How to: Cut Out Sprinter Windows

Cutting out Sprinter Windows:  08' Dodge Sprinter - 144 Low Roof




One of the benefits of starting with a cargo van is that it's a blank slate as far as windows go. This van happened to come with 2 windows in the back doors and one aftermarket window in the sliding door. We knew going into it that we wanted to replace the existing window in the door with a larger one and also install one in the same position, but on the driver's side.  
We plan on going to some gorgeous places, so our kids might as well be able to take in the views. 



The very back section we deliberated on for a bit. The benefit of no windows is the fact that we can have interior walls that we can possible attach shelves to in the future and it would be easier to lean up against when sitting in the dinette. The major pro for all glass is we can see our surroundings and it will feel more like we are outside while in the van. What we decided on was a little bit of both. We left the driver's side panel intact and cut out the passenger side. This will allow us to lean against the wall while in bed and look outside and it should make driving in traffic much easier with the increased visibility. 



OUR VERY OWN -- HOW TO VIDEO:




Cutting giant holes into our new (to us) Sprinter kind of had me a little worried, but it honestly could not have been simpler. When Sprinters are being made the sheet metal is stamped with an indentation for where the windows would go. If you ordered a cargo van they do nothing and leave the sheet metal intact. If you went with a passenger van, they simply cut along those lines and pop in windows. That's basically what we are doing, cutting along the factory lines and putting in a couple windows. I have watched multiple youtube videos and read on a couple blogs on the best way to do it and chose to use a chisel and a hammer to mark the lines into the metal. I just followed the body line and tapped away. 



I started cutting on the inside and moved to the outside as it was too tight to make the turns without the saw getting caught on different metal outcroppings. Once outside, Keri took a sharpie and went over the line created by the chisel and hammer. 



I just followed along with the saw. I used a Milwaukee M12 jigsaw with some Bosch metal cutting blades and it was easily up to the task. 



Right before the last cut we put duct tape on the window to keep it from falling down or pinching the blade.



After that, we hit the newly cut metal with a file for a clean edge. We took the Sprinter to the body shop the very next day, where they will be painting everything. 




(Art City Body, we're excited to see what you can do for us!)

    As far as window choice goes, we opted for CR Laurence venting windows in the sliding door and panel behind the driver. These windows seem like a great setup as the bottom third tilts out with a crank inside the van. This is cool because they still provide ventilation even while it rains. Hopefully in conjunction with a roof mounted MaxxAir fan these will provide adequate air flow. The back window on the passenger side will just be a fixed glass window that will be glued in place.  


    Driving the sprinter to the body shop with the new cutouts made me really excited. I'm the type of driver that likes to look over my shoulder when changing lanes and I don't always trust my mirrors. Cutting these panels out has improved the visibility tremendously and will make it so much easier to have this as my daily driver. Stay tuned as we've order the windows and are just waiting to get the Sprinter back from paint before we take on the install.


Feel free to comment below if you have any other questions.  I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

- Scott


Click here to see how to actually install the windows once you get the metal cut:  INSTALLING CR Laurence WINDOWS in a Sprinter Van

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Here are the windows we ordered.

Passenger Side Sliding Door:
http://amzn.to/2vqynb1

Driver Side Forward:
http://amzn.to/2wtHlRV

Passenger Side Rear Window
http://amzn.to/2hw4U9R

--We were really happy we ordered this through Amazon because the first time it was shipped it was smashed in shipping so they didn't finish delivering it, and shipped us out a new the the very next day! Amazon really is great for things like that!
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If you would like to see what else we will be doing to the van click here: http://howwefamilyadventure.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-sprinter-project.html


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