My 53 f100 has a lot of rust so the plan is to start taking it apart and find a cab in better shape. I have been back and forth on wether to keep the cent windows or got to one piece glass. I want to keep it looking like a stock truck so l lean towards keeping them but I like the looks of the one piece glass. Besides the vent windows leak more times then not and can be hard to open and close. Would like to hear other's thoughts on this

 

If your truck doesn't have air those vent windows come in handy to flow air on hot days.
If having trouble with fitment try the adjusting screws on top of door or inside door panel.
J.

 

When I purchased my F1 the PO had installed one piece glass and the windows liked to jump out of the track if I closed the doors with the windows down. Upon close inspection I found that the front channel extension provided in the kit was sort of floating around inside the door. I fabled up some brackets and tacked welded them to the track to provide support. I haven't had a problem since. If you don't mind tinkering with things and you like the look, go for it.
Im thinking one piece glass isn't something I couldnt live without.

 

I hated when car makers eliminated cigarette windows. I wish all my cars had them.

 

I love my vent windows, between the Cowell vent and the vent windows I can actually drive 1/2 comfortable in the hot days. I see your in Missouri with more humidity, so if you are planning to have AC it would be a personal choice, but if your not planning on AC definitely keep your vent windows and cowl vent, they actually work pretty well. Just my 2 cents

 

Replace the rubbers and they shouldn't leak. A/C or not, they're handy to have. The only reason they were deleted, I suspect, is one more executive eating lobster for lunch in the exec dining room.

 

Confucius say "He who drive truck without vent window and air conditioner will walk away with sweaty butt crack and other stinky parts."

 

I vote to rebuild them and keep them.

 

Keep them, for all the reasons stated above plus this big big reason. While driving the division bar is a great for holding onto as you rest your arm on the open window. You can turn the vent windows the whole way so it blows a lot of air on to your body or if you don't want a lot of air open them to block too much air from blowing in your window.

If yours open and close hard you need to adjust the screw with the spring under the vent pivot I side your door. New rubbers will seal up any moisture problem.

 

Keep them -- I've got 4 of them on the beast. The girls love the ones for the rear seats

 

If you plan on driving the truck for more than 15 minutes without A/C in heat greater than 90º, you should keep them. That is probably a good rule of thumb.

 

I put solid side windows in all my projects...they all get A/C as well. I just put solid side windows in my 40 Ford coupe as well. If you like the looks then go for it. I recently did some work on a 53 and a 54 that got the treatment, one had the curved glass installed and the other I installed the flat glass. The flat glass looks much better but it is a bit more tedious to install...the window openings at the top of the doors have to be modified and it requires a fair amount of welding.

 

And then as you exit your truck on a hot day at the beach you find that your butt is stuck like with glue to the vinyl seat cover. Then you wish you had some cool air from the vent windows blowing towards the nether parts.

 

I am also redoing my 49 F1 to look stock with modern drive train with no AC so I vote to keep them to look stock

 

I decided to loose the ones on our 52 no A/C but we live in Ohio so it shouldn't be a problem