1989 Falcon 190- Preservation,Restoration, Customization

Hello everybody.  I just picked up a new camper van, and in my opinion, it is in really good shape.  It only has 58,000 original miles, and has been under cover for most of its 28 years.  There is hardly any rust anywhere on the vehicle.  The camper interior looks to be 99% original, and in really great condition.  The appliances all work too! 

However, it is still an old used vehicle, and as such it needs some attention to get it back into tip-top shape.  I figured I'd post my progress on this thread, that way I could garner knowledge and receive input and ideas from the RV community.

My most pressing issue at this moment are the massive leaks from the forward facing windows on the fiberglass top.  We had a few days of rain the other week, and man alive, did the top bunk get soaked in water.  I pulled the mattresses, dried the top, and placed bowls under the leaks.  The bowls collected over a cup of water in an 8 hour period.

I tried to take the van in for service at Seattle RV store, and the fellow behind the counter really did not want my business.  He told me that no one manufactures seals for these windows, and that I would just have to goop sealant all over them and hope for the best, and promptly went back to reading his magazine behind the counter.

His response is not good enough for me.  I have worked in the marine repair industry for many years here in Seattle, and I know that anything can be repaired, if one really sets their mind to it.  And I have a mind to repair my beautiful ol' camper.  With all that being said, perhaps someone that is familiar with the forum could help direct me to information regarding these style of window reseals?  Or perhaps offer some advice on how to procure these style of seals?  I've posted two photos of the seals.  The seal looks terrible where the ends were joined together.

I've attached a few photos of the van.  I did a nice detail job on the van's topsides, and drove the rig on a fabulous weekend road trip through the Cascade mountains to Twisp, WA.  The fall colors were amazing!  The van did great- even the cruise control works!

Thanks everybody.

Ahhh... you came over to my side of the mountain.    Welcome!  You must have driven the North Cascade highway, that's a beautiful drive in the fall! Someone on here is bound to know something about that type window seal. Hopefully you will be able to source them quickly. Our first old class C had a leaky cab over bunk that nearly ruined a 10 day trip to Vancouver Island. It wasn't a pretty sight when we pulled everything out to dry! 

You need to resize your photos. They are way too large and unviewable. They need to be something like 1000 x 800 to be comfortably viewed on a forum.

Welcome!!!

With such massive leaks from that window, it would be very wise to check all the structure of the overhang. Rotting of this structure as a result of that widow leak is a well known problem on these class C machines. A search of this site will likely reveal quite a few posts on the subject, including one or more from people who have spoken of such a repair in great detail on their own websites.

Yours does not seem to have a very large overhang when compared to some but.....

99dart, the route I took was simply spectacular.  I left Seattle on I-90 E and drove to Ellensberg, where I took Blewitt Pass up to Wenatchee.  From there I headed N along the Columbia River and then up to Twisp.  I've attached a photo of my campsite at my friends' house over there, sleeping under a beautiful fall maple tree. THEN I took Highway 20 back across the mountains to Rockport, and then took the 530 down to Arlington, and then back on down to Seattle on I-5.  It was a fabulous fall trip.

SeileeBird, thanks for the information.  I resized the photos based on your recommended pixel numbers, and attached them in place of the old files. 

Alfa38User, thanks for the information.  I didn't find a build thread that had exactly the information that am looking for, but I ended up finding a seal manufacturer's website... I think this seal, or something like it, is what I might be looking for.  http://www.all-rite.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/-/1-4lockinggasket.jpg  At least now I know what information I should search for, window seals.
I'll be inspecting underneath the bunk area.  I have my fingers crossed that it is in as good of shape as the rest of the van is...

That is a beauty of a rig. That window seal is no big deal and is available somewhere. I've replaced a lot of glass years ago in tractors, loaders and other industrial equipment. Try mobile glass repair shops. I remember two styles, a bead type which looks like yours and a flap type. You need to know the glass thickness and the wall thickness and should be able to get dimensions off your old seal.

https://www.trimlok.com/rubber-extrusion/locking-gasket/installation-tools

Tool for installing key

https://www.trimlok.com/rubber-extrusion/locking-gasket/installation-tools/tool-kit


Key or bead type and flap type seal.

Alfa38User, I inspected the area under the bed on the overhang, and I can see absolutely ZERO signs of water damage.  No discoloration, no rust, no rot, anywhere.  Huzzah!  I figure the leaks are new, or the previous owners must have kept the rain off these windows one way or the other. 

QZ, thanks for the helpful information.  I took your advice and spent the afternoon driving around Seattle, trying to find a glass shop that could help.  I finally found a shop that had one size each of the bead type and the flap type seals.  They said they could order different sizes as well.  So... it looks like I'll be taking out a window to get some measurements for the correct seal. 

In the meantime I changed the fuel filter, installed a new PCV valve, changed the air filter, and picked up a new serpentine belt to install tomorrow.

Good to hear that. You should be able to pull the bead and gently work the glass out and maybe have a helper. Dont push hard in one area and work your way around to loosen. It's may best to seal the rubber into the opening. We never did it on sheet metal cabs but see how your originals were sealed or someone on here may know. Use dish soap solution when working the lip and bead back in and be gentle so you dont crack the glass.