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Rear Windows have been confusing. We have a great builders group here at KHCR. We collectively had a lot of discussions which resulted in a lot of head scratching. In the end both Bill (my building mentor) and I came up with a very similar plan the same evening, which is amazing as this has been analyzed for a good 2 to 3 months. So here ya go, this is how I solved the problem.
To begin with, I really wanted the window frame inside the door former, but this really makes replacing a window without cutting into covering very difficult.
Firstly I drilled out the factory rivets to separate the inner and outer frames.
I bought 70 Clickbond studs, #CB5000
But they are round, so I had to grind to allow the window to fit into the window channel
ED6CFEBE-3D0A-4B9B-BAFE-EA8B123CEF4F.jpg5ADB4BF4-2ABD-4069-8E4A-EACB29A26F3F.jpg
I used denatured alcohol to clean the frame and the back of the stud for bonding using the proprietary adhesive that is super strong and fast acting.
Next I put down cling wrap on the inner frame and pushed the studs through the cling wrap. This protects the inner frame from the adhesive.
C0EFC541-4D29-47CA-AA4F-801000A35657.jpg
I put the Clickbond adhesive on the stud backs (sorry no photo but pretty simple)
The I put the outer frame on very gently so as not to mess up the orientation of the flat sides of the studs and used cleco’s and clamps to allow the inner and outer to be perfectly matched. I also used Knipex pliers to align the inner and outer frames perfectly by squeezing the edges so they align. Knipex are the perfect tool as they squeeze evenly rather than on an angle like conventional pliers.
0B942B03-05A7-4217-A9E0-B0FBCC172B63.jpg739EC6C0-3DB7-41C4-8148-E5CB1C600CA3.jpg
I also used JB Weld on the top and bottom from of the outer frame to allow it to be riveted to the door former and keep it parallel to the door former rather then the joggle of the outer frame being at an angle
7CC4C139-CE15-4F2D-AF06-DB41446AE61E.jpg
Here is the finished product sans “glass”. Please keep in mind when the nuts are snugged down the inner and outer frames and perfectly matched up and there is no gap as there is in the photo below.
9C0FBCAF-DC42-42EF-BA0C-6042A85ED3E7.jpg9AC57E76-17A6-473F-BE9E-DBD95BCADCAC.jpg
I will rivet the outer frame to the tabs as the tabs, the studs are very nearly the same thickness, I will have to drill the inner frame to allow for the back side of the rivet.. So now I will cover the interior cargo area and glue the fabric to the inside of the outer frame. Then I will cover the fuselage and wrap the fabric over the outer frame and glue to the the inside of the outer framer. This will allow me to install, but more importantly in the future to replace a rear window all the while having nice clean lines of the window frame inside the door former. I will be using acorn nuts to hold the inner frame in place.
This method also makes sliding the window into the channel a non-issue. You can determine the thickness of the “glass” rather than the channel dictating the thickness you can use.
Long post, but hopefully it may help others in the future. I know I spent a LOT of time trying to come up with a plan that was pleasing to my eye.
To begin with, I really wanted the window frame inside the door former, but this really makes replacing a window without cutting into covering very difficult.
Firstly I drilled out the factory rivets to separate the inner and outer frames.
I bought 70 Clickbond studs, #CB5000
But they are round, so I had to grind to allow the window to fit into the window channel
ED6CFEBE-3D0A-4B9B-BAFE-EA8B123CEF4F.jpg5ADB4BF4-2ABD-4069-8E4A-EACB29A26F3F.jpg
I used denatured alcohol to clean the frame and the back of the stud for bonding using the proprietary adhesive that is super strong and fast acting.
Next I put down cling wrap on the inner frame and pushed the studs through the cling wrap. This protects the inner frame from the adhesive.
C0EFC541-4D29-47CA-AA4F-801000A35657.jpg
I put the Clickbond adhesive on the stud backs (sorry no photo but pretty simple)
The I put the outer frame on very gently so as not to mess up the orientation of the flat sides of the studs and used cleco’s and clamps to allow the inner and outer to be perfectly matched. I also used Knipex pliers to align the inner and outer frames perfectly by squeezing the edges so they align. Knipex are the perfect tool as they squeeze evenly rather than on an angle like conventional pliers.
0B942B03-05A7-4217-A9E0-B0FBCC172B63.jpg739EC6C0-3DB7-41C4-8148-E5CB1C600CA3.jpg
I also used JB Weld on the top and bottom from of the outer frame to allow it to be riveted to the door former and keep it parallel to the door former rather then the joggle of the outer frame being at an angle
7CC4C139-CE15-4F2D-AF06-DB41446AE61E.jpg
Here is the finished product sans “glass”. Please keep in mind when the nuts are snugged down the inner and outer frames and perfectly matched up and there is no gap as there is in the photo below.
9C0FBCAF-DC42-42EF-BA0C-6042A85ED3E7.jpg9AC57E76-17A6-473F-BE9E-DBD95BCADCAC.jpg
I will rivet the outer frame to the tabs as the tabs, the studs are very nearly the same thickness, I will have to drill the inner frame to allow for the back side of the rivet.. So now I will cover the interior cargo area and glue the fabric to the inside of the outer frame. Then I will cover the fuselage and wrap the fabric over the outer frame and glue to the the inside of the outer framer. This will allow me to install, but more importantly in the future to replace a rear window all the while having nice clean lines of the window frame inside the door former. I will be using acorn nuts to hold the inner frame in place.
This method also makes sliding the window into the channel a non-issue. You can determine the thickness of the “glass” rather than the channel dictating the thickness you can use.
Long post, but hopefully it may help others in the future. I know I spent a LOT of time trying to come up with a plan that was pleasing to my eye.
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