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This was an exciting day -- cutting the window holes out of the new steel skin. Finally starting to look like a coach instead of a bus!
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Here all the window holes are cut and trimmed to exact size. The yellow strips are pieces I ripped from a sheet of 1-1/2" foam insulation and glued to the sides. The idea is to try to make sure the fiberglass lays completely flat. The strips were glued on, then sanded down to a uniform plane.
Notice the black "border" appearing around each window. These are strips of ABS plastic, 3/16" thick, spaced about 1/4" away from the edge of the frame. The plastic keeps the fiberglass away from the metal, and provides a small "pocket" into which a bead of adhesive will flow. The adhesive requires about a 1/4" or so space between the materials being joined for best results. The space may also help provide a thermal barrier by keeping a small layer of air between the fiberglass and the steel skins.
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Here we are (Kenny, Ed and me - well that's just Kenny ["holding the dumb end" as he likes to say] ;-) lifting the first fiberglass sheet into place. The sheet is 35' long, and weighs around 90lbs. Not too heavy, but VERY awkward. Took all three of our brains to figure out the best way to lift into place. Not too bad once we figured out how to stabilize the glass so it didn't flop around.
Say hi to the camera Kenny. You're famous!
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Here's how she looked when we quit for dinner. Beautiful, isn't it? Next step is to get the fiberglass attached -- riveted under the roof panels on the top, and glued on the bottom. Then the windows go in. Hooray - my windows should be arriving in another week or two!
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The fiberglass is secured on all sides. On the top, it's riveted under the roof aluminum panels. On the bottom, it's glued down with an industrial adhesive. Here you see my "press", intended to make sure that the fiberglass lays down flat and smooth. Once attached, wrinkles would be impossible to remove. I'm holding my breath here waiting to see how it comes out!
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And here's the payoff: Peninsula windows installed and they look GREAT! This view is from the back of the bus, on the driver's side, looking forward. Starting at the front, there's a new driver's window (barely visible in the photo), then two large living area windows, then the two small portals for the kids' bunks, and finally the large master bedroom window. These windows are fabulous: dual pane, tinted, screened and the fit and finish is very nice! So they'll be great for travelling, but it's also fantastic for my working environment to be able to open windows as needed, and to get some sunlight back inside the bus!
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