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| | | What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: May 2019 Posts: 4 stranger | OP stranger Joined: May 2019 Posts: 4 | Hi everyone. New old van owner here. I have just replaced the flooring in my 1987 Chev G20 and noticed evidence of water leaking in these big side windows. The design of these things doesn't seem great. I live in a rainy area and these things look bound to leak. The side vent windows have this seal where water can easily pool. The track that these windows slide on does not seem to have any way for water to drain away. (Unless I'm missing something) Were these things water tight even when new? The outer frame of these windows even has a gap where water can collect. I'm assuming any attempts at sealing this are going to be temporary at best. Are there any "how to's" showing how to reseal these? Thanks
Last edited by SalmonVan; May 15th 2019 9:20 pm.
| | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Nov 2013 Posts: 3,692 Likes: 32 pooh-bah | pooh-bah Joined: Nov 2013 Posts: 3,692 Likes: 32 | Are you experiencing any leaks? This is a std. conversion van window...100s of thousand built just this way.
As for the rubber seal and drain...there is a drain. It's that little black plastic square along the bottom face of the aluminum frame. Look at it from underneath, and you should see openings in the bottom of that plastic square. If water accumulates in that open channel, this will let it out. Theoretically.
The windows are generic, and do not exactly match the curvature of the van side (sometimes called tumblehome). That's typical. One window design, fits any van you cut a hole in (Ford, Chevy or Dodge, full-size, mid-size and mini). The seal is sort of an oversized balloon, and fills the gap.
That said, can water collect there? Yes. Can it find a weakness in a seal and leak? Yes. My previous van ('95 Chevy shorty Santa Fe conversion) had leaks there...not that dripped inside, or got the interior wet, but enough moisture slipped by the seal to cause rust at the raw metal edge left when the body side is cut to create the window opening. All the conversion companies I know of used a brush on sealer on that raw edge to prevent rust, but that's only so good. Eventually I had rust blistering out from under the window. I had to largely gut the interior to get to the backside of the window, remove it, have paint and body work done, then put it all back together. Not a fun project at all. Worse, in a few years the rust was back. That's when I traded for my Suburban.
My Midwest conversion could suffer the same fate if I don't get it in out of the weather. I'm working on that. Also, when Dad sat down with Midwest's owner and placed his order, he paid to have those window openings double coated, just in case. So hopefully that is saving me/it. | | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 Maniac | Maniac Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 | I have an 89 E150 and I live in rainy western Washington State. It is a full conversion with three of thoe windows. The factory rear door seals leak more than the windows do. The conversion windows don't leak at all (as far as I can tell).
Windows- they're what make a van worth owning! | | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Apr 2019 Posts: 96 Likes: 1 journeyman | journeyman Joined: Apr 2019 Posts: 96 Likes: 1 | I have a side window with a small gap in the seal and it leaked like a bucket with a hole in the bottom every time it rained. I put a small piece of duct tape over the gap like it was a flashing strip going over the window and walla no leaks and you can only notice it if you look closely. | | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Feb 2019 Posts: 80 journeyman | journeyman Joined: Feb 2019 Posts: 80 | The colors on that van look awesome, got any pics of the whole thing? 93 Chevy G20 Explorer
| | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: May 2019 Posts: 4 stranger | OP stranger Joined: May 2019 Posts: 4 | Thanks for the responses guys. I guess I will have to look closer to find that drain. I'm not sure if the window seals were leaking or someone had spilled something. There are some wooden drink holder there too that seemed to have discolouration from water on the back side so I'm not sure. The cloth on the walls below the windows seems fine. Thanks for the heads up on the rear door seals. I can see one of them is out of place and there was definitely a little water under the plywood back there. No rust that I could see though. Are the rear door seals still available? The colors on that van look awesome, got any pics of the whole thing? Sure. It is an odd colour. It seems to change in different lighting throughout the day. Sometimes it looks brownish. Other times almost silver. The stripes at times look maroon and other times a reddish brown. [/url] | | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 9,855 Likes: 234 carpal tunnel | carpal tunnel Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 9,855 Likes: 234 | There are some wooden drink holder there too that seemed to have discolouration from water on the back side so I'm not sure. The cloth on the walls below the windows seems fine. Those big windows do condense moisture on the inside, sometimes a lot in cool weather, and it will run down and dampen whatever is close by under them. This may be what you are seeing.
Last edited by CatFish; May 18th 2019 8:48 am.
| | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Oct 2015 Posts: 77 journeyman | journeyman Joined: Oct 2015 Posts: 77 | Hope I don't get in trouble for jumping into an old thread. My '91 Starcraft has been leaking at the rear of the RR window since...well probably since long before I got it. Somebody pointed out already that these windows are not van make specific, and all kinds of issues pop up. On my GMC, Starcraft cut out the body panel support uprights so the body panel would more easily conform to the curve of the window frame. The beams are reattached, but only by thin steel brackets and sheet metal screws, and they don't actually support -anything- save maybe the weight of the roof in that area. Maybe.
I'm in the middle of yet -another- attempt at resealing this thing. I've never had luck posting pictures here, so sorry about that, 'cuz I'm bettin' most of us have never seen one of these things out. Or our van without it! Scary, for sure. | | | Re: What's the deal with these old conversion van windows? | Joined: Jun 2010 Posts: 18,286 Likes: 557 | Joined: Jun 2010 Posts: 18,286 Likes: 557 | Hope I don't get in trouble for jumping into an old thread.. Ive found 12 yr old post I liked and posted on them .... dig all you want...lol there is a " Attachment Manager " at bottom of the "Full Editor" response page that makes it pretty easy.
Last edited by frscke1; March 20th 2021 3:09 pm.
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