REPLACING MAIN PORTLIGHTS

REPLACING MAIN PORTLIGHTS

Take one out to get the pattern and have all four made from the pattern. My new ones are made out of Hyzod which is a poly carbonate like Lexan. Replace the windows one at a time so that you know which inner frames go with which outer frame. They are quite fragile and mine were out for a long time. They got mixed up and a little bent (this may have happened when I took them out, the bend was unnoticeable until it was time to put them back in) so it was VERY hard to get them to line up correctly for the set screws.

My new windows came with a paper cover. Keep the paper on and set up the windows into the holes without caulk. Take a razor blade and lightly cut the paper around the edge of the frame and peel off the paper around the outside edge. Caulk the windows in and take the paper off the rest of the window once it is all done... this way you protect the plastic from all the messy caulk that gets EVERYWHERE!

I used 3M 101 to bed... silicone is too tough and the frames will bend and break when it comes time to take them out again. I used it to excess to make up for the spots the set screws were not holding well.

You might also consider polishing the outside frames. Being aluminum, they will polish up easily. Mine were really corroded so I took 320 sandpaper to them and finished with McGuires polish an a buffing wheel attached to a drill. Results were amazing. Consider applying a couple of coats of car wax to the aluminum to protect it from corrosion and keep the shine.