LVSteve
Member
That takes me back to my UK days. I drove a van variant for work occasionally. It was a slow, noisy draught with wheels attached. Fortunately, the one I had to drive didn't actually leak in the rain.
Airtight old cars
- Thread starter Kevin G
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One of my cars is a 2018 BMW M2 coupe...the windows do the same thing. My daily driver, a 2013 VW Golf R, is a 2-door sedan (the doors have window frames), and I can definitely tell if the sunroof is tilted up or a window is a little open when I close the doors.
GypsmJim
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My 1980 Pontiac Coupe (I still own it) needs a window cracked in order to close a door. Back in the day I don't remember how the windows worked in my 1968 VW Beetle. What I DO remember is the last time I had to change a flat, when I put the factory jack on it the running board and fenders went up, but the tire didn't. I had to call Dad with an axle jack.
Fun car to entertain a girlie in the back seat, but not built for longevity.
Fun car to entertain a girlie in the back seat, but not built for longevity.
venomballistics
Member
New truckers joke ...
How can you tell the lot is level...
The prime one driver is drooling out both sides of his mouth
No, the Ford just thinks you're too lazy to drop the window on your own.
Probably why they were always nicknamed "Freightshaker"
DWalt
Member
I had a 62 Corvair and a 67 Beetle. I don't remember anything being airtight about them. I thought both were good cars at the time. Aside from being underpowered and oil burning, I really liked the Corvair. At the time, my main use for it was driving to and returning home from work, about four miles round trip per day. Good memories.
We had have a grade going West on 1-90 out of town that is quite steep. My '62 Westfalia Van was reduced to 25mph in 2nd gear to pull the hill, basically just me and my girlfriend. She drove it to college daily for nearly a year, even after we broke up I would stop by and check the oil and valve adjustments every other oil change. Someone along the way decided to paint it a horrible shade of brown, I had a pinstriper buddy of mine paint "Turd on the Run" on the engine cover. Someone tail ended her totaling the bus which fortunately was still on my insurance, she ended up with a much nicer free heat machine. To get around in those old V.W. vans you needed to have a crew, one to scrape the windshield in front, one to keep your side windows clear, someone to roll a smoke, etc.
That long drag up to the Eisenhower tunnel at 30mph on the way skiing with all of our gear on and the copilot scraping the ice off of the inside of the windshield. Good times 
Faulkner
Member
The first brand new car my parents ever bought was a candy apple red '67 VW Beetle. I "inherited" it to drive to high school in the late '70's. I won a bet once in high school by driving it into and floating it across the Ouachita River.
When I was detailing at one of the dealerships I was working at, one of the sale's guys gave me $10 to do a very quick wash before he showed a car that just showed up on the lot. It was used, but I don't remember if it was a Camry or Maxima. Anyway, he came in with the car, left it running with the AC blowing and jumped out to help.
When we hit it with the soap and the wash mitt, bubbles were coming out EVERYWHERE around the passenger compartment - even from the door locks! The backglass was replaced at one point, but it wasn't sealed correctly on one of the corners - bubbles.
If you ever get your autoglass replaced, and it's urethaned/glued in, wait for everything to cure (24-48 hours) then do the soapy water test to find potential leaks.
When we hit it with the soap and the wash mitt, bubbles were coming out EVERYWHERE around the passenger compartment - even from the door locks! The backglass was replaced at one point, but it wasn't sealed correctly on one of the corners - bubbles.
If you ever get your autoglass replaced, and it's urethaned/glued in, wait for everything to cure (24-48 hours) then do the soapy water test to find potential leaks.
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Back when I spent a lot of time hauling horses, I used to like to watch Freightliner fenders flap in the airstream. Wonder if it improved fuel consumption?
I've had a Chevy, a Rambler, a SAAB, a Lancia, two BMWs, a Lexus, a Toyota and a Mazda, and I never heard of this closing doors with the windows up issue.
Sheltered life, I guess.
Sheltered life, I guess.
DWalt
Member
I once had two VWs, a 66 and a 67. I do not remember having any problems closing the doors with the windows open. My main peeve with them was the short life of their mufflers. I never tried floating either one.
Vin #1 not mine
I started doing bodywork for a living in April 1968 barely 18 years old. First job was at a Plymouth dealership right about the time Dusters were first sold. Just before the Daytona Charger came into being. Cars without side guard beams had very light doors and with frames around the windows it was hard to get them closed with all windows up. I used to sit on my ankles and install doors. After the mid 70'S the doors got heavy and eventually a Lincoln Continental Mark 3 door weighed 200 pounds and they made special trolleys to hold the doors while the bolts were installed.
The weight of the doors as it rose due to heavy side guard beams basically eliminated the issue of air pressure stopping the doors from closing. Later the engineers put flaps that stopped the pressurization issue altogether.
Also on the old VW's (air cooled) the heater drew air from the cooling fan into the passengers compartment. The only control was sliding vents in the rocker panel. When those vents were closed there was little chance of water getting in the car, but the doors were easier to close when those vents were open.
The weight of the doors as it rose due to heavy side guard beams basically eliminated the issue of air pressure stopping the doors from closing. Later the engineers put flaps that stopped the pressurization issue altogether.
Also on the old VW's (air cooled) the heater drew air from the cooling fan into the passengers compartment. The only control was sliding vents in the rocker panel. When those vents were closed there was little chance of water getting in the car, but the doors were easier to close when those vents were open.
Closing doors with the windows up is where the problems ensue.
Alpo
Member
My 1986 Silverado. Got to open a window or the door don't shut.
I had a 2000 Yukon that had pressure relief dampers in the rear columns. That had a lot of glass that could've blown out at the weakest link.
Didn't matter much if they were airtight when new. Within a few Michigan winters, they had rust ventilation.
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