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Looking better
Date: 11/29/2007
St. Nicholas Mountain patched side already looks a lot better with all straight tall windows replaced.
Sash cleanup
Date: 12/15/2007
There is always more to show about doing windows. Here we see the inner half of the sash as it came out, with part of it already cleaned up. To clean the sash I spray it with Goo-Gone after which I remove the crud by sanding with steel wool #0000. Hard to remove dirt gets sanded off with a sanding block after which I use the steel wool to get rid of the scratches left behind from the sanding. After all is clean I use the steel wool to brush in the direction of the old brush-marks to bring back the original brushed look.
Polishing
Date: 12/12/2007
To further clean the aluminum sash and to make it shine I use Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. It's rubbed on until a black residue forms after which it gets rubbed off with a terry cloth leaving the sash shiny and protected.
Broken screws
Date: 12/15/2007
Most of the time the screws holding the two sash halves together come out easily or after an application of penetrating oil and using gentle force. Sometimes though they break off, as can be seen here just left of center. To get the remaining stud out is somewhat of a challenge but it can be done by heating it with Mapp Gas until cherry red (watch out to not heat up the aluminum too much!) and then using locking pliers to gently rotate it out. If that doesn't help, or when the screw broke off flush with the screw hole, I've had good results using a carbide cutter in a Dremel Motor tool to carefully grind it out. Then an appropriately sized tap is used to re-tap the thread. I've been able to save several screw holes this way. On this side of the sash I also clean both flanges, especially the one visible at the top where the window gasket will sit against.
Installed breather assembly
Date: 12/15/2007
After the sandwich of the two panes and gasket has been layed down in the inner sash, it's time to add the breather. The breather has one sharp tube that can be pushed through the gasket into the air-gap between the two panes. The other tube below it is blunt and is hard to push through the gasket material. I use an appropriately sized drill to drill a guide hole for it. When done this tube exits the gasket centered between the inner pane and the inner sash. Visible to the left of the breather is a small screwed-on plate which prevents the breather from moving back out of the gasket. To make installing the breather possible it's necessary to locate the gasket joint off center. I make sure to have it offset by several inches.
Another bad window sash
Date: 12/15/2007
Also the window located on the other side of the small patch turned out to have a lot of rust damage (see May 2007 report). Visible here after cleanup is heavy pitting of the outer skin and the missing flange that used to sit against the skin, similar to the flange visible on the vertical at the right. This window will also have to be taken out again in the future to repair the sash.
Pushed up mounting flange
Date: 12/15/2007
Rust at this window sash had pushed up the sash-mounting-flange that far that the screw holes did not line up anymore. It took quite a bit of grinding to make the flange low enough to line up all the screw holes at the top and the sides. The holes at the bottom were in such bad condition that all screws there had to be replaced with #12's. In the future a new flange will permanently solve the situation.
All straight tall windows done
Date: 12/13/2007
All six straight tall windows have been replaced and the car looks a lot better with it. One more tall window will have to be added after the patch has been repaired.
Interior view of the windows located around the patches
Date: 12/13/2007
This view shows all three windows replaced that will need to come out again to redo the steel work at their window sashes. Visible also is the lighter tint of the middle window. At the time of the steel repairs this window will get its green pane replaced with a pane that better matches the other panes. Actually I like the lighter tint better but for uniformity it will have to go.
And the other three windows
Date: 12/13/2007
These are the other three windows done on this side of the car. Left to do on this side are the three windows at the round end and the car-attendant's roomette window. The tint difference between the windows here is less apparent in reality.
Top stripe added
Date: 12/14/2007
It took working in the dark with a construction lamp to get the third (top) stripe added in time before I had to leave, but the end result sure was worth it. I used Rustoleum applied with a roller. This paint needs to cure fully before adding a second layer making it necessary to add the first layer at night and the second on the morning of my departure.
Old overspray
Date: 12/15/2007
Some white overspray is still visible in the dark areas around the newly added stripes. These areas will be addressed at the next work session. The pin stripes are still temporary, but I do want them to look good.
Half way around the car
Date: 12/14/2007
The stripes have been painted up to and including the rear door. In the future I will continue them around the other side where they will also make a big difference in appearance for the car.
Pin striping finished
Date: 12/15/2007
With the pin stripes completed and most windows replaced on this side, St. Nicholas Mountain looks already a lot better.
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