The invention is a chassis skirt for a motor vehicle's chassis. The chassis skirt has a panel assembly that releasably engages a frame assembly. The frame assembly mounts to a chassis, such as to a chassis mounted bracket like a battery box. The frame assembly has spaced apart bracket assemblies that can have a pin extending from a bracket to engage receivers in the panel assembly. Isolators in the frame assembly also engage the panel assembly. A spring is used to assist in moving the panel asse...

The body panels of the present invention are designed to crumple in a predisposed manner upon impact. The body panels are preferably made from a polymeric material. Further, the body panels can include a sheet of colored material attached to the polymeric material so that no painting of the panel is necessary. Preferably, the colored material is on an exterior surface of the panel. The colored material could be made from a thermoplastic with molded in color. The preferred embodiment of the prese...

A one-part vehicle side wall and the method of its formation. On the longitudinal upper and lower edges of the wall there are formed from the material of the side wall an upper border and a lower border that during the assembly of the side walls complement each other in form. The upper strengthening border is provided with a concave formation into which the lower strengthening border fits and in which it is adjustable in steps. The method is characterized in that the side wall is made of a sheet...

A sidewall of a trailer is formed from at least two composite panels joined together by a novel joining configuration. Each panel is formed from inner and outer thin metal skins and a plastic core sandwiched between the skins. A logistics plate is secured by rivets to the panels for joining them together. The splicing member is eliminated and instead, the outer skin of at least one panel is extended to lie behind the logistics plate. An insert may be used between the skins where the rivets are i...

The structural framework of a bus body includes carlines of tubular steel construction spaced longitudinally thereof. The outer sidewall construction of the bus body includes a plurality of lower side panels. The lower edge portion of each side panel is attached to the carlines in laterally spaced relation therefrom by resilient links of tire carcass. The upper edge portion of the lower side panel includes an inwardly offset continuous flange which is juxtaposed to an outwardly extending flange ...

A novel joint is used to join panels of a trailer wall. The joint is formed by joining to two composite panels joined together. Each panel is formed from inner and outer skins and a core therebetween. At least a portion of the ends of the panels are spaced apart from each other to define a gap therebetween. A member is attached to the inner skin of at least one of the panels and has a plurality of slots provided therethrough which are aligned with the gap for attachment of items to the wall. Str...

The vehicle body comprises a stiff inner shell to which are affixed one or more layers of panels with overlapping edges. The inside face of each panel is of impact-resistant material. The outer face is any relatively thin material stiff enough to present a smooth surface and capable of being painted. The space between inner and outer faces is filled with any lightweight crush-resistant material preferably corrugated cardboard. In the event of damage to the cardboard, individual panels can be rem...

A vehicle body panel arrangement includes a first panel having a bight portion provided with a terminal flange and a second panel having an edge portion resiliently held against the flange of the first panel by a deflectable portion of a clip mounted to the first panel. The clip also includes an abutment adjustable relative to the flange of the first panel to define a throat guiding insertion of the edge portion of the second panel into engagement with the flange of the first panel.

A bonnet for an automobile, having an outer member made from FRP and an inner member made from FRP and joined to the back-surface side of the outer member, wherein the outer member has a high-rigidity section having a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the central section of the outer member along an outer edge of the outer member, and the inner member is joined to the outer member at the high-rigidity section. While being achieved an advantage of weight lightening of the bonnet by making it fro...

An attachment joint can provide in combination a plastic over-fender member connectable to a fender of a motor vehicle, a plastic fascia member connectable to a fender, and a complementary attachment coupling located between the over-fender member and the fascia member for interlocking engagement with one another and for holding the over-fender member with respect to the fascia member in at least two directions. The coupling can have a first mating portion molded with the over-fender member and ...