Other than blowing lots of engine heat right into the cab, (and leaking in a rainstorm) what purpose does a windshield like that serve? Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
HRL, I have three trucks with crank open windshields, '37 & '42 chevrolets and my '47 Diamond T. The Diamond T has a split windshield with two separate cranks. I call that "zonal climate control".
Since my trucks are stock, there is no better feeling than driving down the highway (at 45 mph) with the windshield cranked open on a warm summer day. The design does not pull in engine heat, rather fresh air over the top of the hood.
Regarding rain, I live in Arizona, so that is not much of a problem. I am sure rain is the chief reason designers abandoned the concept by 1950. There is an interesting difference between the '37 and '42 and that is the presence of corner drains along the window bottom of the '42. These drains connect with rubber hoses that go out the bottom of the truck behind the kick panels. Kind of a hokey arrangement.
Design is often an evolution and the drivers of these trucks cut their teeth on trucks with open cabs that might even have a roof if you were lucky. Crank open windshields probably seemed like quite an advancement. Today, I enjoy the "charm" of designs.
How about: it came that way and I’d like it to function? I actually use mine open more than one might think, around town often, and on the freeway at 70 degree outdoor or above heck yes…. And yes… windshield leak is a given…. Chuck
Thank you all for the lively discussion (and the very helpful photo!) I'm totally with "Hank's custodian" on the crankout windshield: 1946 was the last year Chevrolet made it operable. When I inherited Rosie, the windshield was sealed closed with seemingly bucket-loads of caulk. I determined then that I wanted it to work again in celebration of it's history. Besides, I think it's a quirky-cool feature on a quirky-cool truck! I'm not too worried about rain infiltration since I would be disinclined to drive it in those conditions anyway (I already have bed boards that need to be refinished...)
If my truck were of that vintage I would definitely want that feature to function. The tilt open windshield realllyyy dates the truck. I bet there were many a farmer in places like Texas and Oklahoma that were very happy to have that airflow available on a smokin’ hot day.
Age 68 is not too late to start hot rodding , right?
