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85_Ranger4x4
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Original Poster: 85_Ranger4x4
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Time to install: Depends on time to clean and window number/size/shape.
Disclaimer: The Ranger Station.com, The Ranger Station.com Staff, nor the original poster are responsible for you doing this modification to your vehicle. By doing this modification and following this how-to you, the installer, take full responsibility if anything is damaged or messed up. If you have questions, feel free to PM the original poster or ask in the appropriate section of The Ranger Station.com forums.
Brief Explanation: If your trusty topper side windows are leaking and you are thinking that resealing them is daunting worry not, it is pretty simple. However, the consequences of failure are not to be taken lightly, broken windows or cracked fiberglass shells are no laughing matter. A friend is not a bad idea to help control the windows during removal and installation. My topper is a "20th Century Fiberglass" topper, they are now called Century (I assume since the 20th century is like 25 years ago now)
Tools Needed:
- Towel(s)
- Nutdriver to match screws around window (powered screw gun is recommended and encouraged)
- Razor gasket scraper
- Scissors
- Cheap plastic interior trim prybars
- Magnetic tool tray to contain the many screws
Parts Needed:
- Denatured Alcohol
- Butyl Tape
---------------------------------------------------------
Step 1: Put the butyl tape into your refrigerator to stiffen it up for a couple hours until you get ready for it... unless you want to experience the La Brea Tar Pits from the comfort of your garage. I didn't know this trick when I resealed my back window in a different truck. It escalates quickly when the stuff is warm, worse than antisieze... just throw it in the fridge.
Step 2: Inside the topper locate the aluminum trim around the windows. Remove the screws holding the trim and set the trim aside. The screws go from the trim to the window frame and sandwich the topper body between them. If you have a helper have them make sure the window doesn't come out on its own before you get out of the topper.
Sneak peak of what you are working with, you might have thought the thing was 1/2" thick when you set the dead whale on the back of your truck, mine is only like 1/8" thick so be careful. Also be careful of getting fiberglass fibers in your skin from the cutout, as the resin ages you can pick them up from the bare fiberglass on the inside of your topper as well.
And how the window frame and trim interface together.
Step 3: Very carefully remove the window frame. Work around the perimeter with the prybars and work it loose. If it doesn't want to go in one area move onto another, move around the frame and eventually it will come free. Take your time careful not to break the window frame, fiberglass shell or mar the paint finish. Remember, fiberglass repair will require paint and who knows what a broken window glass/frame will take to locate... so no pressure!
(my topper was originally painted red, they didn't remove the windows when it was painted black before I bought it)
On mine the old sealing tape was pretty weak so it didn't take much effort to remove the windows, your mileage may vary though.
Step 4: Clean the old gasket off the window frame and the cutout in the topper. If anyone has tried to seal it with silicone marvel how drastically it did nothing and yet is a major PITA to remove. Once it is cleaned off go over it with the towel and denatured alcohol to make sure you have the surface as clean as you can get it. There is a seam at the bottom of my window frames with some sort of sealant, I left it alone.
Step 5: Install new butyl tape. Retrieve tape from refrigerator. I pulled a window off to measure before I ordered the tape. I ended up 1/8" thick, 1/2" wide butyl tape, your topper may vary. I tried to crowd it to the outside of the frame on later windows, the cutouts on my topper are far from perfect so having the tape the inside might be losing contact area on the shell. Cut tape with scissors.
Step 6: Install window back into topper. Very carefully insert the window back into the topper cutout. Try not to let the butyl touch the topper until you get it through the cutout. If the butyl gets pulled off the window frame and stretches don't stress. Just work it back into place and go again. Finesse is the name of the game. Once it is in the cutout press it into the topper and get the butyl to stick to the topper body. It will not be super sticky until it warms up so don't put a ton of faith in it holding the window in place, it would be a good idea to have a friend make sure the window stays in place until you get it bolted back in.
Step 7. Retain the window. Line interior trim back up and run the screws back in the existing holes into the existing holes they used last time. They may want to fight but work them around a little until you get the angle right so they bite. Go chris-cross across the window loosely installing screws so the trim can have some wiggle room if need be to line screws up as you go. Once you get the trim pretty well aligned run the screws in until they are snug. Keep in mind you are screwing flimsy aluminum trim to an aluminum window frame that is sandwiching fiberglass, don't go nuts on the torque.
Step 8. Rinse and repeat for however many windows you want to reseal. Keep the tape in the fridge when you are not using it so it stays cool while in you install and remove the next window.
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Time to install: Depends on time to clean and window number/size/shape.
Disclaimer: The Ranger Station.com, The Ranger Station.com Staff, nor the original poster are responsible for you doing this modification to your vehicle. By doing this modification and following this how-to you, the installer, take full responsibility if anything is damaged or messed up. If you have questions, feel free to PM the original poster or ask in the appropriate section of The Ranger Station.com forums.
Brief Explanation: If your trusty topper side windows are leaking and you are thinking that resealing them is daunting worry not, it is pretty simple. However, the consequences of failure are not to be taken lightly, broken windows or cracked fiberglass shells are no laughing matter. A friend is not a bad idea to help control the windows during removal and installation. My topper is a "20th Century Fiberglass" topper, they are now called Century (I assume since the 20th century is like 25 years ago now)
Tools Needed:
- Towel(s)
- Nutdriver to match screws around window (powered screw gun is recommended and encouraged)
- Razor gasket scraper
- Scissors
- Cheap plastic interior trim prybars
- Magnetic tool tray to contain the many screws
Parts Needed:
- Denatured Alcohol
- Butyl Tape
---------------------------------------------------------
Step 1: Put the butyl tape into your refrigerator to stiffen it up for a couple hours until you get ready for it... unless you want to experience the La Brea Tar Pits from the comfort of your garage. I didn't know this trick when I resealed my back window in a different truck. It escalates quickly when the stuff is warm, worse than antisieze... just throw it in the fridge.
Step 2: Inside the topper locate the aluminum trim around the windows. Remove the screws holding the trim and set the trim aside. The screws go from the trim to the window frame and sandwich the topper body between them. If you have a helper have them make sure the window doesn't come out on its own before you get out of the topper.
Sneak peak of what you are working with, you might have thought the thing was 1/2" thick when you set the dead whale on the back of your truck, mine is only like 1/8" thick so be careful. Also be careful of getting fiberglass fibers in your skin from the cutout, as the resin ages you can pick them up from the bare fiberglass on the inside of your topper as well.
And how the window frame and trim interface together.
Step 3: Very carefully remove the window frame. Work around the perimeter with the prybars and work it loose. If it doesn't want to go in one area move onto another, move around the frame and eventually it will come free. Take your time careful not to break the window frame, fiberglass shell or mar the paint finish. Remember, fiberglass repair will require paint and who knows what a broken window glass/frame will take to locate... so no pressure!
(my topper was originally painted red, they didn't remove the windows when it was painted black before I bought it)
On mine the old sealing tape was pretty weak so it didn't take much effort to remove the windows, your mileage may vary though.
Step 4: Clean the old gasket off the window frame and the cutout in the topper. If anyone has tried to seal it with silicone marvel how drastically it did nothing and yet is a major PITA to remove. Once it is cleaned off go over it with the towel and denatured alcohol to make sure you have the surface as clean as you can get it. There is a seam at the bottom of my window frames with some sort of sealant, I left it alone.
Step 5: Install new butyl tape. Retrieve tape from refrigerator. I pulled a window off to measure before I ordered the tape. I ended up 1/8" thick, 1/2" wide butyl tape, your topper may vary. I tried to crowd it to the outside of the frame on later windows, the cutouts on my topper are far from perfect so having the tape the inside might be losing contact area on the shell. Cut tape with scissors.
Step 6: Install window back into topper. Very carefully insert the window back into the topper cutout. Try not to let the butyl touch the topper until you get it through the cutout. If the butyl gets pulled off the window frame and stretches don't stress. Just work it back into place and go again. Finesse is the name of the game. Once it is in the cutout press it into the topper and get the butyl to stick to the topper body. It will not be super sticky until it warms up so don't put a ton of faith in it holding the window in place, it would be a good idea to have a friend make sure the window stays in place until you get it bolted back in.
Step 7. Retain the window. Line interior trim back up and run the screws back in the existing holes into the existing holes they used last time. They may want to fight but work them around a little until you get the angle right so they bite. Go chris-cross across the window loosely installing screws so the trim can have some wiggle room if need be to line screws up as you go. Once you get the trim pretty well aligned run the screws in until they are snug. Keep in mind you are screwing flimsy aluminum trim to an aluminum window frame that is sandwiching fiberglass, don't go nuts on the torque.
Step 8. Rinse and repeat for however many windows you want to reseal. Keep the tape in the fridge when you are not using it so it stays cool while in you install and remove the next window.
Last edited:
