Vent windows, keep them or not?

48builder · December 28, 2005, 12:14:15 PM

My original plan was to glue in the vent windows on my '48 Chevy sedan. It's been chopped a couple inches. I chopped them as well, and they work fine. My main concern is the wind noise I experience from them on my '39 Chevy. That may be caused by the lack of the wind wings on the '39. I plan on using them on the '48. I want this car to have a quiet interior. My wife wants to keep them working, since I already filled in the cowl vent. The car does have the power moonroof and fold-out side windows in the back, ala Dodge Grand Caravan, so ventilation is available.

Looking for thoughts and experience getting the vents to seal properly if I keep them, as well as thoughts on gluing them in.

Thanks,

Walt

alchevy · December 28, 2005, 12:32:01 PM

Walt, this is a good topic, I would like to know the answer too for use in my '40 Chevy. I swapped out the window gasket on the driver's side vent window, but it still did not seal the best. To top it off, those gaskets were the highest price of all of the windows.
AL

enjenjo · December 28, 2005, 12:38:10 PM

I used vent rubbers from Chevys of the 40's on my 47 and they sealed great. A little tip, if you chopped it 2", a Fleetline Aerocoupe window is 2" shorter than a sedan, and may be close to what you need.

48builder · December 28, 2005, 12:47:57 PM

Quote from: "40chevy"Walt, this is a good topic, I would like to know the answer too for use in my '40 Chevy. I swapped out the window gasket on the driver's side vent window, but it still did not seal the best. To top it off, those gaskets were the highest price of all of the windows.
AL

One of the reasons I'm considering gluing them is that I would be leak-free, and I would not have to buy the rubber and have the vent channel re-chromed. I have four regulators in great shape, and I can always change it back later if I change my mind.

kb426 · December 28, 2005, 01:06:12 PM

On my 53 truck, I left them in. If the one piece had been available to me at a small cost, I would have thrown them away. Mostly for appearance. I still have the cowl vent.

48builder · December 28, 2005, 01:08:21 PM

Quote from: "kb426"On my 53 truck, I left them in. If the one piece had been available to me at a small cost, I would have thrown them away. Mostly for appearance. I still have the cowl vent.

I am going to leave them in either way. I'm not crazy about the long front window look. Whether to haev them open or not is my concern.

Dirk35 · December 28, 2005, 02:00:59 PM

I would ask myself a couple of If>Than Questions:

1. Does it drive now? Yes, go drive it, (use something hokey to get the best seal you can similar to replacing the rubber) and see if the noise makes you unhappy? No, Wait till you can drive it to test it.

2. Have I experienced it with them as usable? If Yes, did I use them enough to warrant their keep? No, Seal them with clear silicone and try that for a while, you can always pull it back off.

I guess what I am saying is: try it both ways, and evaluate it objectivly. The worst youll have to live with is some poor engineering (while you test them out for sealability).

sirstude · December 28, 2005, 02:01:16 PM

One other little tidbit if you are going to keep the vent windows.

Any Gm product that has a vent window regulator is a great candidate for power vent windows. Just go out to you local junk yard and find any GM with power vent windows and unbolt the motorized regulator. Bolt it into you existing ride and you have power vent windows. Also, if you have bad vent regulators, any GM vent regulator will work, regardless of the year, at least up to the early 70's when they got rid of all their vent windows.

Doug

EMSjunkie · December 28, 2005, 05:03:53 PM

Quote from: "48builder"My wife wants to keep them working, since I already filled in the cowl vent.

Walt

Looks to me like the "Boss" has already spoken.

Vance

Bob K · December 28, 2005, 09:59:43 PM

DON'T DO IT

It is a ton of work and the wind coming in when the windows are open can not be directed.

The work involved is because the winow opening is not straight on the outside edge of the opening. You must cut and weld a tapered piece to the outside edge of the opening if you want the glass to seal.

I did it to my 47 and would never do it again. Had to build a front channel for the glass, that was not too bad to do but if you leave the vent window in you have a front glass channel.

Besides being cool vent windows are great for directing the outside air where you want it to go. If you use new seal channels the car will be quiet.

just my 2c

B

B

48builder · December 29, 2005, 12:06:47 PM

Quote from: "Bob K"DON'T DO IT

B B

Hey Bob!

You are thinking I was going to remove them completely. I am going to keep them, just maybe not keep them so they open.

I promise I will post some pics soon. Shawn and I keep trying to get out to buy a camera. Things just keep popping up to keep us from getting it done.

48builder · December 29, 2005, 12:07:51 PM

Quote from: "sirstude"One other little tidbit if you are going to keep the vent windows.

Any Gm product that has a vent window regulator is a great candidate for power vent windows. windows.

Doug

Thanks for the tip, Doug. I will look for power units if I decide to keep them operational.

GPster · December 29, 2005, 02:30:44 PM

I chopped the top on a '48 Dodge pickup one time and I did something intirely different. The doors were narrow enough that I wanted the style of the '47 to '50 Chevy truck full windows but that would have reguire different channels and re-positioning the winder mechanisms. The only way that you would get the advantageof the full width window was when the windows were all the way down. That and the vent windows wouldn't stand cutting and bending and the seals were bad. So,I only used the lower glass channel of the vent windows and eliminated everything of the vent window that was in the window opening. The glass channel seal at the rear of the door was made long enough to come up the back of the door and foreward on the top of the door opening like stock but it continued foreward in the place where the vent window was and down the front and then looped to the rear at the bottom, front edge of the window opening. When the stock roll up window was rolled up there was the top, bottom and front edge of the vent window with a glass channel in it. I had plexiglass (could have been glass) cut for that opening so that it can be slid into the opening and the roll up glass rolled up to trap it in place. That way if I wanted to enjoy some window down cruising I would just roll the window down and slide the vent window glass back and out of it's channel and put it under the seat. GPster

48builder · December 30, 2005, 12:19:01 PM

Quote from: "GPster"I That way if I wanted to enjoy some window down cruising I would just roll the window down and slide the vent window glass back and out of it's channel and put it under the seat. GPster

That's a cool idea, but not sure if my wife would want to have to play with another window like that.

You got me thinking, though. I could do the same with the channel, and glue the vent window glass in, and have the glass shop make the little "V" in it so that when the other glass rolls up it seals like the glass on the rear of a convertible door.

Hmmmmm.