Designing artist t-shirts is good, mkay

With most of the big jobs out of the way — including new exhaust — it’s the little things that are taking unexpectedly big amounts of time. For example, exhaust replacements usually suck, simply because the heat and roadcrap usually make removing the bolts an almost impossible task. In this case, disposing of the dented-in muffler and replacing it with a new on took all of 30 minutes.

I replaced most of the black rubber during the painting process — as described before. After I learned the trick — something of an upward curve there — it was no problem for me and the wife to replace most of the black rubber seals.

Did the side camper windows this past weekend … Given that these things screw in, should have been a no-brainer. Oh, hell no. Getting the windows out: easy. Getting all the little bits of internal rubber and flaps over the individual window sections involves removing the frames, digging out some epoxy weld material and hammering the frame free in at least two places.

Finally got the new rubber installed — make sure to bend the inside parts of the frame back over the interior screw — otherwise frames won’t pivot back into the camper right because there is not enough clearance between the top and bottom of the aluminum inside lip.

But here’s the real kicker, the new rubber seals are just a tad to big for the frames, especially with a new layer of paint, etc. After failing to succeed with brute force, finally tried alternating between gently coaxing the windows into the van and pounding on the edges with palm of hand. It works, but you have to make sure seal does not roll off the window or tuck under. Have something flat, but not sharp, like butter knife, to help feed the seal into the frame and uncurl any sections that try to go that route.

All told, expect to spend a couple of hours per camper window removing it, replacing all the rubber parts, and getting it back in. This is also a good opportunity to make sure screens are in good shape and to lubricate the crank and all other moving parts that help lever the windows open.

Also a word of warning: Aluminum window frames are brittle and will crack if abused. It takes very little force to bend or break the frames, so handle with care.

Next up will be replacing all the door rubber. Most of the rubber replacements came from the Bus Depot (again). I put this off until the painting was done with so no overspray or splatters on the new rubber.

Should have more pics after all that is done. One question for the Bus enthusiasts out there: Does anybody have any idea what cable is used to replace the defrost control cable? Can’t seem to find it listed by any parts dealers online. Any help would be appreciated.