Vehicle bug deflector

Claim 1

In combination with a vehicle of the type including a forward upwardly and forwardly opening compartment disposed forward of a transverse firewall and closed throughout its upper portion by means of an upwardly swingable hood terminating at its forward end portion along the upper marginal portion of a forward upstanding transverse grill at the forward extremity of the engine compartment, said engine compartment including a central upstanding engine coolant radiator disposed therein spaced slightly rearwardly of said grill, an elongated air duct extending longitudinally of and supported from said hood beneath the latter in the upper extremity of said engine compartment with the forward end of said duct extending over and forwardly beyond the top of said radiator so the forward end portion of said hood, the forward end of said duct being open and including at least a portion of the open forward end thereof horizontally registered with an upper portion of said grill for receiving ram air passing therethrough, the rear end of said duct opening upwardly through the rear end of said hood for discharging ram air from said duct upwardly in front of an upstanding vehicle windshield disposed to the rear of and above the rear extremity of said hood, the under portion of at least the forward end portion of said duct defining at least a shallow downwardly opening and front to rear extending channel in which the upper portion of said radiator is embracingly received, whereby said duct serves not only as an inlet for ram air to be jetted upwardly from the rear end portion of said hood, but also as a baffle at least substantially preventing the inflow of air passing through said grill assembly in alignment with said radiator from being diverted upwardly and over, and thus bypassing, said radiator.