to keep plenty of glass on hand for project but my new wife doesn't like the "packrat" behavior so I tossed most of it. It's pretty easy to scrounge tempered glass to test with, though.

It was my understanding that the surface tension created in the tempering process would make this a bad proposition even if you could pull it off... might it be more sensitive to bumps and such on that cut edge?

I've done plenty of cutting marble and a little bit of tile with my "beater" Skilsaw... that's the one I don't mind getting wet. Thanks for the tip.

Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:22 pm

I have seen some right side sliders, but most are left side only. They are a very rare item even in Germany. Many german Vw Guru's have never owned a set.
I brought 3 of them over a couple of years ago and they did net sell well. I think I ended up selling them for about $175.00 a piece. Not worth the trouble to get and bring here.
You will most likely only find a left because they are mostly German and they drive on the same side we do. if you had a riight side unit nad had the slider open and hand or arm out the window and then opened the slider, it may be ugly.

Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:25 am

Well, I like a challenge, and as my previous post to this thread indicated, I was sure a center widow frame could be cut, welded and bent to match the rear opening, thus having a sliding window in the rear side. Bending the angles was not difficult, the welding proved to be the hardest part, thin material, and it was clear anodized, so I will just paint the finished product black. The mock up windows are made from ABS plastic, so I have a template to get the tempered units made from. The fixed glass will be a trapezoid, following the shape of the rear pillar. The slider will have the rear edge the same angle and the front edge vertical. The slider started as a westy slider, so the screen will attach. The window can only be made to open 90% of the original, as conflict arises between the latch and the overlap of the fixed glass. The lower channel for the catch was modified to accept this new open position. In all about 6 inches was removed from the top, 3.5 from the bottom and them a .40 inch piece was added to the rear vertical. Pictures are in the Vanagon galllery, one day I will learn this computer thing.

Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:43 am

Wellington wrote: Pictures are in the Vanagon galllery...
...not any more!

Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:46 am

Thank you Mc Vanagon, not the first time you helped me out. Some things I just have trouble learning.

Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:04 am

looking good.. 8)

Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:58 pm

That is serious beauty!

I looked at that German window on ebay.de When I translated the page it said that it had had prev postal damage but was okay ???? My wife saw me looking at it and said no way are you paying 250-300 Euro for some old piece of VW glass (insert #@*^@ expletive). I said I was just looking. :shock:

If you want to put the into production, I'm wanting for the pass side rear slider, hooked. :D

Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:15 pm

Seriously cool Wellington, seriously cool!

Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:33 pm

wow! Nice work! envy...

Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:34 pm

If you build it, we will come... Running... with our checkbooks out. Very intelligent, Wellington, you're a resourceful fellow.

Work out the theory, post it here, as you're doing, and dare I hope that in a year or so GoWesty, Van Cafe, Terry, or Bus Depot will have a listing? Or anybody else? For the Westy crowd, the priority would be rear passenger's side.

Best!