Does anybody know what the vents are for in the front of the door jam ? ? ?, mine lets lots of hot air in around the door handle and window controls.

i put duck tape on mine tonight and i'm gonna see how it does tomorrow.

is there any reason i need to leave them open.

Dar

 

Mine are covered with what looks like factory black tape sorta stuff.

 

I hadn't really noticed these vents; I am gonna have a look tomorrow.

 

The vents let air into the door to dry out any water that gets in there. The plastic vapor barrier under the interior panel should stop most of the air from coming into the cab but many doors lost them long ago......

 

Mine still has it and i have even taped up any place where it wasn't tight, but still there is a hole for the handle and the window controls.

what your saying makes perfect sence, but i can't stand that heat comming in when i'm trying to cool the cab.

Dar

 

they were put in there starting 1980? to help the rust issue at the bottom of the doors aka dry it out .I have installed 1976 and 79 doors on my trucks and they did not have any vents including the one for letting air out on the inside of the door beside the speaker opening . I think that is for the air conditioning option ? I could be wrong I just open the rear slider to let the air out and I closed up the one in the foot well too

 

I balled up some insulation in plastic bags and stuffed them alll around the inside of the doors to help with the draft in the winter, helps with the sound deadening as well....

 

***! did someone find something on a 1st gen that you haven`t caught yet

 

JMO here, but I believe that those vents were installed so that when both doors are shut at the same time, the air has a place to go "vent" out. If they were not there, neither door would shut or would only partially shut.

I dont believe they were installed for any other reason but this.

As far as the heat coming in from the door handle....I have no clue.

 

I agree. Ford trucks have similar vents in the back of the cab for this reason.

 

well on a hot day the engine compartment heat gets channeled through the space between the door jam on the cab and the fender, so when you get the cab cool with the A/C you really notice the heat comming out of the little cracks around the handle and other places, as far as it not letting your doors shut on the first try or at the same time .....mine never shut the first time because i have the cab so tight, so blocking the vents won't make it any worse.

I guess i could make some sort of foam gasket to take up the space between the fender and cab jam.

i'm gonna go on a 1,900 mile trip here in a bit and i will report back on the difference it makes, bad or good.

Dar

 

I believe you are onto something there.

I hadn't really given it a thought until reading this; but, absent on these trucks is the notorious Dodge "CLLONNNGGGGG" metal-drum sound when you close a door, plus one no longer has to slam them to get them to completely close, just pull them together lightly and "click" they are closed.