When I refurbished the interior living area in the summer of 2010 I did it in a hurry. The hurry was because of a self-imposed deadline for beginning a 7000+ mile trip to the East Coast and back again. Even though both doors had areas where the plastic laminate was not stuck to the aluminum frame I patched what I could with some new contact cement and skinned over the dark laminate with a real maple wood veneer also using contact cement. When we left on August 1st we headed east and everything looked great for quite a while but, once we hit the humidity of the East the wood veneer expanded and buckled. I have been trying to get around to it since returning from that trip. Now is the time.

The doors are made from an aluminum frame, skinned on either side with a Formica-type plastic laminate, and filled with a few blocks of particle board in strategic spots and expanded corrugated cardboard in the rest of the interior space. My plan was to remove either the veneer or the entire exterior of the doors depending on what worked. I had purchased enough new laminate (WilsonArt makes a natural maple plastic laminate that is a good match for real natural maple coated in polyurethane) to re-cover both doors so, when we returned from our last trip I removed the doors from the GMC and got started.

It turned out that the exterior laminate on both doors was loose enough to get off using a large paint scraper type of putty knife and a hammer (see the photo) with some gentle tapping. In one case the corrugated filler was completely loose and in the other it was stuck to the interior skin so I didn’t have to remove it. In that same case the interior skin was also loose enough to require re-gluing so I had to completely disassemble the door.

I cleaned the aluminum frame with a sander, added plywood pieces to the interior of the door where reinforcement was needed (towel racks on the bathroom door and a full length mirror in the closet) and reassembled everything using DAP non-flammable contact cement (I think it is better than the original one) everywhere. My only error was that when I reassembled the door that was completely disassembled I put it together with a slight twist to it. It still closes but that was not too bright.

Here are some photos that might be helpful: 

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There are two alternatives for new windows for the GMC Motorhome and we don’t like either one of them. The original living area and bedroom windows in our coach – a 26-foot 1976 Eleganza II – open by sliding half the window forward behind a fixed section. The new windows do not open that way – they have sections at the bottom that open by swinging out. There are two problems with that style of window as far as we are concerned. One is that the original windows provide an easy fire escape path and the new ones do not. Two is that the bar which supports the swing-out sections cut right across the windows at eye level (at least they do in our interior arrangement).

The only solution to this problem is to recondition/rebuild the original windows. Jim Bounds of Cooperative Motor Works in Orlando, FL has the materials and the knowledge to accomplish this. The materials for the large front sliders are less than $100 per window and Jim’s website, at one time, had a complete description of the whole process at www.gmccoop.com -with lots of tips for the first timer. He had it filed under “window rubbers” but the site has been rearranged since I found that. The newest thing is that Jim has done some videos that pretty much explain the whole process and shows him actually doing things on a coach. Ask Jim and buy the supplies from him – lots of info and fair prices.

Another point in favor of rebuilding vs. replacing is that the entire job of rebuilding can be done from the outside. This is important to me because I should have done all of this before I rebuilt the interior but I didn’t and I don’t want to uninstall cabinets and valances now. Also, I have covered the kitchen window on the inside and getting at it from the inside would be a major PIA.

Besides needing new rubber around the outside, our windows have been tinted with film and it is old and has turned purple and must be replaced. The sliders must be cleaned up because they are difficult to open and close and the exterior aluminum frames need to be repainted.

I bought a rebuild kit for one of the large front sliders from Jim a year ago and never got the chance (I was avoiding it I guess) to do it but my Navigator has made a strong request that I get this done before we leave in September for Oregon and the Fall 2013 GMCWS rally.

Monday, August 5th: today I got started on the driver’s side large slider. Earlier, I had scoped this all out – I read Jim’s article above – looked at the actual windows to better understand what had to be done, and even made a simple little tool for removing the plastic tracks for the sliding pane – I used about a one foot piece of a “electrician’s fish tape” because it is a good size and is flexible. I went to an automotive finish supply store and bought some SEM self-etching metal primer and some black enamel for the frames. I bought some good masking tape and paper and some Scotch 233 tape for holding some 3.5 mil plastic over the window openings while I had the windows out.

The first thing I did was cover the window shade and the couch with some plastic so I could work on the window without messing them up and then I removed the old, stiff window rubbers from the whole window – the coach looks better already.

The next step was removing the post that divides the window in half. I forgot to unlatch the window so it could move but I figured that out pretty quickly. Removing the fixed window pane was next and it was easy – it was a hot day like every day in Southern Arizona in the summer – but the “glue” holding the fixed pain in was so soft it felt and acted like a cross between black grease and glue and it got on everything but no damage. I had bought some suction-cup type glass handles at Harbor Freight so it was easy to handle the glass.

Removing the slider was easy too. All I had to do was remove the track from the top of the frame behind where the fixed glass was and then move the slider into that area (open the window) and it lifted right out. The bottom slider track was a little difficult to get out because of all the dirt in it and under it but it did come out. I did some first-pass cleanup on the window frame using a putty knife and lots of mineral spirits to get the “glue” off. I covered the opening with the 3.5 mil plastic sheeting and the Scotch masking tape that is not supposed to leave anything behind even after a week in the hot Arizona sun – we’ll see.

The rest of the afternoon – about an hour or two – was spent removing the old tint film with a razor-blade window scraper. It did take about half the time to just get the “glue” and a lot of silicone off the fixed glass section though. What a mess. Nitrile gloves are a good idea during the whole job with frequent changes – probably depending on the type of “glue” your PO used.

Next will be sanding and painting the window frame and the center post while I try to get some new film installed on the glass. A recommended tint applicator is supposed to call me this week. The plan is to do one window at a time: I remove and clean a window, take it to his shop in late afternoon, he installs the film and then I let it dry for a day before I reinstall it. I am now waiting for him to call.

Tuesday, August 6th: the weather was great for working outside today; it never got above 84 degrees and there was a nice breeze. I put in a call to Jerry Sweet of Sweet Window Tinting to see if he was back in town yet. He answered and agreed to install film on my two window panes this afternoon at his home shop. Jerry does mostly commercial jobs because that is what is available but he likes to do cars and really knows what he is doing. I found him by calling my State Farm Insurance agent – State Farm always directs their clients to good repair people so I knew that they would know of a good one.

While I was waiting for Jerry to get back to his shop I continued the cleanup of the plastic tracks for the glass slider and I worked on preparing the interior under each of the other windows so I would not mess anything up when I do the rest of the windows. I removed all of the screens and their tracks so I could clean them and get them out of the way.

Jerry finally got to his shop at about 3:30pm. We selected a dark tinted film that will look black on the outside and will block about 40% of the suns heat. I watched Jerry install the film on both panes in about 30 minutes and the job is either perfect or close to it. He is fun to watch. Jerry suggested that I let the film dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling the glass and he actually trusted me to pay him when the whole job is done. I left without even signing my name – I like doing business with people like that.

Tomorrow I plan to remove the glass from the large window on the passenger side and at least start cleaning up that frame. On the driver’s side I plan to paint the frame in preparation for the glass installation on Thursday.

Wednesday, August 7th: a bright and sunny day but not extremely high temperatures – I think it got to about 95 but not humid. I cleaned up the driver’s side window frame inside and out and primed and painted it. There was a ton of sandy dirt in the slot that holds the plastic slider track. It took a brush, a putty knife, and a narrow scraper (a flat screwdriver) to get all the dirt out.

While the primer was drying on the driver’s side window I started working on the passenger side. Having the experience of the first side and the awful greasy glue I used rubber gloves and made nowhere near the mess I made on the other side. The passenger side cleaned up so easily that I managed to get it painted too, both primer and final coat done on both sides now. I alerted Jerry Sweet that I would be bringing at least 2 more panes of glass to him tomorrow. I plan to get the old film off of those two panes in the morning and then start taking the smaller windows apart while I am waiting for Jerry.

Thursday, August 8th: I started out getting the window panes from the passenger side clean and ready to install the tint. That took me about 3 hours. Next was reinstalling the newly tinted panes on the driver’s side. The first piece to go in is the slider – the bottom track first then the top. I had cleaned up the window tracks and noticed that one of the reasons the windows don’t slide like new is because the track wears out – 37 years of grit accumulating in the slide and under it and that acts like sandpaper and wears it out. Even the glass is scratched from it. I installed the former upper tracks on the bottom so that I got a new wear surface (no weight on the top) and put the former bottom ones on the top. It now slides like it must have when it was new – perfect.

That was the easy part. Now to install the fixed pane – a real pain. I applied the  black RTV that Jim B. sent along with the rubbers and felt strip. I applied a narrow bead and then spread it with my finger (gloved). It did have some lumps which tried to make a mess but I think I outfoxed it. This is actually a two-person job. One person has to hold the glass in position with the glue and spacers trying to move all the time. The second person starts installing the rubber lock molding at the bottom to hold the bottom of the window and the spacers in place. After the turn is made it will not move.

Installing the rubbers is not as bad as it sounds – maybe I just have strong thumbs. I did try a tool that Steve Ferguson suggested (on the gmc-photo site I think) but it didn’t seem to help a lot and it made marks in the rubber. Before I do the next window I will figure out an alternative tool. Installing the larger rubber is more difficult than the smaller one but I got it done and it looks beautiful!.

I also removed the window over the kitchen sink – it is covered on the inside so this is for external looks.  I removed the window because it was falling out. I had removed the rubber yesterday because I hated how it looked and it had sagged and was in danger of falling out.

Friday, August 9th: I decided that for the next phase of this project I would concentrate on the driver’s side windows because I can’t fit all 8 remaining glass panes in my van at one time going to and from the tinting shop.

I removed the glass from the bedroom window next. This was made much more difficult because some PO had used steel screws to hold the center post in place where Jim Bounds recommends using aluminum rivets. The dissimilar metals action had welded the top screw in place and it would not budge while the bottom screw came out with superhuman effort. I had to use a thin cutting disk on a dremel type tool to cut the screw out from behind. I make a sort of mess of the upper part of the frame trying to drill a very hard piece of steel screw out of some very soft aluminum. I think a new rivet will cover the mess but, if not, I will have to repair it and redrill.

Once I had the 3 new pieces of glass at home I found that the ammonia under a black plastic trash bag worked really well and made it almost easy to get the old tint film off.  While the glass was “soaking” under the plastic and ammonia I worked on cleaning and painting the frames. Now the whole driver’s side is ready for glass whenever the new rubbers, etc. get here.

Saturday, August 10th: I took the 5 window panes to Jerry to re-tint. He had suggested getting an early start so we did. I arrived at his house at 7 a.m. and by 8:45 a.m. I was back home.  Had to go out of town for a couple of days so removing the remaining passenger side glass will have to wait until I get home. After that the big back window and the cockpit side windows will be next – they will have to be done in place.

Wednesday, August 14th: Had a family issue that took a few days but I got started again this morning. I took out the remaining windows from the passenger side – the door and the bedroom. Having learned what and how to do it, I immediately cleaned and painted the frames and then covered them to wait for tinting to be complete. I found the remaining rubbers and felt strips on my doorstep when we returned home last night so time to start putting some glass back in, maybe tomorrow.

Thursday, August 15th: I removed the film from the large back window over the bed and from the cockpit side windows this morning. I had tried applying some ammonia with plastic trash bags yesterday before I left but that apparently did no good. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to get the old stuff off but I ran the A/C and removed the mattress so I could stay cool and not make a mess.

In the afternoon I went back to the coach with my helper/navigator and reinstalled the newly tinted (former) kitchen window trying my new rubber installation tool – photos below – that I made from a broken wood chisel. I just ground the normally sharp end down to a flat surface, sort of like the end of a flat screwdriver and I rounded the corners and eased the edges a little so it would not mark or cut the rubber. It did slip a couple of times and scratch the newly painted frame but it is so much easier than thumbs or Steve’s recommended tool I will happily touch up the frames for the ease of installation.

Tomorrow, I plan to get down there early with my helper/navigator – her job is to hold the fixed pane and spacers in place on the glued frame while I insert the rubber – and install the bedroom window on the driver’s side and the big sliding window on the passenger side.

Friday, August 16th: got the bedroom slider on the driver’s side and the big slider on the passenger side done today. The tool works great but the same thing in a hard plastic like ABS would be better because that would be less likely to scratch. I have a few little scratches on the frames to fix so far and only one minor paint damage – not that anyone will notice that.  Now just waiting for Jerry, my tint installer, to call me to set up an appointment.  I had to take a photo of the driver’s side with the living area windows complete. They look so good they make the cockpit windows look really bad so they are next. I have ordered the stuff from Jim Bounds – hopefully, that will include the slider tracks because they are a mess.

Well, I called Jerry to set up an appointment – thinking tomorrow (Saturday) and he asks: “How about now?” So, at 3:30 I took the coach along with the 3 panes of glass I took out yesterday and headed to Jerry’s. He did the 3 pieces while the coach cooled down a little with the A/C running. When he was done with the 3 pieces he jumped into the coach and tinted that 6-foot by 3-foot back window in no time at all.

I will have to take tomorrow off because I have to let the film dry for 24 hours before handling it. Monday it will be.

Monday, August 19th: Installed the bedroom and door windows on the passenger side so all done. Tomorrow, I will reinstall the screens but I don’t anticipate any problems with that. The plastic tracks for the screens were a little messed up and that resulted in the screens not fitting right and rattling. Messed up means that there were 3 different profiles of plastic track and a couple were installed upside down. I cleaned up the screen tracks, figured out how they were supposed to be installed and did it. I ended up with quite a bit left over because I did not extend the tracks across the window – I installed it only where it needs to be to hold the screens in place – because we never open the screens.

All in all, I would say that the job is not that hard to do. It is just time-consuming and dirty because the old “glue” is messy – maybe yours will not be? Also, I think that there must be a better way of installing the rubbers – there must be a tool. I would suggest taking a sample of the profiles to a body or glass shop and asking for suggestions. I think a hook-type tool could be used to pull the inside lip of the rubbers into place instead of pushing the outside lip in – just a theory.

Materials, including paint, etc. totaled under $1000 (one GMC unit) and the result really nice looking.

Here are the project steps I planned:

1. protect (mask/cover) interior around windows
2. remove the old rubber
3. remove the center post on slider
4. remove the fixed window – just pull/push it off – a putty knife helps – save the spacers
5. remove slider window by removing the upper plastic track first
6. clean and sand frame and post – mineral spirits worked great on the old “glue”
7. clean and paint the frame and post with SEM self-etching primer and black glossy paint
8. cover the window opening with 3.5 mil plastic sheeting and masking tape – will take 24 hrs for tint to dry
9. clean windows and tracks and apply tint film – let film dry for at least 24 hrs.
10. replace slider window
11. replace fixed window – use original spacers but only use 1/2″ lengths to minimize difficulty with rubber trim
12. replace small rubber trim – this is what holds the window in place – trim to edge of fixed glass
13. install center post with new brush strip
14. rivet post in place – do not use screws
15. replace large rubber around sliding pane – leave about 1/8″ long and push it in

Here is a look at the passenger side.

Good luck.

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It is hard to believe that my last post “between trips” was last summer, before our trip to Maine and back to Arizona. Even then, the post had lots of words about what I had been up to but no photos. In this post I will try to bring everyone up to date.

The latest updates are about my air conditioner cover/console that I wrote a lot of words about but did not provide any photos.

In the first 5 photos above you can see what I initially did to cover the after-market under-dash air conditioning unit while incorporating the Electro-Level switches, the air conditioner controls, and the console table that holds our laptop and drinks while we are traveling. Everything worked great except the air conditioner – there was just not enough air coming out, and what was coming out could not be directed where we wanted it – right at us. In the last photo above you might be able to tell that the round vents in the front panel of the cover are different than in the previous 5 photos. Below you will see another photo of what I hope is the final tweak – some external fans.

Our trip last summer began just after the console was finished and we found out pretty quickly about the lack of air and the lack of control of its direction. Our solution for that trip was to buy two clip-on fans at WalMart, clip them onto the arm that supports the laptop swivel table, and blow the cold air where we wanted it – right at us. This was effective but the hassle of the fan clips slipping and the cords getting tangled made it a less than ideal solution.

Between trips I found some RV air conditioning ceiling vents that allowed adjustment of output air in two directions where the original round vents only allowed one adjustment direction. These new vents were slightly larger than the first set and pure white so I had to enlarge the holes in the face plate and paint them an appropriate color. After this modification was complete we took a short trip to Sierra Vista (about 80 miles) and back in some very hot Arizona summer weather and found that the air delivery was still in bad shape.

My next iteration of the design incorporated the original two-way adjustable rectangular vents from the original air conditioner unit. I cut two rectangular holes in the top of the cover (lost a convenient storage shelf) and installed them there – you can see both changes in the next to last photo. I took a short drive in very hot weather and I believe we are getting closer to being comfortable but we are still not there. Re-enter those external fans. I made a saddle for the arm that holds the two external fans – the arms only articulate in one direction – I have them moving the fans perpendicular to the arm and I may not have that right. If I don’t I’ll update this later. The saddle and the fans are shown in the last photo.

 

 

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[Note 5/12/2016 – even though they were “virtually” gone they were still around once in a while so I just converted to FiTech EFI]

Every year, when the outside temperatures across the country begin to rise, the subject of “vapor lock” rears its ugly head. I live in Arizona and, if gas is going to vaporize, it will do it here. I have had my GMC for almost 7 years and have gone from being stuck by the side of the road, at a gas pump, or at intersections many times but, so far, that is not happening any more. I say “so far” because there are variables like gasoline formulations which could affect us at any time. I said “virtually gone” because there have been slight hesitations on two occasions (on a coast-to-coast trip last summer) when it would have died before. Some quick pumping of the gas pedal fixed the problem immediately both times. I remember that happening occasionally when I was a kid when we had “real” gas.

So, how did I get to this point? Of course I don’t know for sure but I think the accumulation of several things has done it. Most of the things result in reducing the heat in the engine compartment and at the top of the engine. I have done nothing to insulate any fuel lines or tanks. The biggest things were: blocking the exhaust crossover passage on the intake manifold, fixing the exhaust system with good flow-through mufflers, and improving the air flow in the engine compartment (see the blog post HERE). Other things I did were to use an electric fuel pump full time and fix the fuel vapor recovery system. The mechanical fuel pump is gone and the electric one is installed on the outside of the frame just in front of the tank selector valve.

I think that fixing the fuel vapor recovery system helps the vapor lock problem a lot. I know of at least one very knowledgeable GMCer who would argue with me but I have evidence and some logic to help my argument. I “fixed” the system early in 2012 and, by that, I mean I connected all of the hoses the way they were meant to be connected and I replaced the fuel/vapor separator and the charcoal cannister. The reason I did this was that my navigator is very sensitive to odors and could smell gasoline in both the back bedroom and the flight deck.

Some people think that the fuel vapor system is allowed to vent fuel vapor to the atmosphere as rapidly as internal tank pressure demands and I think that, logically, cannot be true. The pollution rules, even back then, did not allow fuel vapor to just vent from open tanks. The charcoal cannister has a valve in it that limits the ventilation flow rate and that limit results in pressure in the tanks if fuel vapor is being produced faster than it can filter. That is my logical view – and now for some evidence:on April 27th of 2012, after the fuel vapor system, mufflers, and intake crossover were all done we left for California and the GMCWS rally.

I remember the date of April 27th because it set records for heat. We crossed the desert on our way to Palm Desert at well over 100 degrees. At our first stop for fuel in Gila Bend it was right around 100 degrees and when I went to remove the gas cap there was significant pressure to relieve before I could just take it off. The first time I experienced that was a couple of years ago and the vapor was accompanied by liquid gas when I just let it gush out. It took a couple of real clock minutes to bleed the pressure off completely. When I was re-entering the highway I had a “vapor lockish” hesitation but it went away quickly and did not recur. Our next stop for fuel was at Yuma where it was still over 100 degrees. This time the gas cap was playing a tune – the pressure in the tank had overcome the cap’s pressure limit (there is one). Gas caps are not allowed to be vented for pollution reasons. Since then I have found that the EPA requirements for gas say that April is outside of the season when summer formulations are required (to limit fuel vapor). We were burning “winter gas” which “boils” at lower temperatures.

Having that much pressure in the tanks seemed a little scary so I decided to allow the system to just vent by leaving the gas cap loose. The coach would barely run like that. We went just down the road to a shopping center lot to turn around and I could hardly keep it running. Finally, after about 5 minutes of deja vous with vapor lock I tightened the gas cap and within a minute it ran great and never did it again even through Brawley, California where the outside temperatures got to 110 degrees.

My theory is that the pressure in the tank keeps the fuel from boiling. In both cases I described above, I could hear the fuel boiling in the tank once I got the gas cap off. That is why I include fixing the fuel vapor recovery system as part of the problem/solution. Keeping the gas from boiling in the tanks helps a lot but eliminating it completely is probably not necessary because the fuel pump only has to keep the carburetor bowl full. A few bubbles getting that far are not a big deal and pressure in the tank minimizes it. Keeping the gas from boiling in the carburetor bowl is a bigger problem since it is essentially a small reservoir of fuel and there is not much room for bubbles. That is why keeping the temperature in the engine compartment, especially under the carburetor (the intake manifold), lower is the most important thing.

Comments are welcome.

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