A unitized automobile body having a pair of hollow side frames connected to a floor panel and a roof panel. The rearward extensions of the side frames form hollow D-posts and hollow rear sills in the area over the rear wheel housings. The rear sills are connected by a deep rigid transverse rear panel. The forward extensions of the side frames form hollow A-posts and cowl side panels which are connected to a box-shaped rigid transverse panel formed by the cowl and firewall.

The present invention is directed at a novel side outer panel construction which includes a front panel having a front door opening and a first center pillar forming portion in its rear end. The present invention further includes a rear panel having a rear door opening and a second center pillar forming portion in its front end.

A utility vehicle 10 is provided with an extended chassis 12. The utility vehicle 10 is provided to accommodate a driver's compartment 50 having a seat 56 for a driver and a plurality of passengers. A first passenger compartment 60 is provided behind the driver compartment 50 having a seat 62 for seating a second plurality of passengers thereon. A second passenger compartment 66 is formed on the extended chassis 12 behind the first passenger compartment 60. The second passenger compartment 66 is...

A light alloy body structure particularly for transport vehicles, including a top structure and said structures fixed along longitudinal edges of the top structure extending transverse thereto. At each of the two longitudinal edges of the top structure of the vehicle a composite longeron member is provided having a curved cross-section. The longeron member consists of two mating elongated shaped members rigidly connected to each other along longitudinally extending mating surfaces thereof and co...

An expandible and retractable enclosure surrounds a molten metal stream of metal teeming from a tundish into a casting mold, and an inert gas under slight superatmospheric pressure is introduced into the enclosure. Method and apparatus are described to expand and retract the enclosure, and also to introduce the inert gas into and to hold the enclosure in an operative position against the tundish and the mold.

An assembly of vehicle body members by injecting an adhesive into a predesigned channel cavity formed at the joint interface of the vehicle body members.

A roof structure for a vehicle body includes a roof opening defined by a pair of spaced apart side rails, each having a flange extending inwardly and being vertically offset below the roof surface, and by front and rear headers, each having a flange defining a window opening. A roof panel assembly includes a roof outer panel and a pair of inverted hat-shaped reinforcement rails which underlie the outer side edges of the roof outer panel and include inwardly and outwardly directed legs abutting t...

Disclosed is an underbody structure for an automobile, which comprises a pair of laterally-spaced floor frames 10 disposed to extend longitudinally in such a manner as to interpose a tunnel region 6 therebetween and joined to a bottom surface of a front floor portion 2. Each of the floor frames 10 has a rear end located in the vicinity of a rear kick-up portion 3 extending upward from a rear end of the front floor portion 2. The rear kick-up portion 3 and each rear end region of the floor frames...

A golf car (10) or utility vehicle having a composite body (58). In some aspects of the invention, the golf car or utility vehicle has a composite body assembly that includes a front clam shell assembly (62) and a rear shell-like body (64). In other aspects, the golf car or utility vehicle includes a composite body assembly having a periphery (118) and one or more decorative body panels (106, 108), the decorative body panels being recessed inwardly relative to the composite body assembly periphe...

A structural joint configuration is used in an automotive body structure in which a transverse roof cross member has a convoluted formed shape that must be connected to the longitudinally extending tubular roof side rail. A two-piece clam shell bracket forms the joint apparatus. A lower piece formed in a shape to mate to and receive the transverse roof cross member is welded to the underside of the tubular roof side rail while projecting a formed receiver to engage the transverse roof cross memb...