1974 Airstream Window Tutorial Part One

Removing windows, step one

From my reading on Airstream renovations, refurbishing windows is the stuff of legend. I've seen folks splitting apart double-paned glass with wood shims (bareback, curtains closed—I know, you'd almost thinking Walter White was cooking something), heat guns, razors, prayer, you name it. Prayer for sure: these windows are expensive to replace as they're all curved. At one point during the summer, after having removed all the Vista View windows, I yelled out to Marlene, "Hey hon! I'm carrying 5K is replacement glass!" And that was just the Vista View windows.

Windows out

Thankfully, it appears I've dodged a bullet with my windows. In '74 AS made double-paned windows, but strangely the external pane is glass while the internal is plastic. The internal is held in place by an aluminum frame that is screwed to the sash. There is no insulative value of the second pane, so it beats me why they put it in.

Gaskets crumbling

After 45 years, the gasket between the Lexan and the glass pane has completely decayed. On the street-side windows (no awning to protect them from the sun), the corrosion has pitted the aluminum.

Also, the mylar coating (meant to repel sun) has also disintegrated. That was removed with a razor blade.

 The photo below is the inner Lexan pane. You can see how pitted the aluminum is—I guess there was some chemical reaction that occurred over 45 years. The foam gasket basically crumbled when I scraped it with the razor.

No gasket left on Lexan pane/pitted aluminum

Crud abounds

Mylar is toast

Rubber is finito

The rubber gasket that seals the sash against the body is also garbage. That was fairly easy to remove—a paint scraper, Goof-Off and Windex, plus steel wool and a razor blade did the job. I also discovered that a brass wire wheel (soft) on the drill got most of the glue and Vulkem off. Oh, and if you ever renovate an AS, you will quickly discover that all the silicon previous owners used is a B#@$?!CH to remove. Silicon on aluminum is not a match made in heaven.

Corrosion on steel as well as ancient spider webs 

Rust removed with wire wheel. 

The upper bolt tore in half. The bottom bolt was more obedient and was loosened without issue.

The above shot show two latches taken apart. I've got about 30 of these to take apart, clean and reassemble. Hey—winters are long up here and one can't sip whiskey all day.

Window sash—left is polished, right has 45 years of gunk.