How Are Rear Windows Held In?

[karrlot]

Up until now, I have not taken out the inside panels at the rear of the bus. However, I was starting to get into rust on the floor and it was slightly crawling up the inside back wall. So I cut out the bottom of the panel and then worked a little at a time up to the point that is shown in these pics.

I have been afraid to remove the inside panels because it looks like the rear windows are held in place with these panels. Is that the case? If not, how are they held in? Am I safe to remove the rest of this panel, or is it holding in the window?

[Tango]

Most of the rear glass (like the windshield) is held in by the rubber mount. On the outside you will likely see a narrow strip down the middle of the rubber. It is a pressure strip that fits into a groove in the main seal. Peel it out and then the rest of the rubber can then be pulled away from the glass.

[karrlot]

Yes, I noticed that strip in the rubber lining. If I pull that out the window can be removed?

I guess my real question is can I take the panels off of the inside of the bus and still have the window be held securely in place?

Or do the inside panels support the window?

[Tango]

Most of the rigs I am familiar with are affixed only to the outer skin, but there may be other arrangements. In some, the inner and outer skins are stamped together close enough to form a single edge that the rubber fits on to.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by karrlot

Yes, I noticed that strip in the rubber lining. If I pull that out the window can be removed?

I guess my real question is can I take the panels off of the inside of the bus and still have the window be held securely in place?

Or do the inside panels support the window?

I''ll be removing mine since the rubber seals are popping apart anyhow.
Planning to do it this weekend. I'm not worried about preserving mine, as I'm paneling over em. But I can let you know once I've got em out.

[onenationundergoat]

Worst case scenario, you remove that panel and the window with the rubber comes out all in one piece, then you just set it back in place. Just make sure not to bang the window really hard so it doesn't shatter the safety glass. Although it does take a bit of force to do that.

[karrlot]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I''ll be removing mine since the rubber seals are popping apart anyhow.
Planning to do it this weekend. I'm not worried about preserving mine, as I'm paneling over em. But I can let you know once I've got em out.

That would be great!! Pictures would be wonderful.

Thank you so much!

[karrlot]

Originally Posted by onenationundergoat

Worst case scenario, you remove that panel and the window with the rubber comes out all in one piece, then you just set it back in place. Just make sure not to bang the window really hard so it doesn't shatter the safety glass. Although it does take a bit of force to do that.

If the inner panel is integral in securing the window, the worst case is that I remove the inner panel, the window comes out, and I can't put it back because there is nothing to support it.

[EastCoastCB]

The inner panel is not integral. Took one of mine out today. Came out REAL easy. My seals were all saggy and old. All I had to do was make a straight cut across the seal, peel back one side and cut the seal with a razor knife right where the glass ended behind the rubber.

[EastCoastCB]

Our dog-

[karrlot]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The inner panel is not integral. Took one of mine out today. Came out REAL easy. My seals were all saggy and old. All I had to do was make a straight cut across the seal, peel back one side and cut the seal with a razor knife right where the glass ended behind the rubber.

So I want to take off the inner panel, but leave the window in place. From your pics it looks like the inner seal is held in by the inner panel. If I take the inner panel off, the inner seal will come out, then the window will come out which is NOT what I want. Is this the case?

On my bus, there is a phillips head screw on the inner panel about an inch outboard of the window. This is really out of place because most panels only have rivets. Does yours have this screw? Do you know what it holds?

[EastCoastCB]

The inner panel has nothing to do with the window or seal.
The screws are simply there to help secure the metal panel.

[Dharmabum]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The inner panel has nothing to do with the window or seal.
The screws are simply there to help secure the metal panel.

Thank you for that. Got to the back and almost didn't pull the back wall panels, till I did a Google search of skoolie.net back window etc and your post came up. It gave me the knowledge to pull the back panel and wouldn't you know, both sides had the only rust in the whole bus.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Dharmabum

Thank you for that. Got to the back and almost didn't pull the back wall panels, till I did a Google search of skoolie.net back window etc and your post came up. It gave me the knowledge to pull the back panel and wouldn't you know, both sides had the only rust in the whole bus.

Glad it helped!

Welcome to the forum.

[karrlot]

Originally Posted by Dharmabum

It gave me the knowledge to pull the back panel and wouldn't you know, both sides had the only rust in the whole bus.

I also found a lot of rust inside the back walls, under the windows.

[o1marc]

I highly recommend, as easy as they are to R&R, to remove the rear window before attempting to remove the panel. I tried removing the rear panel with the window installed, pulled carefully while peeling back the seal and ended up breaking the window glass. Fortunately for me it was not a window I intended on keeping. There was talk of an inner seal and outer seal, it is a single seal that catches lips in both inside and outside panels.

[Sevier]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I highly recommend, as easy as they are to R&R, to remove the rear window before attempting to remove the panel. I tried removing the rear panel with the window installed, pulled carefully while peeling back the seal and ended up breaking the window glass. Fortunately for me it was not a window I intended on keeping. There was talk of an inner seal and outer seal, it is a single seal that catches lips in both inside and outside panels.

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The inner panel has nothing to do with the window or seal.
The screws are simply there to help secure the metal panel.

Originally Posted by karrlot

So I want to take off the inner panel, but leave the window in place. From your pics it looks like the inner seal is held in by the inner panel. If I take the inner panel off, the inner seal will come out, then the window will come out which is NOT what I want. Is this the case?

On my bus, there is a phillips head screw on the inner panel about an inch outboard of the window. This is really out of place because most panels only have rivets. Does yours have this screw? Do you know what it holds?

Originally Posted by onenationundergoat

Worst case scenario, you remove that panel and the window with the rubber comes out all in one piece, then you just set it back in place. Just make sure not to bang the window really hard so it doesn't shatter the safety glass. Although it does take a bit of force to do that.

This is all so helpful! (but I'm still confused and nervous about proceeding )

It sounds like back panels/windows are not all made the same in every bus - sometimes the window is attached only to the exterior wall, and sometimes to the interior wall as well, correct?

(we have a 2003 Thomas Freightliner).

And so, if one wanted to remove the inner wall panel without disturbing the window (such as karrlot wanted to do, and as as we want to do), we may be taking a gamble to determine what category our build falls into?

So, we can just go ahead and carefully begin removing screws, and see what happens?

And if the window isnt attached to the inner walls, we can just pull that wall off, and it will just pop out from behind the black rubber gasket lining, leaving the gasket and window in place (because it is ultimately attached to the exterior wall?)

And if the window seems attached to the inner walls, and ends up coming out, we can always just pop it back in? The integrity of the window and gasket wont get destroyed?

Or we can cut the lower panels as Karrlot did, we wont be messing with anything holding the windows in structurally?

We also planned on seam sealing w SIkaFlex 220+ outside, in the little crevice between the window and the exterior gasket.


Thankyou all SO much!

[Sevier]

Originally Posted by Sevier

This is all so helpful! (but I'm still confused and nervous about proceeding )

It sounds like back panels/windows are not all made the same in every bus - sometimes the window is attached only to the exterior wall, and sometimes to the interior wall as well, correct?

(we have a 2003 Thomas Freightliner).

And so, if one wanted to remove the inner wall panel without disturbing the window (such as karrlot wanted to do, and as as we want to do), we may be taking a gamble to determine what category our build falls into?

So, we can just go ahead and carefully begin removing screws, and see what happens?

And if the window isnt attached to the inner walls, we can just pull that wall off, and it will just pop out from behind the black rubber gasket lining, leaving the gasket and window in place (because it is ultimately attached to the exterior wall?)

And if the window seems attached to the inner walls, and ends up coming out, we can always just pop it back in? The integrity of the window and gasket wont get destroyed?

Or we can cut the lower panels as Karrlot did, we wont be messing with anything holding the windows in structurally?

We also planned on seam sealing w SIkaFlex 220+ outside, in the little crevice between the window and the exterior gasket.


Thankyou all SO much!

We went ahead and removed the rear panels, and it went very smoothly. Removed the screws, and had to angle grind just along the inner edge (the edge closest to the emergency ext opening). Took minutes, worry was unecessary. Hope this helps someone else in the future!