Technical Ever wonder why your vent windows wont stay open?

I have experience this problem on a couple of cars in the past but when I had the Ranch Wagon apart I tore into the vent windows and found the cause and I would thing this would be the case with many different makes and models.

Naturally age has a lot to do with it especially if the car or truck wasn't parked inside and spent it's entire life out in the elements.

The drivers side vent window would open up but once the car moved and the wind under acceleration would imminently slam it shut.

With the vent window held at the top the bottom pivot worked as it should.



But when I removed the vent window from the frame I noticed the bottom bivot seems loose.



It seems it was worse than I had thought,it was rusted away and the pivot was broken.



It took a few weeks to find the replacement pivots and I ended up using two that are for a1954 Ford truck,I was unable to find them for a passenger car but there is very little difference and the worked fine.

The following photo shows the broken drivers side pivot and the passenger side that was unbroken but replaced none the less and one of the new pivots for comparison.



This is the pivots installed,the photo was taken before I polished the stainless vent window frames.



Since I had everything apart I decided to disassemble & repair and the rusty window channels,it's pretty straight forward.





Hope this helps. HRP

 

good write up--been thru this with 40 vent wings as well--have fixed many so they fit and operate as they should. I have a bin of the vent wing parts for 40's to repair with. THX again.

 

I imagine that a broken spring would have the same effect.

 

I know why mine won't stay open...I need to tighten the nut another turn or two. But it's work, and I never remember to do it until I'm on the road.

 

With all good parts in place the resistance to opening/closing can be fine tuned by tightening or loosening the nut against the spring.
Maybe that's already understood.

 

I had previously tried tightening the nut but that didn't help at all. HRP

 

Nice Danny. good info there.

 

Nice write-up ! Thanks for taking the time.

 

Granted,that could be the case but the springs used on the Ford pivot are pretty substantial but it's not impossible for one to break.

I'm not saying this is the only way to repair a vent window just relaying how
I accomplished the task. HRP

 

Finally, A meaningful and useful thread....

 

where can you find new pivots? I could use 1 for my 40. thanks

 

I found mine at C & G Auto Parts in California. HRP

 

40standard--if you can't find one let me know--may have some somewhere-have a dozen or so winds wings and pts--just gotta find em

 

The one on the '59 Ford is different construction. Mine will try to close over 60 and it pivots maybe too well since I replaced all the rubber pieces.

 

thank you Danny & Tim for the info

 

Agree. Info I can and plan to use, because both of mine will not stay open. Thanks.

 

Thank you,I was hoping this would help someone. HRP

 

Driving too fast?

 

That's like having too much fun, or having too much money ???

 

H.R.P. I had a wing window that used to slam shut while driving on my 64 buick station wagon. Since i was working so much back then,I just stuck a piece of card board in there to keep it open. I finally found the time and pulled the door panel off and I was lucky the spring and nut had just worked it way loose I guess from all the use it had. Bruce.

 

Bruce, sometimes you get lucky and a problem is a simple fix,like I said earlier my pivots we rusty and the flat part that is riveted to the vent frame had snapped.

I originally tried to tighten the nut but it bottomed out on the spring with no improvement,when I dissembled the vent is when I found my problem. HRP

 

H.R.P. usually my luck sucks but got lucky that time. LOL. Bruce.

 

I had to weld a piece of key stock to the bottom of the 1/4 window in the club coupe so that it would pivot and stay in place. Didn't have proper piece, but it's still working. Similar situation.

 

40Standard--found a nice vent wing

 

Good to hear that. HRP

 

that's a good thing! thanks

 

Nice write up!

Thanks

 

Roadsters don't have VENT WINDOWS!!!

 

You are absolutely right Fuzzy.they don't but I'll bet your '53 Club Coupe does! HRP

 

My '55 F100 does...Wonderful wife took them all apart when she rebuilt my doors with Ford tinted glass, channels, division bars, and wing windows...Same service as Danny's '54 wagon got.
Beautiful. The lady and the truck... (sound like an old Disney movie? Hmmm...)