Are pop out rear windows worth it?

[billyfeet]

I am getting ready to get my '67 sedan painted and have been thinking about putting in pop out windows while I have the windows out.. Other than a cool accessory are they really worth the trouble? How much difference do they make while putting around town or at highway speed? Do they have a tendency to leak in rain? I have a pair sitting on my parts shelf that need new seals......and it seems that installing seals is the toughest part of retrofitting a pair? Worth the trouble or just put in new seals on my fixed windows? Help me out here!

[Cali_Army_Guy]

Yes do it! Makes a huge difference in air flow in the car. At both highway speeds and city driving. I have pop outs on my '66 and they do not leak at all. I love them. My '71 did not have them and it's a noticeable difference.

Plus they look cool

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2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
1966 VW Beetle - Sold

[dvancleve]

And the big window version you need is cheap and plentiful. I would like to add them to my '62, but probably not enough to spend $400+.

Doug
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'62 ragtop bug w/ '71 1600 dual port

[my59]

I do not have them, but have ridden in many a car with them

The back of the car acts like a parachute when you drive with the windows open, or in my case the sunroof. The drag affects milage and really puts my 36 hp to task at highway speeds.
Close windows, close sunroof, and the car leaps forward, cruises at top speed all day

The addition of popouts also stops the thumping buffeting in your ears from air flow into the sunroof as the air flows through..
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
our79: sunroof bus w/camper interior and 2.0 FI
Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[Keith]

They are absolutely worth it and I have to put them in every bug I own because of how beneficial they are. Awesome airflow and there is almost no buffeting with the windows open like there is when there are fixed windows in.
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Formerly known in the forums as "OVALTEEN"

"I firmly believe that some villagers from Botswana could probably build a better road than PennDot."- Splitty

"If you do anything to your car someone will hate on you for it. People absolutely love to complain and find fault with others. Don't let it bother you. Just live and have fun."- Lind

[grandpa pete]

YES !!

NOTE : there are several threads on how to replace the rubber ....PAIN IN THE ASS ...;but necessary

hinge pieces and caps available from WOLFSBURG WEST
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63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[Cali_Army_Guy]

[56Cabrio]

[hitest]

After having them in a bug- you will never want to drive or ride in one without them. I once bought a whole beetle just to harvest the early pop outs.

And the seal replacement is a myth! It is not difficult at all if you are patient and sitting in front of the TV. Piece of cake. And indeed, they do not leak. Had they, VW would likely not have sold millions with them.
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[Cali_Army_Guy]

Here's a vid of the seal install from Chris Vallone

https://youtu.be/Zv_XVO6Y-E8

And a video of the pop out window install

https://youtu.be/wSf99pl6yyg
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2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
1966 VW Beetle - Sold

[panicman]

By all means- yes. The moment I can get my hands on a kit for my 60, I'm doing it.

I had them in the past, and it is truly wonderful to pop them and drive around in the summer.

Plus- they look cool (echo, echo...,)
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Plate of shrimp

[Tim Donahoe]

I bought the seals from Wolfsburg West, and they were top notch.

I used the plastic fake-cheese bait piece that you find on those old-fashioned mouse traps. It pushes in the seal edges very nicely.

Also, it's easier if you stretch the seal when installing, which elongates it and also makes it thinner and easier to install in the groove. But you have to stop every six inches or so and massage the installed section back to its normal shape where it belongs.

Lastly, if you have long hair, it won't blow in your face as much when you have the pop-outs open.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[grandpa pete]

[KTPhil]

Another call for installing them! I put them in all my VWs, including my fastback, for the extra airflow, especially in slow summer traffic. And when parked in the sun, the interior doesn't get so freakin' HOT.

[67rustavenger]

If you like the sound of a helicopter in your left ear. Don't bother installing them.

I had one 67 that didn't have them. That car was hot during summer driving with "Zero" air flow through the interior.

Another upside to having them is, you can hear the approaching traffic from behind you. I tend to watch out for motorcycles. They can sometimes hang in the blind spot. With the popouts open I can hear them and give them the space they need to be safe.

Have a great weekend!
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I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[Helfen]

I would also look at it from a aesthetic point of view. On a deluxe beetle they look fine. On a standard or "A" sedan or a Cal. look beetle the pop outs make themselves look out of place. I suppose if you painted the frames black it would match the non deluxe windshield and backlight rubber only standard / or cal. bug style rubber. To mix the two doesn't look good at all. It's like what happens to a Super Beetle, or a deluxe Beetle with all the window trim molding gone, making it a cheaper model.

[KTPhil]

Funny you mention approaching traffic. When I first installed them in my bug, I also replaced my glasses with contacts and their greater peripheral vision. I drove paranoid! I could see and hear cars approaching in my former blind spot and I felt like I was being run over! But I soon realized that was far safer and I got used to it quickly.

Popouts were MADE for hot SoCal summers! Makes back seat passengers feel a little less claustrophobic, too.

[Karly]

I vote for install if you plan on driving in summer - they make a huge difference in keeping the car cooler.

They also look cool!

My cons for them.. I have a repro pair and am not happy with the latches, they rattle and sometimes shut themselves.
Mine leak when washing the car and heavy rain. Not that much just a little..not enough to convince me to replace the seals yet. Probably just be cheaper to replace the entire set when the seals are useless.
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1960 Beetle ''Heidi" daily driver
1964 Karmann Ghia project

[1960 euro crusty 1]

has anyone used aftermarket pop outs ? are they any good..

[glutamodo]

...aren't there posts recently with comments about reproductions!

Me, I bought a set out of pop-out windows from a 64 for my own 62 ragtop back in the early 90s. I really quite disliked the buffeting "BUBB, BUBB, BUBB, BUBB" sound/vibration I'd get when driving with my ragtop sunroof open in unfavorable wind... conditions, and having a popout window open totally eliminates this effect. I (laboriously) put new seals in mine when I got them, and they are still in good condition all these years later.

... so YES, they are worth it, from my point of view.
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Andy T.


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