Technical Any secrets as to how to suppress the annoying wind noise with vent windows

Since we had a unusually warm day and there was no rain in the forecast we decided to leave the shop & drive the '54 wagon to Dillard, Georgia to use a gift certificate to a upscale restaurant our granddaughter gave us last Christmas, we drove a little over 150 miles, I had the drivers window down and to be honest I haven't drove the car much with the windows up or the vent window closed.

On our way home the temperature started to drop when the sun started to set and when I closed the vent window the whistling started, oddly enough the passenger side makes no noise at all.

When I was restoring the car I installed new pivots along with all new vent window rubber, anyone else have this problem and have you figured out a cure. HRP

 

Yeah...
Stop driving 150 mph.
Oh... you drove 150 miles.

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Did you recognize the tune?

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Sorry, Danny. LOL

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We have been spoiled by "modern" cars...

 

correct!

Crack a roll up window just far enough to not whistle...

 

There a few type add-on\clip-on an screw on, deflectors,Westren Auto,J.C. Whitney,ect. some hooked to vent,others to rain rail. I never had extra $ for that fancy crap.

 

Match books

 

Good chance that the repro rubber fit is off. On my 51 with all new rubber it still had leaks and wind noise. It will never be as quiet as a new car, but you should be able to get one side as quiet as the other. I am replacing all my window and door rubber with the current rebuild. The new repro door rubber has not been fitting right, pushing the now good door fits to bad. Hollow rubber in bulk comes in a lot of sizes and can work for doors. For window rubber it will be hard to use anything but repro of original. On my A, I sanded original repro rubber bumpers down to fit. You might be able to improve the fits of the repro rubber with sanding if trial fits don’t seem to be right.

I also used black gasket maker to fill some gaps in the window rubber. I slipped in Saran Wrap against the paint before using the calking, and carefully removed it once it had cured.

 

Do a weatherstrip check. Cut a strip of copier paper about 3/8" wide and 4" plus long. Close the wing vent on the paper strip and see if you can slide it in and out or if it holds on to the paper pretty well. Then loosen the wing vent and shift over about an inch and repeat the check. A snug "grab" on the paper all the way around is a perfect score. But chances are you are going to find places that are less than ideal. Once you know where the leaks are, you might be able to shim or manipulate the weatherstripping to seal up snugger.
Good luck with it and know that we're all rooting for you.

 

I've used wiper blade refills glued to the division bar with good success.

 

I remember when I was in highschool, my '56 Ford had noisy vent windows when closed. I ended up wedging a clothespin leg in to tighten up the lock and pull the window tighter. It worked. Another car I bought had the window caulked shut. You couldn't open it, but it didn't leak. Anyways....it is the rubber seal that is the problem.

 

Put a penny between the latch and the upright. That will tighten up. Had to do that when I re-built the ones on my O/T Pick-up. Have not made a sound since 2005

 

Turn the music up or get louder mufflers.

I had a funny wind noise when I ran no trim. I then taped all the trim holes I found including the wind wings. I never solved that one. In. fact the noise just became part of driving.

 

Duct tape.

 

I remember the matchbook trick, or shirt cardboard.
You might think about some spray silicone to soften the rubber a bit. Just keep in mind that stuff plays havoc with uncured paint, if you have any other sort of projects around. I would probably spray some in the top of the can and then put it on with an acid brush or rub it on with a rag.Good luck.

 

You may find it's not the windows but probably the drip rail. When the window is up and the quarter closed, the breeze catches on the drip rail. When the quarter is open it changes the dynamics. I used to drive my early Holden ute with the quarter cracked just a smidge to stop the whistling.

 

make sure it's a '65 or older penny...

 

I don’t know a good answer on that one. My convertible had some noise from the vent windows, but the convertible is just plain noisy at 75 mph down the highway

 

Take some masking tape and tape around the vent window rubber. If that stops with noise you found the problem. If no difference tape the drip rail, then the window a section at a time, then the door-fender gap. I have used this method to find the spot that causes the noise or whistle many times. On one car it wasn't the window at all, but a piece of chrome on the door that had moved back 1/8" and was catching the wind at speed. Found it by taping the gap.

 

I vote for tightening up the handle or latch , what ever term is best for you . My old Power Wagon has a nylon stop that threads into the handle , you can adjust the tension on the glass and seal by turning the depth of the stop in or out . I think it’s time to locate the correct vintage penny or nickel and attach it between the handle and division bar to take up space . It sucks that nothing we spend good money for works as it was supposed to . Everything I touch seems near the same issue , it really doesnt work correctly , close my not 100% . Good Luck HRP , that little noise would drive me nuttier that a Monkey Turd until I got it fixed .

 

Take a long, close look at the fit of the vent windows on both sides, when they are closed and latched. See if you can spot the difference.

65 years of abuse takes it's toll on the moving parts.

 

Dana, the car actually came with small screw on deflectors and when I was restoring the car I chose to leave them off, I just thought they distracted from the looks of the car but it might worth he effort to find them and give them a try, they may very well be the reason Ford installed them in the first place. HRP

 

Make sure that the window is closing tight.

If it is tight then you may be fighting stiff rubber. Even new rubber gets stiff when its cold. A little armor-all will soften it up. Don't go crazy with that shit. I have even used WD40 to soften rubber.

another thing you can do is crack a side glass.

 

It's a RACE car!
It's SUPPOSED to be loud!

Ahhhhh...
doggone it...
I wish I could learn to use the one-liners I've learned here on the right threads.

LOL

Hope you find your whistle, Danny.
[emoji39]

Everybody have a good Sunday!

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The little latch on the vent has been replaced with new old stock pieces, they are extremely tight and the pivot's for the wing have also been replaced with NOS pieces.

I will try to determine if there is any noticeable difference for side to side, as far as the age I have made every attempt to replace or repair all the worn parts, a lot of NOS parts along with ever piece of original replacement rubber has been installed. HRP

 

Hey H,

We had to replace the rubber gasket in the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery to make the little air noise stop, too. For us, the car motor and the empty shell created its own noise and environment. But, as a fanatic in smooth running and a little quiet from something that should not be, we found the leak in the vent windows. Only one side was making the noise. We used those windows turned inward for our teenage A/C.

Using those turned in vents along with the cowl opening vent worked wonders for cooling us. We also had to replace that cowl vent gasket, too. Little things made it pleasurable to drive the sedan delivery all over So Cal coastal cruises. In the summer, we definitely needed those vents and wind wings open blasting us on the way home from the beach or just cruising at night. Besides, they were only 20 years old at the time, but some modern replacements do have faults in production that could cause leakage.


Speaking of your family’s 54 wagon. It is something that I remember from back in the old days, riding in many old station wagons. With all of the windows rolled down, it allowed the air to come in and circulate all around us. Just smooth, cooling air circulating. But, in the last 12 years of owning a modern station wagon, it must be the styling or some design feature that does not allow all of the windows to be rolled down at once.

When they are rolled down, a loud wind buffering, bopping noise is created and is totally unbearable for anyone. So, the A/C is always on and the windows rolled up. The seals work wonderfully and the station wagon is absolutely quiet for normal conversation from front seating to the back. The wonders of modern design.

Jnaki

It has been awhile since being in an old station wagon, but if I recall, there was no noise and the windows were always rolled down most of the time. Maybe it is/was the old style designs circulating the normal wind, whereas, the modern designs to get the lowest coefficient of drag, seems to create a by-product that is not pleasurable.

 

...some times it just depends on which way the wind is blowing if those vents make noise.

 

You beat me to the punch line. lol.

 

I’m thinking that if they were factory original to the car Danny then you just solved your problem.