There was finally a long stretch of dry weather, and that meant it was time for new window glass installation!
What a big difference in appearance and thermal performance between the new tinted, tempered glass and the old clear (well, actually yellowed with age) glass. It’s like the old girl has hip sunglasses now.
A 1965 Airstream has flat windows, instead of the curved ones introduced later on. They’re much less expensive to replace the glass for, thankfully. It was just a matter of ordering new window glass pieces in the correct sizes and following these steps to replace the glazing and trim, which I ordered from Vintage Trailer Supply.
Huge thanks to Dwight at Glass Doctor of Knoxville for helping me through the process of special-ordering all this glass. Airstream window glass wasn’t something they had ever done before, so I promised to provide them with some photos and not hold them responsible if it didn’t work out! 😆 They were fast, friendly, affordable, and he packed up all 10 pieces of glass very carefully for a safe drive home from their shop.
Breaking the old panes was therapeutic (what a great way to get any frustration out!) but also made me feel much better about the decision to spend the extra money on tempered glass. It may be seen as overkill by some, but it sure didn’t take much force to crack the old “non-safety” glass, which then rained sharp glass shards down everywhere, even after taping them first as a safety measure. I highly recommend putting down tarps first, inside and out, and wearing safety gloves, glasses, and coveralls.
This old trailer is getting classier by the day! 😎
