April 1948 ET-253 United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Administration Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine INSTALLATION OP WINDOWS IN PANELS OP A SEDAN DELIVERY TRUCE By 0. E. Berndt Division of Cereal and Porage Insect Investigations Sedan delivery trucks, which are used to a considerable extent by Federal workers, are delivered with metal panels on the sides of the track bodies. Por many types of work, particularly in congested areas, observation to the side and rear is 'essential, and the opaque panel construction limits such visibility. To remedy this defect, a method of Installing windows in the sides of sedan delivery truck bodies has been used in Bureau shops at Moorestown, N. J., Toledo, Ohio, and elsewhere. Since a number of inquiries relative to such window installations have been directed to the Toledo office, it is thought that a description of this method would be generally useful. The inside f iberboard wall covering the framework of the car is first removed to expose the bracing members as installed at the factory. The two struts A and B in figure 1, lateral of the center strut, are then removed. " A paper template is made and pasted on the outside surface of the panel in the position in *»hich the windows are to be cut. The template follows as nearly as practical the contours of the panel. A 1-inch margin was left between the edge of the template and the edge of the panel in the truck illustrated. ' If the panels are larger, a wider margin is allowed in the interest of proper proportioning, appearance and strength. VI th the template in place, a scriber is used to mark the line of the cut on the metal surface ( fig. 2) . A ^-inch hole is drilled within the surface covered by the pattern, at a point near the line where the cut is to be made, and the panel is cut along the scribed line with off-set tinner's snips. A file Is used to remove rough spots and to round corners. A strip of channel rubber similar to that commonly used in install- ing automobile windows is worked over the cut edge of the metal with a 8 crew driver or a similar tool, so that the narrow groove In the rubber fits over the metal edge (fig. 3-A). The rubber strip is cut so that a tight butt joint is made et the top of the window. This joint is later sealed with liquid rubber and sanded until it is practically invisible. MAY 2 1948 -2- The rubber Is then removed and fitted over a glass pane cut to a size £ inch larger all around than the opening into which it is to be fitted. The pane with its periphery imbedded in the wide groove (fig. 3-B) of the channel rubber is then Inserted in the opening with the overlap of the pane on the Inside of the panel. When the pane is in place, the framework of the window is formed with wood pieces fashioned to conform to the contours of the window, and attached solidly with nails and screws to the remaining original supporting framework (fig. U). The curved corners can be installed most easily by use of short metal strips. ▲ strip of a neutral shade of standard-gage linoleum is fastened to the new framework with small box nails and cut to a width equal to the thickness of the frame (fig. 5)» T* 16 inside fiberboard wall is then attached in its original position, and the window openings are cut to correspond exactly with the edges of the linoleum strip on the window framework. An interior view of the finished Job is shown in figure 6, and the exterior appearance of the car with the windows installed is shown in figure 7* Figure 1. — Interior view of truck showing fiberboard removed, exposing side wall bracing. Struts A and £ are removed to permit window installation. -3- Figure 2. — Exterior view of truck, showing paper template attached to panel surface. Scriber is drawn around edge of template to nark cutting line. IK Figure 3« — Cross section of channel rubber showing grooves in which glass and metal are imbedded. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/installationofwiOOunit -4- Figure U* — He* casing around rubber on inside of panel to replace bracing and provide solid backing for tacking fiberboard wall and trimming at window sill, Figure 5. — Completed interior installation, showing casing and linoleum strip in place prior to replacing fiberboard wall. -5- Figure 6. — Interior view showing completed job with fiberboard wall in place and window opening trimmed to sill. Figure 7. — Exterior view of truck with window installation completed. fERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 09240 9761