Neoplan glass

[Sean]

Well, we knew it was only a matter of time before we eventually had to replace one of our enormous glue-in windows, and that time is now.  It's a double-pane type, and the outer pane got sucked right off the bus yesterday on the freeway, landing on the roof and shattering into thousands of pieces.  Fortunately, the inner pane is still intact, so I'm not scrambling (yet) to find someone to skin the opening with something temporarily.  (Story here: http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2012/03/first-world-problems.html)

I've got a call into NeoPart, who are working on it, but they said the last time they had to get one of these, about a year ago, it took 75 days to get it from Germany.  I'm hoping to find one somewhere here in North America.

If anyone knows of someone who might have a take-out, or better still an unneeded spare still in the crate, please let me know, either by responding here on the board, or contacting me directly (contact details in the Who We Are page on the blog).  Rather than ask you to have to know anything about weird Neoplan glass, I am happy to hear from anyone who has a Neoplan window, and we'll figure out together if it is the right one.

That said, for those who know Neoplans, what I need is a dual-pane 1.9-meter glue-in, right-hand side, for a Cityliner or Spaceliner (they take the same glass).  These windows are enormous, 74" x 36", are curved at the top, and angled at the sides so that they are not interchangeable side-to-side.  Neoplan also used different sizes for different models, so there are also similar but not identical windows that are only 1.7 meters long which will not work, and there are also framed emergency exit windows, which I suppose I could use if it was a complete unit (frame and all), but the glass alone is not interchangeable with the glue-in style.

Before anyone suggests it, Curved Glass does not have these.  And yes, I know I can have one made out of plastic if need be, but I really prefer a glass window in this location.

As always, thanks for your help.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[Busted Knuckle]

Wow Sean & Louise I feel for ya.

I have no suggestions as you mention Curved Glass does not have it, if they don't none of he other major glass suppliers will either as they all pretty much use the same sources or copy from one another on the most popular selling units.

Might see if whoever has the two listed on fleabay might know of any parted out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1985-Neoplan-Double-Decker-4-axle-/160769293686?pt=Buses&hash=item256e98bd76

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Neoplan-45-foot-Double-Decker-Bus-/370598764244?pt=Buses&hash=item5649685ed4

Good luck.
  BK 

[Sean]

Might see if whoever has the two listed on fleabay might know of any parted out.

Interesting.  These two buses are both originally KSC Megaliners.  One looks to be mostly original, which means it might have the right glass for me.  Not that I want to buy a whole Megaliner to get one window

The other one I remember as a Sam Walker abortion.  I think the guy who ended up with it bought it from Sam in "partly finished" condition, which included the four slides and the roofline reconstruction (eliminating all those pesky Neoplan curved windows), plus maybe the whiz-bang deck in the back.  Clearly he ran out of steam or cash and never finished it.  He's smoking dope asking 275 -- it's still illegally long, it's an orphaned German-built unit, the Kennedy buses were rustbuckets by the tiime Nasa auctioned them, and the undocumented weird-ball conversion items are worth only pennies on the dollar.  I figure it to be worth $30-$40k, tops, in existing condition, because it's going to take half a million to finish it.

Someone else sent me a link to a Pegasus Spaceliner (whoa -- bad flashback there) on Craigslist for $1 or best offer.  That's probably got the right glass, if I could handle the shell-shock.  I bet someone could get $5k for the 8v92/HT748 alone.  Anybody want to buy this coach, part it out, and sell me the glass?  I'd even buy some of the other oddball Neoplan parts off it:

http://springfield.craigslist.org/rvs/2927613861.html

On the other board I've also heard from Luke at US Coach that he is parting out a Cityliner.  Later Lamar Cityliners had different glass, so I am waiting on measurements to see if he has my window.  That said. getting the glue-ins out intact is dicey, so I am trying to keep all options open.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[Busted Knuckle]

Sean,
Your craigslist find made me think of my friends over in Doniphan, MO @ Fourwinds Travel LLC.
They bought the one I was asking you about last yr or so that was near me and are running it.
You might contact Don or Ginny and let them know about it, they may just be interested in it for parts and be willing to sell you what you need off it.

www.fourwindstravelllc.com

Oh and there are 2 Don's over there Ginny's husband (mechanic) and the owner.

  BK 

[Jeremy]

That said. getting the glue-ins out intact is dicey, so I am trying to keep all options open.

I've managed to remove my double-glazed bonded-in windows from my bus without too much trouble - the window units are pretty tough, and are far, far easier to remove than a single-glazed bonded-in car window for example. The gap (filled with sealant / adhesive) between the glass and steel on my bus was quite large - probably 1/2" or so all around. This was plenty enough to get knife blades and other tools in, in order to progressively remove the sealant entirely without disturbing the glass. I removed all the sealant above and below the glass, and most of it on either side, before threading some nylon straps through the gap at the bottom to support the glass whilst the last bits of sealant were cut away. It was a long and tedious job as the sealant / glue is very tough stuff - but at no point was there any 'strain' on the window unit itself.

My windows are also curved incidentally, but nowhere near as much as yours - possibly the curve on your windows would add extra complexity.

Jeremy

[crown]

 morning sean
i remember you telling me these windshilds are hard to get and cost was expencive thinking out side the box
why not rework the window frames to use a easy to get windshild like a motorhome or other bus or maybe
rework the frame to take flat glass say 4 piece flat  i known it will take welding and body work but in the long
run you will have piece of mind if there is a next time john [costa rica ]
ps my 57 crown came with a curved windshild [rare ] but most used a 4 piece flat glass

[Busted Knuckle]

John,
The window that blew out on their bus was a side window not windshield.

And yes it could be modified or even skinned over. But I believe it's one they really wanted to leave as a window and modifying would definitely take some major work to make it flow with the natural lines of "the Odyssey's" natural lines.
  BK 

[crown]

 bk my wrong i was thinking windshilds i remember someone saying they where $3000 each and hard to find
john

[Sean]

Quick update here.

NeoPart can get me the glass.  It would be $2,070 plus shipping FOB Honey Brook, PA, and it is currently on a 6-week lead time out of Germany.

Needless to say, I am going to exhaust all options to find a window here in the states first, preferably for a lot less money.

One option I am considering is to just run a bead of sealant around the still-in-place separator strip and live with it as-is, with just the single pane of glass.  Given that we are shopping pretty aggressively for a boat right now, I don't know how much sense it makes to put close to $4,000 into having the right window in there.

Bryce: I think that Cityliner your friends bought is a Lamar coach.  So there would be very few parts on it that they could use -- pretty much just the glass and maybe some cosmetic items.  Everything else is different.  So I can't imagine they'd want it, although I am still looking for someone else who might want to do the work of parting it out.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[luvrbus]

Have you tried Coach Glass they do custom  glass fab work if not a item they stock

[Busted Knuckle]

Last time I talked to Coach Glass and Curved Glass (about a yr ago) they told me they weren't interested in doing side windows for my Dina because they didn't get any other requests for such.

I'd think this would fall in the same category as that.

Maybe I wasn't talking the the right person or offering enough $ to make it worth their while.
  BK 

[Iceni John]

The other one I remember as a Sam Walker abortion.  I think the guy who ended up with it bought it from Sam in "partly finished" condition, which included the four slides and the roofline reconstruction (eliminating all those pesky Neoplan curved windows), plus maybe the whiz-bang deck in the back.  Clearly he ran out of steam or cash and never finished it.  He's smoking dope asking 275 -- it's still illegally long, it's an orphaned German-built unit, the Kennedy buses were rustbuckets by the tiime Nasa auctioned them, and the undocumented weird-ball conversion items are worth only pennies on the dollar.  I figure it to be worth $30-$40k, tops, in existing condition, because it's going to take half a million to finish it.

Is that the unfinished Neoplan sitting forlornly in Premier Coach & Bus's boneyard in Santa Ana CA?   From the street one cannot see how long it is, or even what it originally was, but it has a fugly angular homemade-looking "modification" over the rear half or more of its body.   I think there are still a few original trapezoid windows left in the unmolested front half, but who knows if they're what you need?

When I go to McFadden-Dale Hardware on Saturday I'll try to get a better look at it  -  McF-D is just down the road from Premier.

John

[Hobie]

WAG.  Is the inside glass identical to the outside?  If so, maybe move the interior to outside and live with a single glaze vs. $4000 to be applied to boat.