I Miss Drip Rails

[DaRodent]

One of my big complaints with new cars/trucks is that rain or dew etc drips in the windows if you have then cracked to get a bit of air.

I am going to need to get some side window deflectors but not a fan of sticking them on the door.

need opinions on the stick on ones compared to the ones that clip into the window fea

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[P. A. Schilke]

One of my big complaints with new cars/trucks is that rain or dew etc drips in the windows if you have then cracked to get a bit of air.

I am going to need to get some side window deflectors but not a fan of sticking them on the door.

need opinions on the stick on ones compared to the ones that clip into the window fea

Hi Bill,

Drip rails saw their day set... they were horrible for generating wind noise. With today's increase in Tumblehome (inward cant of the roof line of sides of the vehicle) it renders drip rails a relic of the past. You can certainly add them. Camping World sells them. They use VHB adheasive... look like crap for a truck but maybe you answer? Good Luck searching for a vehicle with drip rails...they may exist as I have never done any research of this sort of thing.

Besides, drip rails do not solve the crack in the window incoming rain...window deflectors do solve this problem.

I personally do not use a cracked side window for ventilation. I rely on the vehicles HVAC system.

Remember the days of the side window vent wings? I do not remember when F Series got rid of them, but my 1975 F150 that I used to tow my race car had them.

Okay....a little back story

We at Ford were forever locking ourselves out of the prototypes...way too many keys in our pockets and maybe not the correct ones that we grabbed our or our desk drawer. Someone, who I have no idea who) figured out that the brake master cylinder top cover bail would work to break into the truck. The curve in the bail would slip into the sealing rubber and depress the lock lever while engaging the lock lever, allowing us to open the vent window and reach into unlock the truck. We all carried brake master cylinder bails on our belt...yep...weird looking, but they worked. A back up was two welding rods bent into a U shape. Insert one into the rubber seal to depress the lock button and one to rotate the lever to accomplish the same thing... some folks at Ford told me that they could open a truck faster with the bails or welding rods than to fish their pocket for the correct keys..... Weird but true....

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[FULLSCALE]

One of my big complaints with new cars/trucks is that rain or dew etc drips in the windows if you have then cracked to get a bit of air.

I am going to need to get some side window deflectors but not a fan of sticking them on the door.

need opinions on the stick on ones compared to the ones that clip into the window fea

I‘m very happy with my Weathertechs, not a fan of the stick on ones. I think these are a much cleaner look.

 

[DaRodent]

Hi Bill,

Drip rails saw their day set... they were horrible for generating wind noise. With today's increase in Tumblehome (inward cant of the roof line of sides of the vehicle) it renders drip rails a relic of the past. You can certainly add them. Camping World sells them. They use VHB adheasive... look like crap for a truck but maybe you answer? Good Luck searching for a vehicle with drip rails...they may exist as I have never done any research of this sort of thing.

Besides, drip rails do not solve the crack in the window incoming rain...window deflectors do solve this problem.

I personally do not use a cracked side window for ventilation. I rely on the vehicles HVAC system.

Remember the days of the side window vent wings? I do not remember when F Series got rid of them, but my 1975 F150 that I used to tow my race car had them.

Okay....a little back story

We at Ford were forever locking ourselves out of the prototypes...way too many keys in our pockets and maybe not the correct ones that we grabbed our or our desk drawer. Someone, who I have no idea who) figured out that the brake master cylinder top cover bail would work to break into the truck. The curve in the bail would slip into the sealing rubber and depress the lock lever while engaging the lock lever, allowing us to open the vent window and reach into unlock the truck. We all carried brake master cylinder bails on our belt...yep...weird looking, but they worked. A back up was two welding rods bent into a U shape. Insert one into the rubber seal to depress the lock button and one to rotate the lever to accomplish the same thing... some folks at Ford told me that they could open a truck faster with the bails or welding rods than to fish their pocket for the correct keys..... Weird but true....

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

I hear you...I really don’t want the old drip rails back but just the effect. Both my Escape and Ranger are bad for letting in water esp in city driving fr heavy dew or snow melting on the roof. I had the stick on deflectors on the Escape and had to re adhesive them twice. They did the job but ......

Now power vent windows would be a plus.

i crack the windows all the time.... I know most do not but I vape and crack the windows when I do.

 

[Msfitoy]

Hi Bill,

Drip rails saw their day set... they were horrible for generating wind noise. With today's increase in Tumblehome (inward cant of the roof line of sides of the vehicle) it renders drip rails a relic of the past. You can certainly add them. Camping World sells them. They use VHB adheasive... look like crap for a truck but maybe you answer? Good Luck searching for a vehicle with drip rails...they may exist as I have never done any research of this sort of thing.

Besides, drip rails do not solve the crack in the window incoming rain...window deflectors do solve this problem.

I personally do not use a cracked side window for ventilation. I rely on the vehicles HVAC system.

Remember the days of the side window vent wings? I do not remember when F Series got rid of them, but my 1975 F150 that I used to tow my race car had them.

Okay....a little back story

We at Ford were forever locking ourselves out of the prototypes...way too many keys in our pockets and maybe not the correct ones that we grabbed our or our desk drawer. Someone, who I have no idea who) figured out that the brake master cylinder top cover bail would work to break into the truck. The curve in the bail would slip into the sealing rubber and depress the lock lever while engaging the lock lever, allowing us to open the vent window and reach into unlock the truck. We all carried brake master cylinder bails on our belt...yep...weird looking, but they worked. A back up was two welding rods bent into a U shape. Insert one into the rubber seal to depress the lock button and one to rotate the lever to accomplish the same thing... some folks at Ford told me that they could open a truck faster with the bails or welding rods than to fish their pocket for the correct keys..... Weird but true....

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

You have fantastic memory Phil...live long and prosper!

 

[DaRodent]

I‘m very happy with my Weathertechs, not a fan of the stick on ones. I think these are a much cleaner look.

Any issues with the window binding or scratching the tint film if you have it?

 

[HenryMac]

Wind noise ? Hmm?

'69 Camaro, '70 Nova, '72 Nova, '77 Nova... owned them all, none had wind noise from the drip rails.

Must be a Ford thing?

I agree with DaRodent... I miss drip rails. I also miss vent windows... Form follows function.

 

[stevensc]

How 'bout the floor vents you pulled a knob on the side to open, those provided a pretty good air flow!
Steve W

 

[P. A. Schilke]

How 'bout the floor vents you pulled a knob on the side to open, those provided a pretty good air flow!
Steve W

Yeah! My dad's 49 Studebaker had those side vents

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Rene Michaels]

"I personally do not use a cracked side window for ventilation. I rely on the vehicles HVAC system."

Yes, but it's nice to be able to drop the windows just enough to let that hot air out in the summer when parked. The Weathertech's are on my shopping list now.

 

[FULLSCALE]

Any issues with the window binding or scratching the tint film if you have it?

I haven’t had any binding and I also haven’t noticed any scratching of my tint film. I’d be very surprised if the film did scratch because it’s on the side against the felt, not against the Weathertechs.

 

[Snorebaby]

"Remember the days of the side window vent wings? I do not remember when F Series got rid of them, but my 1975 F150 that I used to tow my race car had them. "

I know my Dad's '78 F-100 had them. It was a basic truck - 3 on the tree, no radio and no cig lighter, no power steering.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

"Remember the days of the side window vent wings? I do not remember when F Series got rid of them, but my 1975 F150 that I used to tow my race car had them. "

I know my Dad's '78 F-100 had them. It was a basic truck - 3 on the tree, no radio and no cig lighter, no power steering, no power brakes.

Hi Doug,

I am thinking it was the 1981 Ram program...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[HenryMac]

could one assume the engine noise, all the other squeaks and rattles drowned out the wind noise from the drip rails?

Only if one assumes incorrectly. Benny Hill

 

[ALHO1966]

Anyone who says they miss drip rails never had to restore the rust damage they caused.

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