I've got a 1934 Ford 1/2 ton. I know that wind noise is to be accepted, however, does not having hood side panels increase the problem more? Thanks!
Nice looking pickup. Am running without sides on mine. I have insulation mounted on the inside of the firewall. Never noticed much wind but of course my engine makes enough music to drown it out.
The built in barriers... Hello, Cool looking truck… If any thing, that big grille is a wind stopper, let alone the square windshield. But, in looking at your truck photo, the shade scoop on the roof is probably the number one cause of wind stoppage. Since that is a part of the structure, you will have to live with it, unless you seal up the scoop portion as a custom touch, perhaps with some contrasting pinstriping. But adding the hood sides that have louvers facing toward the rear will make the wind flow much better. Currently, your open motor causes the wind to swirl around with the firewall acting as a flat barrier. That, in addition to the tall flapping radio antenna are the wind noise champions. If you can move the radio antenna elsewhere, not exposed to the air, then you will have at least tried to remove the wind noise makers. Air flow flat, up/inside, around and over the top... Jnaki I took a course in college for weather and air flow directions that cause climate change. I thought I might be a weather person at a newspaper or a reporter. That class had an air flow portion that utilized all sorts of design parameters in cars, houses, and trucks, as well as where homes would be built to take in the best weather for living. So, a few pointers stuck over time and if one looks at all of the hot rod articles or magazine articles about air flow, coefficient of drag, car designs for racing and factories. It is an eye opener. Unless you listen to AM radio constantly or some far away FM radio, there is no need for a huge external antenna. Watch it flex as you go down the road. There are alternatives... removal is one... So, if wind noise is driving you crazy you might think about smaller headlights or tucking in the external mirrors, but then all of those wind barriers would necessitate driving a smooth 40 Ford Sedan or Sedan Delivery. Very little needs to be done for smooth air flow… Ha! YRMV Note: El Camino drivers found out that the closed rear tailgate with an empty bed open to the elements causes a slow down and turbulence of sorts. the wind blasts over the cab, swirls into the empty bed and goes right for the closed tailgate. then, has to swirl up and over the leading top edge to flow out and away. Tests had been shown in magazine articles, but for the drag racers, they knew the difficulties and always ran with the tailgate open.
Wind noise hadn't been invented yet when that truck was new so there is no known fix for it. Wind noise didn't come along until after WWII when cars were a little more rounded and quieter.
I've had 4 deuce pickups (same basic cab) and have tried just about everything to suppress the wind noise. I have resolved myself to the noise. Overlapping doors, flat windshield combined with the sun visor create the perfect storm. My last pickup had just seat cushions, kick panels, rubber floor covering and perfect fitting wind lace. The rest of the interior was as Ford had wanted it. (Naked) I finally bought a pair of noise canceling head phones to wear when I was driving it.
When that vehicle was new, I'd imagine the average speed was not much over 30 mph. You're basically pushing a big square box through the air. Adding openings just gives the air something else to move around. Much quieter if there are smooth sides to direct the airflow.
That’s like driving a barn door ina wind storm! Chop it about 11” that will help a little. All jokes aside that’s a sweet PU. I remember using dish soap to install window rubber around a unchopped 28’ A coupe once. Not only did it have a T5 transmission it would run like 90 MPH on the highway. ( not recommended) but one time I was trying but failed to out run some rain and not only did it sound like ( I assume) the space shuttle entering the earth’s atmosphere but the rain water spread out quickly to the outer edges of the window due to the amazing aerodynamics of the flat surface, but also created a enormous amount of suds from the dish soap that was used. Not to mention the 75 foot rooster tails coming off each open wheel. The next car got a 6” chop and an early 3 spd to eliminate that experience ever again.
Most everything has been covered here. The visor is probably the biggest culprit. My 35 PU isn't much better. Everyone will just tell you to live with it, but you can mitigate it a little by spending some time looking at how the doors fit and adding weatherstripping where you see daylight. I have a severe wind entry point inside the doors. I can feel the cold air in the winter. I guess it is coming in around the hinges. I am going to have to pull the door panels and drive it to find it I guess.
The hood sides are inside the roughly bowling-pin-shaped turbulent wake behind each headlight, so I doubt if it makes much difference whether they're there or not. There are sources of turbulent wakes all over the front end of your truck. The curved edges of the grille shell, fender tops, and sunvisor probably make them less severe than they might have been.
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