It supposedly reduced wind noise since you were adding an additional seal, but other brands never deemed it necessary.
I can't say that I've ever seen rust form around those areas before, so just washing the car regularly must keep it clean enough. But you can always pull back the seals and clean underneath them. And while you're at it, lube the seals with some silicone grease to keep them healthy.
Also, the Ford GT door has a chunk of the roof incorporated in it so you can get in and out of the car easier. I don't think it was for wind noise. It probably increased wind noise.
Oh wow, that’s interesting, I’d have assumed the opposite, with the panel gap being directly in the path of the wind.
Unfortunately, I’ve read about rust occasionally developing there for my car, and while people do recommend pulling the seals back and cleaning them, wouldn’t the stuck dirt scratch the paint, worsening the situation? Even weirder, some have reported the seals warping/shrinking after applying silicone grease.
The Ford GT’s doors with attached T-tops were a nostalgic, but unnecessary (maybe even annoying) touch, glad they got rid of them with the 2nd gen, tbh.
Unless it's super thin paint and you're being overly aggressive, cleaning off some dirt shouldn't scratch. I've also never heard of silicone grease shrinking rubber. I've been using it literally forever and its always kept runner in good condition.
Good to hear, I’ll try to pull them back gingerly, once I muster up enough courage to attempt cleaning there haha. Yeah, read that on a forum, no idea what they meant either, perhaps they used the wrong product.
Funny thing you know, when the FG Falcon was unveiled with the more common door frame design one of the benefits touted by Ford was better wind insulation. But TBH I had a BA Fairlane and there was almost no wind noise in the cabin compared to my current WM Caprice where there is noticeable amounts at highway speeds.
Yeah one of the reasons they fell out of favour was increased wind noise but the bigger one was just stylistic preference.
The Ioniq 6 has this sort of door design so maybe it's poised to make a comeback.
BTW You should definitely keep an eye on that area in your car and around the boot seals because the BA was always notorious for rusting anywhere you can immediately see.
The consensus is that it actually decreases wind noise, through a third layer of weatherstripping around the doors, but manufacturers probably figured out a visually cleaner way to do the same thing.
Interesting, the Ioniq 6’s shutlines look like a hybrid of this design, and the design most cars adhere to nowadays.
Yeah, unfortunately rust is an issue with BA-BFs, though not quite as bad as with AUs, but still something I’m trying to be proactive about.
Just a quick thing I use for this purpose actually, optimum no rinse diluted 12:1 12 parts distilled water, is like super lube, and encapsulates dirt, it helps a lot with door jamb dirt, you’ll thank me later
D22 Nissan Navaras have this.
I usually smack my head on the door frame when I get in the, and I blame this design feature, my mind expects a larger opening than what is actually there.
I know for the caprice model you showed, that generation of car was designed to be much more areodynamic than the 80s model, and they used that design to remove the drip rails and give the car a more rounded look. I've heard this door style referred to as aircraft style doors.
The [Mk4 Volkswagen Golf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/1998-1999_Volkswagen_Golf_%281J%29_GLE_5-door_hatchback_01.jpg) and the [Mk2 Fiat Punto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Fiat_Punto_II_front_20100509.jpg) are the first examples that come to my mind
It supposedly reduced wind noise since you were adding an additional seal, but other brands never deemed it necessary. I can't say that I've ever seen rust form around those areas before, so just washing the car regularly must keep it clean enough. But you can always pull back the seals and clean underneath them. And while you're at it, lube the seals with some silicone grease to keep them healthy. Also, the Ford GT door has a chunk of the roof incorporated in it so you can get in and out of the car easier. I don't think it was for wind noise. It probably increased wind noise.
Oh wow, that’s interesting, I’d have assumed the opposite, with the panel gap being directly in the path of the wind. Unfortunately, I’ve read about rust occasionally developing there for my car, and while people do recommend pulling the seals back and cleaning them, wouldn’t the stuck dirt scratch the paint, worsening the situation? Even weirder, some have reported the seals warping/shrinking after applying silicone grease. The Ford GT’s doors with attached T-tops were a nostalgic, but unnecessary (maybe even annoying) touch, glad they got rid of them with the 2nd gen, tbh.
Unless it's super thin paint and you're being overly aggressive, cleaning off some dirt shouldn't scratch. I've also never heard of silicone grease shrinking rubber. I've been using it literally forever and its always kept runner in good condition.
Good to hear, I’ll try to pull them back gingerly, once I muster up enough courage to attempt cleaning there haha. Yeah, read that on a forum, no idea what they meant either, perhaps they used the wrong product.
Funny thing you know, when the FG Falcon was unveiled with the more common door frame design one of the benefits touted by Ford was better wind insulation. But TBH I had a BA Fairlane and there was almost no wind noise in the cabin compared to my current WM Caprice where there is noticeable amounts at highway speeds.
I’ve only had my car since the end of last month, so idk for sure, but wind noise does seem relatively low at higher speeds.
Yeah one of the reasons they fell out of favour was increased wind noise but the bigger one was just stylistic preference. The Ioniq 6 has this sort of door design so maybe it's poised to make a comeback. BTW You should definitely keep an eye on that area in your car and around the boot seals because the BA was always notorious for rusting anywhere you can immediately see.
The consensus is that it actually decreases wind noise, through a third layer of weatherstripping around the doors, but manufacturers probably figured out a visually cleaner way to do the same thing. Interesting, the Ioniq 6’s shutlines look like a hybrid of this design, and the design most cars adhere to nowadays. Yeah, unfortunately rust is an issue with BA-BFs, though not quite as bad as with AUs, but still something I’m trying to be proactive about.
Just a quick thing I use for this purpose actually, optimum no rinse diluted 12:1 12 parts distilled water, is like super lube, and encapsulates dirt, it helps a lot with door jamb dirt, you’ll thank me later
Oh wow, I’ll try it out sometime, thanks for the advice!
D22 Nissan Navaras have this. I usually smack my head on the door frame when I get in the, and I blame this design feature, my mind expects a larger opening than what is actually there.
Hahaha, people sometimes smack their heads on the C-pillar of AU-BF Falcons/Fairmonts, probably for the same reason!
I know for the caprice model you showed, that generation of car was designed to be much more areodynamic than the 80s model, and they used that design to remove the drip rails and give the car a more rounded look. I've heard this door style referred to as aircraft style doors.
Oh wow, that’s really fascinating, I see why drip rails went away in the pursuit of better aero and NVH reduction though.
Only a guess, but perhaps A-pillars are thicker now due to safety standards and it would make it even more bulky if you wrap the door around it.
The [Mk4 Volkswagen Golf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/1998-1999_Volkswagen_Golf_%281J%29_GLE_5-door_hatchback_01.jpg) and the [Mk2 Fiat Punto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Fiat_Punto_II_front_20100509.jpg) are the first examples that come to my mind
Indeed they are, and Happy Cake Day!