1955 hardtop wind noise

zeroroadkill

zeroroadkill

BlackBird Fly
Gold Member
Last seen
Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Thunderbird Year
1955
Hardtop owners, do you have a lot of wind noise with the hardtop installed? With the soft top I don’t recall hearing as much wind noise around the windshield as I do with the hardtop. If I’m not mistaken the soft top has a lower profile on the top of the windshield, whereas the hardtop has a bigger profile where it lays over the windshield frame. Just completed a total restoration of the top.
 

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Please use the 4-digit model year in your subject on future posts. This aids with our forum site searches and google search.. Updating '55 to 1955.
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Both tops will leak when driven in the rain/through a car wash, so wind noise should be no surprise. Yes, it's possible that your soft top is a better fit. There is a cure: remove/drop the top, and you won't notice.

All kidding aside, it's possible that the weather stripping on the soft top is in better condition.
 
All new! Just did complete restoration on the top! No leaking and no wind coming into the driver compartment. Solid seal. I believe the reason is because of the large profile of the top to windshield frame???
The gap is equal all along the windshield. Photo is deceptive.
 

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Just as a point of possible interest related to this.. It can take very little change in profile to greatly affect the amount of wind noise. A friend of mine was talking with a Chevrolet truck engineer and the engineer told him they can tell when the dies they use to stamp out the sheet metal tops for the truck cabs are worn out because the slight change in profile with the worn out dies (too small to see by eye) creates more wind noise. So I would say it's possible that the difference in thickness/height of the weatherstripping between old and new or one brand and another might affect how much wind noise any particular roof makes even when they seat and seal perfectly.
 
My soft top is very noisy
Hard has very little air noise
Maybe add additional soft seal to take up any irregularities
 
Interesting aerodynamic comment. I had a 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with the dealer installed hood air deflector and at 70MPH you would hear what sounded like popcorn popping around the top of the windshield. I removed the deflector and the sound went away! Other owners I talked with had the same noise from the popular dealer installed air deflector!

Guess I’ll live with the wind noise! OR drive topless!!!
 
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