A while back, I'd installed a Great Lakes Aero Products (GLAP) solar-gray one-piece windshield. The original thought was that the side windows weren't that bad, and so I wasn't going to mess with them. Gradually, however, in comparison to the crystal clear windscreen the milky discoloration was annoying, especially when the sun was at the right angle, and there were some white spots in the middle of the plexiglas, that no amount of polishing would remove. It turns out that you can generate a modest discount by buying GLAP windows through AC Spruce, and so I pulled the trigger on the pair of door windows, which with shipping came to $250. You can certainly buy plexiglas cheaper at the aviation department of Home Depot, but I wanted to go with the solar-gray, and avoiding cutting the pieces out was a plus. There was no trimming needed with the GLAP windows, although I did mildly bevel the edges on a belt sander.

I had the right door off after ferrying an aileron up to Kansas up for repair, and so I did the right window with the door sitting on some carpet on top of a large plastic shop garbage can. It turns out the outer part of the window channel is formed by four aluminum "corners" which are pop-riveted in place with all aluminum "universal head" rivets, which had been ground/sanded down in some locations to allow the window to fit into its recess. It's not necessary to remove the top two corners, and I don't recommend taking the window hinges apart either, as it is not necessary. After removing the bottom two corners and drilling out the pop rivets with a #30 drill bit, I gently pulled and pried the two sides of the old plexiglas and seal out:



The was some grime and mild surface rust on the underlying steel frame, which I cleaned up with Stit's alkaline cleaner after which I then applied a thin coat of Corrosion-X. I peeled the protective paper back about an inch on both sides of the new plexiglas after making sure they matched the old contour; they appeared to be identical. I lightly beveled the edges of the new windows with a belt sander and then placed new GLAP S-001 seal (bought from GLAP - this is one instance where AC Spruce was more expensive) without tension around the circumference of the window and trimmed it so both ends coapted. There was some wrinkling at the corners, however, that wasn't a problem. A thin glaze of Corrosion-X was put around the outside of the seal with a oil-dampened paper towel to make things slippery, and the new window was gently pushed from side to side back into the upper channel:



The two bottom aluminum corners were then clecoed in place:



and pop-riveted using ABA42LGRAY rivets, which have a large thin head obviating the need for clearance grinding. I recollect originally buying them from McMasters.com in order to secure silicone baffling material:



The left window was the same, but the work was done with the door on the aircraft, without difficulty:



All in all, one of the simplest improvements on the 180, and it can be done by an owner without an AP sign-off. The new windows are definitely much clearer to look and photograph through. Now, what about those rear side windows? Hmmm ...

Great how-to, thanks for posting.

Don't forget as the person preforming the work you are still required to make a log book entry detailing the work performed including the date, aircraft total time, your signature and pilot certificate number.