What a T4 conversion typically needs

• Front side window — the panel ahead of the sliding door
• Rear quarter window — behind the sliding door
• Tailgate or barn door glass, depending on rear configuration

Available in fixed or opening, and privacy or green tint.

Short nose, long nose, SWB, LWB

The T4 has more variation than most vans of its era and it matters when sourcing parts.

There's the short nose and long nose distinction (the long nose accommodated the five-cylinder and VR6 engines, and changes the front end considerably), plus short and long wheelbase body lengths, plus tailgate versus barn doors at the rear.

For glass, wheelbase and rear door configuration are the two that determine fitment. Establish both before ordering anything.

Rust is the deciding factor

Anything worth saying about a T4 has to start here. These vans are 22 to 35 years old and corrosion determines whether one is worth converting at all.

Before you plan any glazing, look carefully at the metal around every aperture you intend to cut. T4s rust around the screen surround, the sills, the wheel arches and the lower side panels. Cutting a window into a panel that's already going will accelerate the problem considerably, and rust creeping under a bonded window is genuinely difficult and expensive to put right — you have to cut the glass out to deal with it.

If the metal is sound, prime the cut edge properly and let it flash off fully before bonding. On a van this age it's the single most important step in the job.

Preserving a classic

A T4 conversion is increasingly a restoration as much as a build. Bonded automotive glass in the correct positions keeps the van looking like a factory Caravelle or window van rather than something homemade — which matters for how the vehicle presents and, increasingly, for what it's worth.

Resist the temptation to cut apertures that VW never offered. Original-position glazing looks right and doesn't compromise the shell.

Tell us what you need

We don't currently stock T4 glass as standard — the Transporter platform has no rebadged sibling in our range to draw from. But we've been sourcing van glass for over 25 years, including for older and harder-to-find vehicles, and our network extends well beyond our published catalogue.

Send us your registration and the positions you're after and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable. Use the form on this page or call 01228 810018.