CR Laurence T Slider

[jarmbru]

Hi everyone,
I am brand new to the forum. I am looking for some helpful tips and resources for installing a CR Laurence T-slider VW21601L behind the drivers seat of my 2005 E350 standard length Cargo Van. I came across a few threads that show a few pictures of my same window after installation but I am looking for more detailed tips and advice for doing this myself. If you would be willing to share how you did it I would be extremely appreciative. From other things I've read, it looks pretty straight forward, my biggest concern is the the left to right fit. It sure looks like it is going to be tight, as in right up against the horizontal structural beams. Is one cut all that is required? Or, do I need to make two different sized cuts, one through the outer skin and a larger one on the inner skin to accommodate the window ring? Did you make a template? What tool worked best for you for cutting? Thanks in advance.

 

[shenrie]

I had a buddy help me get it placed in between the body lines top to bottom, then matched that gap in the front of the window. we used the backside of the window flange as the template and traced around the outside of it. I made the cut with a cutoff wheel. make sure you cover up your rear view mirror. I didn't cover mine up good enough and the sparks pitted it in spots. same with any exposed windows. once it was cut, I dropped the main piece of the window into place and trimmed where needed. I made it as tight of a fit as I could.

on the inside, I just took out bare minimum to get the inner flange in place. it ended up almost exactly where the stock flip out window would have been. instead of using the window to try and tie the inner structure and outer together, I weaved it into place under the inner wall and put a handful of screws in to make sure it sat like I wanted it to. once I knew it was where I wanted it, I used windshield urethane graciously and put it in for the final time.

fyi, the screws that come with the kit are garbage. the heads strip really easily if your driver doesn't fit them exactly perfect. might be worth it to you to get good replacements before starting.

edit: the window you got was different than mine. you will need to remove quite a bit more inner wall as yours drops down considerably further than the window I installed.

Just looked at my thread on the smb forum and the photobucket pix are working. you can go read and see pix from my install here post 149.

 

[Corneilius]

One thing I find helpful is to drill a "origin hole" through the van wall. This allows you to pull and match dimesions on the inside and outside. Rather than trying to guess or measure from an obscure point. Just make sure to drill it in what will be "drop" sheet metal. Jigsaw works well to curve the corners.