Vent Window Seals quality question

[Ksm]

I'm getting ready for her Spring/Summer road trips and need to take care of some horrid road noise. I spend a lot of time on the highway and it sounds like I'm torturing a small animal in my vent window, even with 3 matchbooks crammed between the glass and the handle.

I've gone through two sets of seals from the usual Bronco vendors and they dry out and crack within a year...so do y'all think this company is going to be any different or is it the same rubber just twice as expensive?

https://www.steelerubber.com/quarter-window-weatherstrip-with-trim-groove-70-4006-77

I'm *this* close to just sealing up the little windows since I don't use them much anyway. Has anyone ever done this? Bad idea?

 

[Slowleak]

That link is for the hardtop side glass. I don’t see where they have the vent window seals.

My seals are original and had a slight whistle but no cracks. I found some thin sticky back weatherstripping at Home Depot and stuck it to the seals where they contact the glass. It’s about as quiet and airtight as it can get now..... I wasn’t about to rip my original seals out.

Kinda hard to see in the picture. There is a thin brown seal in the front and a black vertical strip on the rear.

 

[BRONCITIS74]

Slowleak, that is a great idea! I'm going to try that.

 

[NicksTrix]

silly question, but you do have the plastic tab on the latch arm, and your pivot pin is still intact?
when you've replaced the seals int eh past, does the air leak go away for a while and come back as the seal dries out? you can dehydrate the seal by taking a heat gun/blow dryer to it and then brushing some petroleum jelly on it. you will see the seal drink it up

N

 

[Ksm]

silly question, but you do have the plastic tab on the latch arm, and your pivot pin is still intact?
when you've replaced the seals int eh past, does the air leak go away for a while and come back as the seal dries out? you can dehydrate the seal by taking a heat gun/blow dryer to it and then brushing some petroleum jelly on it. you will see the seal drink it up

N

Hmmmmm I'll have to go poke around and look the plastic tab and pivot pin. And the noise does go away and come back. It's just the driver's side that make the gawd awful noise right now, the passenger's side is just as dried out and although I can hear air coming though it's not the high pitched pig squealing that's on the driver's side.

I'll try the petroleum jelly. thanks

 

[SHX669]

Just so you know the " wing windows " whistled even when EBs were still being built . We all carried matchbooks even though we didn't smoke - lol . We also celebrated when they came out with once piece door windows - no whistle and a little better theft protection.

 

[Lawndart]

For me, one of the great things about classics is the vent window. I use mine and would never think about a "delete" option. I have original seals and have had a whistle or two in the past. Some troubleshooting has always found the source and I added a little section of rubber to the outside of the passenger side. This stopped the whistle. BTW, it is from Steele Rubber.

 

[bronkenn]

you can dehydrate the seal by taking a heat gun/blow dryer to it and then brushing some petroleum jelly on it. you will see the seal drink it up

N

That's a nice tip. I'm going to try it. Thanks. Ken