I drove the Falcon to work with the windows up and the vents open. The morning temperature was 62° and it forecast to be 82° and mostly cloudy at 5:00. The cowl vent air scoop worked nicely. It channeled more air through the vents and made it breezy the inside of the car with just a vent window tilted open. I turned on the heater and directed air flow though the heater core and it worked fine. I hit a top speed of 55 mph and the top of the scoop shook a little bit. A center support would increase the scoop’s structural rigidity and eliminate the shaking.
So, the cowl vent air scoop did work:
Cowl vent air scoop side 3-30-16.jpg
Sixty square inches of Ram Air:
Cowl vent air scoop head on 3-30-16 .jpg
But .... I drove home with all the windows down and the vent widows tilted all the way out to act as air scoops. Under that setting, I could not tell that the vent air scoop was adding much to the general air flow. There was some air blowing against my left leg from the vent, but it was rather insignificant compared to the amount of breeze that was present as a result of all the windows being open. I removed the air scoop when I got home.
Analysis:
Once again, I cannot improve on the stock ventilation design that was selected by the Ford engineers of 1959 who designed the Falcon. Those guys really did a good job. The vent system of the early 1950's that Roger referenced used a "ram air" concept.
56 F100, the cowl vent scoop.jpg
The Falcon's design engineers, however, seem to have achieved a better understanding of aerodynamics. If a vent scoop would have worked better, they would have included it. They instead selected "cowl induction" over "ram air" to supply the best ventilation for the Falcon. When air flows over the hood and hits the windshield, it has to slow down while it changes direction. It piles up on the windshield and creates a high pressure bubble that will follow a path of least resistance.
pressure_hood_zps766e0f44.png
The Ford design engineers placed the Falcon's ventilation intake grill at exactly where there is a high pressure air supply that will rush down through the open vents. The stock ventilation system of the Falcon is perfect as is. A cowl vent air scoop providing ram air is not needed. Dennis Pierson from 2016 speaking to the Ford engineers of 1959 who designed the Falcon: "I understand what you did and you did a good job!".
Addendum: On reflection, however, it would have been nice if Ford han made the vent inlet louvers removable so that the cowl drains could be accessed and cleaned if the became blocked.
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