[mikit]

Several weeks ago I purchased a Scopema swivel seat adapter from Travois located in Richmond BC Canada. In a previous post I outlined my experience installing the unit and my overall satisfaction. Today I met Brad at his business in BC Canada. Apparently he has sold quite a few seat swivels recently, probably including some to readers of this forum. I previously asked Brad about the availability of slider windows for the Metris and discovered he has them in stock. So today I drove up to BC and picked up 2 slider windows and now have another project. These windows look to be the ones used in Reimo conversions and are AMA brand. They look good and to me they seem well made and of high quality but won’t know performance until installed. Initially I was only going to go with a window for the sliding door but after seeing the units I decided on getting one for each side. This site shows the exact windows. https://www.vanwindowsdirect.com/co...indow-mercedes-benz-metris-van-passenger-side

Brad said he has 3 more sets of these windows in stock. Any interested should get a direct quote because there may be room for negotiation if you pick-up in person. The price I paid was a a whole lot less than the asking price in the above link but little more than Braddo paid for the units he ordered from Europe. http://www.metrisforum.com/forum/66026-post12.html

His business is 30 min north of the Washington 1-5 border on the Westminster Highway. It seems the BC office is only a supplier and not a fabricator.
https://travois.ca

I’ll post final impressions once I get the courage to cut huge holes in the sides of my van and install the windows.

 

[beesigner]

Several weeks ago I purchased a Scopema swivel seat adapter from Travois located in Richmond BC Canada. In a previous post I outlined my experience installing the unit and my overall satisfaction. Today I met Brad at his business in BC Canada. Apparently he has sold quite a few seat swivels recently, probably including some to readers of this forum. I previously asked Brad about the availability of slider windows for the Metris and discovered he has them in stock. So today I drove up to BC and picked up 2 slider windows and now have another project. These windows look to be the ones used in Reimo conversions and are AMA brand. They look good and to me they seem well made and of high quality but won’t know performance until installed. Initially I was only going to go with a window for the sliding door but after seeing the units I decided on getting one for each side. This site shows the exact windows. https://www.vanwindowsdirect.com/co...indow-mercedes-benz-metris-van-passenger-side

Brad said he has 3 more sets of these windows in stock. Any interested should get a direct quote because there may be room for negotiation if you pick-up in person. The price I paid was a a whole lot less than the asking price in the above link but little more than Braddo paid for the units he ordered from Europe. http://www.metrisforum.com/forum/66026-post12.html

His business is 30 min north of the Washington 1-5 border on the Westminster Highway. It seems the BC office is only a supplier and not a fabricator.
https://travois.ca

I’ll post final impressions once I get the courage to cut huge holes in the sides of my van and install the windows.

I never talked to Brad but had several discussions with Daniel since over a year now on conversions and he is always very intrigued to brainstorm on ideas. They have some really good products that they offer and new stuff in development. I also ordered the seat adapter but waiting on his next shipment and he gave me a good price on the sliding window. Unfortunately in my case shipping will add to it as I am in New Orleans...all the way down south
Curious to see your install. Mine will be a bit easier as I have the passenger and will swap these out for better ventilation when in camper conversion and for kids in the back having actual a window they can open.

 

[mikit]

Window Installation Completed

After the holes were cut and the edge thickness was equalized with pieces of ¼” MDF where I cut taller than the inside metal panel I had to think about the aesthetics of the look once windows were installed. The interior area around the hole, even with the trim looked raggedy and utilitarian so I installed tweed upholstery fabric around the perimeters. I made crude templates around the windows with paper and tape and used spray upholstery adhesive to adhere the fabric utilizing 1/8” high-density foam where necessary to equalize the depressions. I then installed the edge trim prior to window installation. The fabric around the slider door was minimal and the area around the driver’s side will mostly be covered with cabinetry or trim. Even thought this process took longer than the rest of the window installation process I feel the final look will be worth the effort. My goal is to avoid an amateur looking installation.

There are a lot of Urethane window sealants out there and after reading the literature on many I could not really tell the difference. I choose Dow Betaseal U-418 since it seemed to do what they all claim and I conveniently ordered the adhesive, primer and daubers in one package from Amazon for a reasonable price. The primer is the expensive stuff and even though the sealant says primerless the literature says if you use the product on bare or newly painted metal primer is recommended. Why even call it primerless? I cleaned the glass and metal surfaces several times to make sure absolutely clean. Around the edge trim on the vehicle I use a 1 inch strip of red scotch bright pad to abrade the clear coat as well as clean the surface.

I had my wife hold the window in place while I marked the inside perimeter of the trim onto the glass with a pencil. This was to avoid getting the primer applied were it would show on the inside of the vehicle. The primer was applied to the glass and to the metal surface around the trim. A note. This primer has a life of its own and care must be taken not to let it get away from you. One small drop on a plywood sheet grew into a 2” permanent smear with one stroke of a rag. 3 spots on my hand took several days before it succumbed to being scrubbed off. Use Gloves and avoid splatter.

It seems the downside to all these adhesives it the viscosity and it tendency to break caulk guns or make it painfully hard to apply by hand with a conventional caulk gun. To avoid getting stuck with an adhesive application failure I ordered a power caulk gun. Most are quite expensive and could not be justified for what may be a one-time use. I found an interesting gun on eBay for $55 that uses a cordless drill for the power source. Called a Prazi drill mate (also CR Laurence) I was skeptical of the plastic and aluminum construction but it worked like a charm giving full control of the adhesive bead an worth the purchase. The goal is to get a consistent pyramid of adhesive, around the perimeter of the trim. This is accomplished by cutting a triangle on one side of the tip, applying with the gun parallel to the metal, and working away from the cut triangle opening. I am usually a messy caulker but the use of the power caulk gun gave perfect results.
Tipping the glass into position, pressing everything down and installing temporary spacers on the bottom is all that is required. I did put some gorilla tape on the outside top for security but the adhesive held in poison fine. To be safe I let cure overnight.
Overall cost of windows and all related materials to install was about $1000. Expensive but a lot less than having someone else complete the work and it really was not that difficult. I would have much preferred this option being available from the factory, as mater of fact I would have loved to buy a Marco Polo, but this seems to be the necessary course of action and It is an interesting process.

 

[RansomRidge]

Those are some great looking windows, both inside and out! Your workmanship is certainly top notch too Mikit. I sure wish those windows had been available last year when I was looking for glass.

Do they have screens on them or available?

 

[mikit]

Those are some great looking windows, both inside and out! Your workmanship is certainly top notch too Mikit. I sure wish those windows had been available last year when I was looking for glass.

Do they have screens on them or available?

You and I were both early adopters with the 2016 Metris. I just happened to be later in getting to the window project so found options. I suspect by the time I finish my conversion work there will be options available that I would have preferred if available at the time.
I haven’t seen a screen for these windows yet but figured I could fabricate something that would work. The downside to these windows is the lack of locking devise for a partially opened window. Opening restriction is a necessity otherwise an arm could reach the lock on the slider to gain access. This will be a priority for me to resolve and then to make screens to fit the various openings.