Thank you so much! We're glad too! We appreciate you watching! Since you asked about Reflectix on the window covers video, we're assuming you have a van as well?
@@SteveAudra not yet. 5 years till i retire. I've researched forever and know exactly the rig, layout & such. I DREAM of the day my build is complete and I hit the road for as long as I can travel ❤
@@Christina0623 That's exciting!!! We spent a lot of time planning as well! In the meantime, keep dreaming! It will probably be here before you know it!
Are you tryin out the switch from voila to ta-da? :-) The window looks great! Those OSHA violations were making me nervous. Always have the saw unplugged when changing that blade.
Great job! Watching your videos like step by step guide) avoided glueing plywood like you suggested and it helped! Thanks again. I will need to setup 6 windows to our van - is cutting outside isn’t easier?
Glad to hear our videos are helpful. Thanks for watching! Regarding the windows, our humble opinion is to cut from the inside as much as possible using a template or the factory stamp out as a guide because it's easier to see what you're doing.
Can you give us an update on the window after 3-years? Has it held up well with all the door opening and closing for 3-years? Would you install the same window again or a different window?
We have the CR Lawrence on one side and AMA slider window on the other. Both have held up. No problems at all. We like having both because the AMA allows more airflow but you pretty much can't have it open if it's raining. So, if we had to choose, we'd pick the CRL.
Thanks, Vince! We've been told that you should not drive with the window open. We have started driving with it open several times but close it once we realize it and have not gotten to higher speeds. However, we have the AMA half slider on the other side and you CAN drive with that open. If you are considering windows and have a Transit, it's important to note that the CRL does not open very far on the Transit - which was disappointing to us. The nice thing is that you can have it open when it rains. But we like our AMA better because of how much more air flow there is from that. The downside to that one is that rain definitely comes in if it's open. We like having both. Best of both worlds!
Bob, thank you so much! We are glad you find the videos to be helpful. The jigsaw we use is from Black & Decker. Here is a link to it: www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJ72LHK
We truly hope there is not a next time!!!! That's a good suggestion but one reason we chose to cut from the inside is that we notice the saw has a tendency to mark up the surface when we cut (even when we put tape on the surface and cover the foot of the saw to prevent it) so we really wanted to protect the outside. Thanks for watching! We appreciate it!
@@SteveAudra Yeah the issue you faced is that the metal foot of the jigsaw will bite through the tape. This was made worse by the contours of the panels where you had to cut them. My approach would be to add a layer between the foot and the van that the foot cannot bite through and that will not mark the paint. Similar to what you did at the end. A lot of jigsaws come with a plastic overlay for the foot for such things. Anyway, you got there in the end and that's what matters. Enjoying your quirky approach to your videos and your sense of humour (Australian spelling there). Keep it up.
@@SteveAudra :) Yes I'm kind of from Australia mate. I'm actually a Kiwi (New Zealander, choice as) but have been living in Australia for nearly 13 years. Many years ago I worked as a coachbuilder and built buses, coaches and motorhomes (RVs in American speak). I'm aiming to build a van in a couple of years when our kids are all moved out and we can downsize... :)
@@LincolnMcCann Awesome! Australia is on our bucket list. (We wouldn't mind visiting New Zealand either.) Would love to see some wombats and other fun critters and awesome scenery! Sounds like you have some great RV knowledge and experience! We hope you'll be able to build out a van and do some adventuring!
HOW do correctly: Drill 20-25 1/16" guide holes from the inside out. Drill at least four holes in each corner. Then put your template on the outside and align to the guide holes and trace your pattern. Place three layers of Duct tape on the inside on the the cut line, inside the van to control metal shards. Lay down plastic to collect metal shards. Adhering Styrofoam sheet to inside the cut surface will reduce vibration. A pneumatic or electric metal shears is much better than a jigsaw. Then cut from the outside. Tape both sides as you cut. Cut the top last. If you MUST use a jigsaw, NEVER cut freehand in mid air as this video shows. Jigsaws have a nasty kickback and must be in full contact and under pressure with the work at all times. This video demonstrates how not to use a jigsaw.
Thanks for sharing what you would do. Perhaps others might find your tips helpful if they are met with the task of installing a window and come across your comment here. We're certainly no professionals but did as much research as we could prior. We would have loved to have had better tools! We're just glad we got the window installed successfully and can enjoy it now!
You used the wrong blade.. You need the 118A Metal blade...Most people try and use the 118B and it's to course.. As it rips the metal out. Not cut it.. And lower the forward stroke on the blade. You don't need it rotating out 2" and back.. Read the manual on how to set them up.
Thanks! Hopefully others will find those tips helpful. We hope to never have to install windows in a van again, LOL! We're just glad we got them installed properly and can enjoy them now!
@@SteveAudra Why I posted it.. As I see this mistake all the time...And even I have committed it.. Till Someone that does RV windows for a living pointed it out to me..Along with use 3M windshield Adhesive..Never reply just on them little nuts and bolts on the frame.. As they come lose..
lol for the love of god if you cut from outside you don't have any bumps to cut over, and just use metal snips around the knob eh? Work smarter not ... also seriously not harshing but WEAR GLOVES, MAN! It's hard to watch!
Hey John - We're just glad to be done with the project and able to enjoy the window all installed. We were concerned about scratching the paint if we cut on the outside. We've seen it done both ways but we didn't want to chance any scratches.
@@SteveAudra All good. So I actually did it yesterday and the cutting from the outside was so, so easy. What I did was drill tiny pilot holes from INSIDE then I drew the template on the outside and taped the HECK out of the outside with the painter's tape. I also per your suggestion taped the bottom of the skillsaw. It was very, very quick! Thanks again for the video - ALSO there is a guy on youtube who has a video of how to make the flap go higher on the window split. Looked pretty cool.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Bigger In Texas [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QxTkZTLWdo4/mqdefault.jpg)
Mission report # 254 A second watching can be even more enlightening that the first time. I might try that with a super hero movie. :)
😂
The dynamic between y'all is so funny. Im really glad I found your channel !!
Thank you so much! We're glad too! We appreciate you watching! Since you asked about Reflectix on the window covers video, we're assuming you have a van as well?
@@SteveAudra not yet. 5 years till i retire. I've researched forever and know exactly the rig, layout & such. I DREAM of the day my build is complete and I hit the road for as long as I can travel ❤
@@Christina0623 That's exciting!!! We spent a lot of time planning as well! In the meantime, keep dreaming! It will probably be here before you know it!
@@SteveAudra thank you! Safe travels & ill be following your adventures!
Thanks for trail blazing this - we're literally about to make the first cut!!!
It's pretty intimidating to make cuts in your van! Let us know how it goes for you!
Installing mine this week. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! We hope our video is helpful and that your install goes well!
Are you tryin out the switch from voila to ta-da? :-) The window looks great! Those OSHA violations were making me nervous. Always have the saw unplugged when changing that blade.
Trying it out but you can't top "voila," can you?! LOL! We try to be careful but will have to try to do better regarding safety!
Great job! Watching your videos like step by step guide) avoided glueing plywood like you suggested and it helped! Thanks again. I will need to setup 6 windows to our van - is cutting outside isn’t easier?
Glad to hear our videos are helpful. Thanks for watching! Regarding the windows, our humble opinion is to cut from the inside as much as possible using a template or the factory stamp out as a guide because it's easier to see what you're doing.
thanks for information..
good job 👍
We're glad you found it helpful!
Can you give us an update on the window after 3-years? Has it held up well with all the door opening and closing for 3-years? Would you install the same window again or a different window?
We have the CR Lawrence on one side and AMA slider window on the other. Both have held up. No problems at all. We like having both because the AMA allows more airflow but you pretty much can't have it open if it's raining. So, if we had to choose, we'd pick the CRL.
Enjoyed your video. Very informative. Would you happen to know if you can drive at highway speeds with the window opened/popped out?
Thanks, Vince! We've been told that you should not drive with the window open. We have started driving with it open several times but close it once we realize it and have not gotten to higher speeds. However, we have the AMA half slider on the other side and you CAN drive with that open. If you are considering windows and have a Transit, it's important to note that the CRL does not open very far on the Transit - which was disappointing to us. The nice thing is that you can have it open when it rains. But we like our AMA better because of how much more air flow there is from that. The downside to that one is that rain definitely comes in if it's open. We like having both. Best of both worlds!
@@SteveAudra Thanks for the info and very prompt reply!
@@vincecarluccio5018 You're welcome! We're happy to answer any questions!
Thanks for the helpful videos!
I liked the compact jig saw you used. Would you share the make an model for us?
Bob, thank you so much! We are glad you find the videos to be helpful. The jigsaw we use is from Black & Decker. Here is a link to it: www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJ72LHK
Thanks for subscribing as well! We appreciate that!
Next time 😁 I suggest marking out and cutting from the outside.
We truly hope there is not a next time!!!! That's a good suggestion but one reason we chose to cut from the inside is that we notice the saw has a tendency to mark up the surface when we cut (even when we put tape on the surface and cover the foot of the saw to prevent it) so we really wanted to protect the outside. Thanks for watching! We appreciate it!
@@SteveAudra Yeah the issue you faced is that the metal foot of the jigsaw will bite through the tape. This was made worse by the contours of the panels where you had to cut them. My approach would be to add a layer between the foot and the van that the foot cannot bite through and that will not mark the paint. Similar to what you did at the end. A lot of jigsaws come with a plastic overlay for the foot for such things. Anyway, you got there in the end and that's what matters. Enjoying your quirky approach to your videos and your sense of humour (Australian spelling there). Keep it up.
@@LincolnMcCann Thanks, Lincoln! Are you from Australia, mate? 🙂 We would love to get there someday!
@@SteveAudra :) Yes I'm kind of from Australia mate. I'm actually a Kiwi (New Zealander, choice as) but have been living in Australia for nearly 13 years. Many years ago I worked as a coachbuilder and built buses, coaches and motorhomes (RVs in American speak). I'm aiming to build a van in a couple of years when our kids are all moved out and we can downsize... :)
@@LincolnMcCann Awesome! Australia is on our bucket list. (We wouldn't mind visiting New Zealand either.) Would love to see some wombats and other fun critters and awesome scenery!
Sounds like you have some great RV knowledge and experience! We hope you'll be able to build out a van and do some adventuring!
HOW do correctly: Drill 20-25 1/16" guide holes from the inside out. Drill at least four holes in each corner. Then put your template on the outside and align to the guide holes and trace your pattern. Place three layers of Duct tape on the inside on the the cut line, inside the van to control metal shards. Lay down plastic to collect metal shards. Adhering Styrofoam sheet to inside the cut surface will reduce vibration. A pneumatic or electric metal shears is much better than a jigsaw. Then cut from the outside. Tape both sides as you cut. Cut the top last. If you MUST use a jigsaw, NEVER cut freehand in mid air as this video shows. Jigsaws have a nasty kickback and must be in full contact and under pressure with the work at all times.
This video demonstrates how not to use a jigsaw.
Thanks for sharing what you would do. Perhaps others might find your tips helpful if they are met with the task of installing a window and come across your comment here. We're certainly no professionals but did as much research as we could prior. We would have loved to have had better tools! We're just glad we got the window installed successfully and can enjoy it now!
You used the wrong blade.. You need the 118A Metal blade...Most people try and use the 118B and it's to course.. As it rips the metal out. Not cut it.. And lower the forward stroke on the blade. You don't need it rotating out 2" and back.. Read the manual on how to set them up.
Thanks! Hopefully others will find those tips helpful. We hope to never have to install windows in a van again, LOL! We're just glad we got them installed properly and can enjoy them now!
@@SteveAudra Why I posted it.. As I see this mistake all the time...And even I have committed it.. Till Someone that does RV windows for a living pointed it out to me..Along with use 3M windshield Adhesive..Never reply just on them little nuts and bolts on the frame.. As they come lose..
lol for the love of god if you cut from outside you don't have any bumps to cut over, and just use metal snips around the knob eh? Work smarter not ... also seriously not harshing but WEAR GLOVES, MAN! It's hard to watch!
Hey John - We're just glad to be done with the project and able to enjoy the window all installed. We were concerned about scratching the paint if we cut on the outside. We've seen it done both ways but we didn't want to chance any scratches.
@@SteveAudra All good. So I actually did it yesterday and the cutting from the outside was so, so easy. What I did was drill tiny pilot holes from INSIDE then I drew the template on the outside and taped the HECK out of the outside with the painter's tape. I also per your suggestion taped the bottom of the skillsaw. It was very, very quick! Thanks again for the video - ALSO there is a guy on youtube who has a video of how to make the flap go higher on the window split. Looked pretty cool.