Welding windows in a panel van

[flying haggis]

Just a quick question if any1 can help.Im wanting to weld the side windows from a caravelle in my panel van
So what I want to know is are the inner window frames the same on all t3's and its just the outer skin that's different or is the whole thing different
The reason I'm asking is I'm got a guy that's willing to cut out the frames and I need to know where he needs to cut it

[Plasticman]

oh heck needs to unpick it from the gutters and side seams and ,also best to unspot the inner and outer parts where the seal goes, time consuming and messy but good if done correctly, you need really good detail picks as opposed to long range shots.
when i get a public one to do i will post up ,but not for a while,
mm

[flying haggis]

Thanks mm do you know if the inner frame is the same on a panel van as say a caravelle
I'm thinking I only need to fit the outer skin am I right

[Plasticman]

no, they are different.sorry
jim painter has done one last year and has some pickies that may help explain it, but you do need the inners and outers, as to how much you fit ,well thats down to you and your welder and your creativity
mm

[boxer]

Mine has a fiberglass inner which when covered looks OK. Might be cheaper and easier? Note: I don't really know what I'm talking about so excuse me if that was a lot of BO****Ks

[Plasticman]

it is and i am
mm

[jimpainter]

Not detailed pics but you get the idea.
It was all ftted as per factory, with spot welds up both pillars and along the top gutter.
The inner panel was then spotted on as per factory.
It took a long time to seperate all the panels that came with the bodycut but it was worth it in the end.






Jim

[Plasticman]

there you are, as jim says its not a serious difficult job , but it is very time consuming to do, now imagine if you are doing a conversion on all 4 widows = 4 x hassle.
i have a full set of mint factory openings complete with gutter and am saving it for a van that deserves it
mm

[billy739]

the inners on the rears are all the same all years / all models

they just change the outer skin when building a windowed van.

the center section opposite the slider only has an inner skin if the van will have windows.

you can overlap the panels , if done carefully unless your looking you wont tell ,
i usually cut theouter skin next to the seams , the center section i can cut out complete with the inner still in tact , the rears are usually cut with some of the inner skin so that the fitter can decide how much to trim the panel.

all the factory windows are the same size , only the sliding door window changed in size around 1984 ( small to large sliding door handle)