New window installation in solid door

[JayX3]

If anyone has cut an opening in their camper door and installed an AP Products Thin Shade window I would appreciate any tips, do's and dont's. Obviously my biggest concern is cutting that hole in the door, so I don't want to jump off the cliff until I think it's safe. I have read the comments on using this kit to replace an existing window, but I would like to hear from anyone who has done the type of job I have in mind. It would be going in my SLX154bh door. Thanks!

[Tumbler]

Hi JayX3

I know how your are feeling. I felt the same before I did mine but it all worked out fine and was actually very easy to do. A few pointers that would help, sorry no pictures though.

1) Measure twice, cut once. In my case it was measure 50 times cut once

2) The window is actually a bit smaller than the template on the back of the box. In my research I had found others report that as well so I double checked before I started laying out the cut lines. It is in fact smaller. If you cut to the template it will be OK but you will have some slop of the window in the opening. I wanted it snug so I measured the window inner flange itself and laid out my cut lines based on those measurements. IIRC they were about 1/4" to 1/2" inside the template.

3) I took off the door and worked on blocks in my garage. I felt this was easier than messing around with it upright and attached to the trailer. Much easier to handle.

4) I used painters tape adjacent to and outside of my cut lines to really help mark out the path. This was just in case visibility of my pencil lines became difficult to see while cutting

5) Depending on what you use to cut will dictate how to setup and cut the hole. I ended up using a diamond blade on my angle grinder to cut the main lines and my dremel with spiral attachment for the corners. Probably not the ideal way but it worked well. Main reason I did this way over say a jig saw with fine tooth blade was that I wanted to prevent a rough edge on the exit side of the cut. Also, I tried the jig saw way and I didn't like how it was going. It may have been because of the blade length. Since the door is essentially hollow (just foam in there) if the blade is short enough it bounces of the inside of the under side while cutting as you advance the bade. Which then made the jig saw bounce quite a bit. I suppose a longer blade would fix this but I didn't have one. Doing it the way I did meant I had to cut the opening on both sides of the door instead of just one. So measurement was critical. Upside was basically no clean up needed on the cut edges(filing, etc) although still a bit.

That's about it. Once you work up the courage to just start it is easy from there.

[JayX3]

What a terrific reply; exactly what I had hoped for! You have given me the extra little nudge to "git 'r done." I really appreciate the details that you provided, again, EXACTLY what I hoped to receive. The long blade length is a great tip. I plan to replace my decades old saw with a new one and I'm going to check the length of cut, blade choices, etc., before I buy. I also plan to take pics as I do the job and post them on the forum (provided the job is the success that I believe it will be). As an aside to others, my wife said to check out what a replacement door would cost "just in case." Bet few people would come anywhere near the mark - $1287.19 for a solid 22"X68" Jayco door. My next call was to a reputable camper sales/service dealership very near me. To install my supplied kit would be, with tax included, $630! Thanks again, you really made our day.

[Jay2504]

That is a LOT of $$$ for a new door! I am confident you won’t need one. If I need a door I would try an RV surplus place first. Good luck. I can’t wait to see the pictures! Jay

[Tumbler]

Just as a quick follow up suggestion, another thing I did that I forgot about. When I drilled my starting hole I actually cut towards the center of the opening to try out the cutting method before cutting along the important lines. Since it will be tossed anyway it is a good spot for some test cuts. This is how I determined the jig saw wasn't going to work for me.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[JayX3]

That's another good tip that I'll use, along with using blue painters tape as a secondary guide. Great!

[JayX3]

Success is sweet! Yesterday a buddy and I put in the window and it is perfect. Thanks to several great tips from Tumbler, it was done very easily. I'll detail the job, along with pictures, for anyone who is thinking about doing the window addition.