Trying to get the windows out of a SnugTop camper shell

I picked up a great camper shell at a great price on craigslist.

It's silver, my truck is magnetic grey.....

Time to repaint. Found a reputable body shop to shoot it for what I think is a fair price. The catch is he won't warranty the paint job if he tapes off of the windows, he want's them out, as do I. Painting the shell without the glass and frame is going to make for a much better product for sure.

The rear window came out smoothly after drilling out 2 rivets and removing about a dozen screws. It went back in just as easily.

The side window was a different story. It has to be glued in. It may be that our Texas heat and crippling drought has made a special bond between the foam seal and the painted fiberglass, the b$%#h wasn't coming out without me messing something up.

Has anyone here disassembled a snugtop camper shell, or any shell for that matter?

Any tips for getting this thing apart?

Anyone want to buy a silver camper shell?

Thanks in advance for your time and tips!
Andy

 

Did you ever get this figured out? Just curious as I am now in the same boat lol

 

Nope, it's still silver. I gave it a good try and decided I'd just save the $300.

 

ya... I was able to get the back window, front window, and two kickout windows removed but like you said no f'ing way where the main large ones coming out. The body shop I am taking mine to said they wont have any issues masking it off and will warranty it for the lifetime that I own it!

 

I took mine out with a couple of rocks. Kind of messy to clean up, but fast!

 

Someone just took out my right-side fixed glass window...the leftover pieces are seriously glued-on! Going to try solvents to soften the glue; any tips, ie, lacquer thinner, etc.?

 

Be careful if you're using solvents like lacquer thinner. If it gets on your paint, it'll eat it up. If you can get access to the glue, I would try Goo-gone and a lot of elbow grease. A plastic or phenolic scraper will help pull out the old glue as well. An old credit card might help too. Using a heat gun on low might help to re-liquify the sealant but ensure that you're not focusing on one small area, keep the gun moving around or you might bubble the paint from the heat.

-J

 

The heat gun is a good idea...I've stripped painted cabinets with heat gun and stiff scraper. I'll do a bit of experimenting