Just drill a hole and mount

[Xander Wildeisen]

Has anyone ever seen one of these mounted on a car?  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hood-Mounting-Part-nos-oem-auto-Parts-in-Box/392099029201?fits=Year%3A1934|Make%3AHudson&hash=item5b4aec60d1%3Ag%3AKyMAAOSwIOtbbWYE&_sop=10&_sacat=10073&_nkw=1934+hudson&_from=R40&rt=nc

[JACK M]

I remember those.

Never had one but always wondered if they worked.

They look stupid enough.

[60FlatTop]

Yep. This one belongs to the mechanic who does stuff to my cars when I farm it out. His wife drives it and has a matching travel trailer.

[Xander Wildeisen]

Pretty fly interior going on in that car.

[Rusty_OToole]

I've seen similar ones made of bright red plastic with a chrome base. Don't know if they worked or not.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Very popular in the 50s.  Mostly "plow" shaped. Did they work. Yep. Just ask the salesman!

 

  Ben

[AntiqueCraftsman]

Hi everyone,

 

I just sent Destin at Smarter Every Day <-- Link to his webpage, a video suggestion to investigate whether these actually work. 

 

If you aren't familiar with Destin's videos check them out here: Smarter Every Day on YouTube

 

If you would like to see Destin make a video on whether or not these might work please go pester him on his webpage

 

When you get there you can go to CONTACT by clicking on the contact button in the upper right corner of his webpage.

Then click on VIDEO IDEAS and suggest this idea (I already did this, but if more of you do it he'll be more likely to see an interest in this)

You can also contact him on his many social networks also listed on his contacts page.

You can also send him an email via his YouTube Channel as well.

 

If enough people show an interest he might response.  If nothing else he might at least come here and comment on this.

I sent him a link to this thread since this is where the idea came from.

 

So go pester him and maybe we can get him to do a video on these Butterfly deflectors.

 

I also suggested that he might just do an experiment with a model car in a small wind tunnel just to get an idea of whether this might work at all.

 

In any case, GO PESTER HIM to do this.

 

Remember: "The squeaky wheel gets attention!"

 

So go squeak on Destin.  ?

 

Maybe he'll do a short video for us.  That would be GREAT!

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

This guy actually shoots every single bug before it hits the windshield.  

[AntiqueCraftsman]

9 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

This guy actually shoots every single bug before it hits the windshield.  

 

We can see that one works.  No need for an engineering video on that one. ?

[John348]

Works as well as those telephone cords they sell to put on wrist to keep mosquitoes away, 

[D Yaros]

Looks like a bug deflector to me.  Remember them very well.  A popular 50s era aftermarket add-on item.  Most were colored (orange) as I recall?

[JACK M]

22 hours ago, AntiqueCraftsman said:

Hi everyone,

 

I just sent Destin at Smarter Every Day <-- Link to his webpage, a video suggestion to investigate whether these actually work. 

 

If you aren't familiar with Destin's videos check them out here: Smarter Every Day on YouTube

 

If you would like to see Destin make a video on whether or not these might work please go pester him on his webpage

 

When you get there you can go to CONTACT by clicking on the contact button in the upper right corner of his webpage.

Then click on VIDEO IDEAS and suggest this idea (I already did this, but if more of you do it he'll be more likely to see an interest in this)

You can also contact him on his many social networks also listed on his contacts page.

You can also send him an email via his YouTube Channel as well.

 

If enough people show an interest he might response.  If nothing else he might at least come here and comment on this.

I sent him a link to this thread since this is where the idea came from.

 

So go pester him and maybe we can get him to do a video on these Butterfly deflectors.

 

I also suggested that he might just do an experiment with a model car in a small wind tunnel just to get an idea of whether this might work at all.

 

In any case, GO PESTER HIM to do this.

 

Remember: "The squeaky wheel gets attention!"

 

So go squeak on Destin.  ?

 

Maybe he'll do a short video for us.  That would be GREAT!

 

 

Myth Busters.

[John348]

Technically if one insect hits it, it works, one less that did not hit the windshield. The question is how efficient is it?

[AntiqueCraftsman]

50 minutes ago, John348 said:

Technically if one insect hits it, it works, one less that did not hit the windshield. The question is how efficient is it?

 

Having an interest in physics questions myself I actually thought about this quite a bit last night.   Obviously the idea of this thing is to create an airflow pattern that deflects the insects, snow, or dirt away from the windshield.   At first glance I can see where it might have some potential for this.  But there would be so many other factors that would come into play.  For example, the general shape of the car itself would most likely play a role.     For example, given a large butterfly deflector like the one in the photo in post #3 it might have some success in creating a potentially effective airflow.   

 

I'm also thinking that the shape and contour of the car itself may play a large role.   For example, it might work better (or worse) on an antique car that has a pointed hood and lower front fenders versus a more modern car that has a large flat hood.

 

The whole question is pretty silly of course.  It's not likely to be all that great in any situation.  But you know how engineers are.  They want to do the experiments and see the actual data.   Guessing is the job of philosophers. ?

 

Destin, from Smarter Every Day specializes in extreme high speed photography.  I could just see him having a ball putting this on a car and then driving it through a buggy area and photographing the how the bugs might be deflected in extreme slow motion.   He would be more excited about watching the bugs being disrupted in their flight than anything else.  He's like that. ?

[Xander Wildeisen]

 

[John348]

5 hours ago, AntiqueCraftsman said:

 

Having an interest in physics questions myself I actually thought about this quite a bit last night.   Obviously the idea of this thing is to create an airflow pattern that deflects the insects, snow, or dirt away from the windshield.   At first glance I can see where it might have some potential for this.  But there would be so many other factors that would come into play.  For example, the general shape of the car itself would most likely play a role.     For example, given a large butterfly deflector like the one in the photo in post #3 it might have some success in creating a potentially effective airflow.   

 

I'm also thinking that the shape and contour of the car itself may play a large role.   For example, it might work better (or worse) on an antique car that has a pointed hood and lower front fenders versus a more modern car that has a large flat hood.

 

The whole question is pretty silly of course.  It's not likely to be all that great in any situation.  But you know how engineers are.  They want to do the experiments and see the actual data.   Guessing is the job of philosophers. ?

 

Destin, from Smarter Every Day specializes in extreme high speed photography.  I could just see him having a ball putting this on a car and then driving it through a buggy area and photographing the how the bugs might be deflected in extreme slow motion.   He would be more excited about watching the bugs being disrupted in their flight than anything else.  He's like that. ?

 

I don't think high speed photography is needed, just a wind tunnel and a smoke plume. Do the deer whistles really work? Did anyone ever ask a deer if it bothered them? If you do hit a deer with the whistles on your car someone will say "you had them at the wrong angle" or "they were dirty" Everytime I drove across I 80 in PA  it looked like the shoulder of the road was finished in a deerskin carpet for 318 miles.  I am sure a large percentage of cars and trucks had the whistles on them

 

These cars were as aerodynamic as a cinder block going 50 miles an hour.  This bug deflector is in the pre window washer era. I think it was 1965 or 64, and we were going on our annual vacation out of  Da' Bronx to the Irish Alps, the Catskill Mountains (Cairo, Windham, Hunter Mountain) We would drive up the Taconic Parkway and I remember my father driving  trying to squirt window cleaner out of the side window of his 50 Chevy on to the windshield trying to get the bugs off it with the aid of the wipers. Wind blew it back in face, burning his eyes. too be honest it was pretty funny, but I would dare not laugh. I can still see my mother shaking her head signaling me to be quiet, while he was rinsing his eyes out with cold Schaefer Beer in our Scotch Plaid Cooler, either that or Coke, who would have thought there would be bottled water. My Father would have bought one of those silly plastic butterflies, and insisted it worked, and if didn't he would never admit it!  

Edited August 12, 2018 by John348 (see edit history)

[AntiqueCraftsman]

It would still be fun to see Destin do his experiments with this.   The Butterfly deflector doesn't really need to work for the experimenting to still be fun.

 

But yeah, I suggested smoke tunnel tests as a preliminary idea.  In fact, it would probably be cool to see smoke wind-tunnel tests done on antique cars versus modern cars.  There would definitely need to be a major difference since modern cars are more aerodynamically efficient.  This my also play a role in whether something like the Butterfly bug deflector might do anything at all.  

 

The butterfly deflector in the photo in post #3 sure looks BIG enough to do something.   If nothing else it might be causing the car to have worse gas millage.   The first thing I thought of when I saw it was that it appears to obstruct the driver's view of the road.  I'm not sure I'd want such a large hood ornament.  Even if it worked as a bug deflector.

 

A person would also need to live in a pretty buggy area for this to be important for them.   I drive a 1998 Ford Escort with no hood ornament at all and I never get bugs on my windshield.  Could it be that the car is just so aerodynamic that bugs aren't likely to splat on the windshield?  Or do I just live in an area where bugs aren't a huge problem?

 

 

[AntiqueCraftsman]

Personally I like the insect archer.   I could put him on my Escort and claim that he's the reason I never get any bugs on the windshield

 

[John348]

1 hour ago, AntiqueCraftsman said:

It would still be fun to see Destin do his experiments with this.   The Butterfly deflector doesn't really need to work for the experimenting to still be fun.

 

 I don't know who Destin is, but I would rather see some sort of experimental done on the deer whistles, a deer does a lot more damage than a bug

[AntiqueCraftsman]

29 minutes ago, John348 said:

 

 I don't know who Destin is, but I would rather see some sort of experimental done on the deer whistles, a deer does a lot more damage than a bug

 

I meant to comment on this.   Where I live there are a lot of deer so I see deer jumping out in front of me quite often.   And over the years I've noticed something.   This seems to hold true, but I say for certain.  It's something I noticed and have tried and it seems to work.

 

What have I noticed?   Well, I've noticed that when I see a deer standing alongside the road it typically just stands there doing nothing.   But then I'll hit the brakes to slow down just to be sure that I won't hit the deer.   What I've noticed is that usually the moment I hit the brakes the deer with then suddenly jump, often right out onto the road in front of me.

 

So it dawned on me that maybe the deer can hear my brakes being applied?    I'm not hitting the brakes so hard as to squeal the tires.   But when I do hit the break even I can hear a faint sound of the brake shoes or pads rubbing against the drums or rotors.  This sound isn't real loud, but it certainly more noise than if I don't hit the brakes at all.  My theory is that even though I only hear a very mild rubbing sound, the deer may actually be hearing a very loud screeching sound coming from by brakes that is simply too high in frequency for my human ears to hear.   And it might be that high-pitched screeching sound from my brakes that cause the deer to panic and jump.

 

So to test my theory when I see deer along side the road I avoid hitting the brakes at all and simply just let up on the gas and let the car slow down normally without the brakes being involved.   This seems to work better as the deer then usually just continues to stand beside the road as I drive by and not be startled into jumping.

 

It's just a theory, but I've been doing this for years now and it seems to work.   So I'm pretty convinced that the deer are actually hearing my brakes squealing at a frequency that I can't even hear and that's what causes them to be startled.   Because after all, before I hit the brakes my car wasn't making such a threatening noise.

 

Anyway, that's my theory.   So when I'm driving along and I notice deer right on the edge of the road I never hit my brakes I just let off the gas.   And then I coast by them and they just stand there and watch me coast by without being startled.   It seems to work.   In fact, I even tested this theory a few times at low speeds.  When I see deer close to the road I coast up until I'm almost ready to pass them.  They just stand there calmly watching me approach.   When I'm almost read to pass them I'll apply the brakes.  Not enough to squeal tires, but just enough to start to slow the car down.  And sure enough the very moment I apply the brakes the deer are all startled and take off running.   So I'm pretty convinced that they hear my brakes being applied in a way that I can't even hear.   This seems to work with enough consistency that it's unlikely to be a coincidence.

 

Anyway, from this experience I would question the value of deer whistles.   A deer whistle might actually startle a deer into panicking, and that's when they are more likely to jump out in front of the car.

 

So wouldn't buy deer whistles.  I think a quite car is better.   Just don't hit the brakes if the deer aren't moving and chances are they'll just stand there and watch you coast by quietly. 

 

Of course this isn't going to work for deer that are already running toward the road.   But this seems to work pretty well if they are just standing alongside the road.  Hitting the brakes seems to be trigger that sets them off into a panic.  I'm guessing they hear the brake shoes squealing at a high frequency that we can't hear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John348]

16 minutes ago, AntiqueCraftsman said:

 

Of course this isn't going to work for deer that are already running toward the road.   But this seems to work pretty well if they are just standing alongside the road.  Hitting the brakes seems to be trigger that sets them off into a panic.  I'm guessing they hear the brake shoes squealing at a high frequency that we can't hear.

 

Or maybe the deer are deaf living so close to the interstate and just can't hear the cars!!! So everyone buys these stupid things thinking they have a better chance then the guy without the whistles. I know many of the rats that live on the subway tracks are deaf, don't hear anything. 

Edited August 12, 2018 by John348 (see edit history)

[AntiqueCraftsman]

I probably should have qualified that my experience with the deer are on quiet back roads.   I'm not sure if it would make much difference at interstate highway speeds.

 

One thing I have noticed about deer is that when they panic they don't seem to be smart enough to choose to run in a direction that is necessarily away from an oncoming car.   I actually hit a deer once that was running in a field alongside my car parallel to me.  I never dreamed it would decide to turn out onto the road right in front of me.   But that's exactly what it did.  And it clearly saw me.   So I'm not so sure that a deer can be "frightened" away from an oncoming car with deer whistles.  There's no guarantee that the deer will actually run away from the sound.   Sometimes they'll jump right out in front of you when it's clear that they already see you coming.   They don't seem to know enough to turn around and go the other way.

[Joe in Canada]

Is this one of Dr. Ho's inventions. You see his adds on TV with different products and I was thinking he may have branched out. One of his many products  https://www.halohealthcare.com/dr-ho-circulation-promoter/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsOealZHn3AIVVp7ACh2r7QoxEAQYAiABEgKqzvD_BwE 

Edited August 12, 2018 by Joe in Canada (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

8 hours ago, AntiqueCraftsman said:

Where I live there are a lot of deer so I see deer jumping out in front of me quite often.

 

I used to listen to The Opie and Anthony Show on XM radio when I spent a lot of windshield time. That in itself shows I ain't quite right. They did a wonderful show on deaths caused by sharks vs deer. I couldn't find an online version to link to. They talked about how deer lurk by the side of Pennsylvania Interstates waiting for cars to jump in from of, they had seen their eyes shiny in the bushes. They wanted to round up all the sharks and put them in the Indian Ocean because no one goes there and people would be safe. It was a good long spiel that had tears in my eyes rolling along at 75 MPH. I wish I could hear it again.

 

In the same vein, there was a radio clip in the mid 1980's of a prank call to Punxutawney Phil by a reporter who woke him up to ask about Spring. He wasn't happy and every other word was beeped out. That one made me pull off the road crying. I have searched for that one, as well, with no luck.