Vehicle body assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137943-B2
Application number	US-201615383438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Jan 8, 2016
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle body assembly includes a frame having a forward frame part defining a passenger cabin and a rear frame part defining a load carrying bed. A separate rear fender is removably fastened to the rear frame part, wherein a gap is provided between the forward frame part and the rear fender. A separate rear fender fairing is mounted to an inside surface of the rear fender. The rear fender fairing includes a seal located in the gap and sealingly engaging both the forward frame part and the rear fender.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle body assembly comprising:
a frame having a forward frame part defining a passenger cabin and a rear frame part defining a load carrying bed;
a separate rear fender removably fastened to the rear frame part, wherein a gap is provided between the forward frame part and the rear fender; and
a separate rear fender fairing mounted to an inside surface of the rear fender, the rear fender fairing including a seal located in the gap and sealingly engaging both the forward frame part and the rear fender.

2. The vehicle body of claim 1 , wherein the rear fender includes a body having a forward edge portion, a rearward edge portion, an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, a first stiffener is secured to the body adjacent the forward edge portion and extends substantially vertically between the upper and lower edge portions.

3. The vehicle body assembly of claim 2 , wherein a side panel outer is secured to the forward frame part, and the gap is provided between the side panel outer and the forward edge portion of the rear fender, the seal sealingly engaging both the side panel outer and the forward edge portion of the rear fender.

4. The vehicle body assembly of claim 2 , wherein the rear fender fairing includes a body releasably connected to the first stiffener, the seal provided at an edge portion of the body and extending along a length of the body.

5. The vehicle body assembly of claim 4 , wherein the body of the rear fender fairing includes spaced mounting locations arrayed along its length, each mounting location provided with a fastener adapted to engage the first stiffener.

6. The vehicle body assembly of claim 5 , wherein a first mounting location is located at a lower end portion of the body and includes a first fastener and a second fastener different from the first fastener.

7. The vehicle body assembly of claim 6 , wherein a second mounting location is located above the first mounting location and includes another first fastener.

8. The vehicle body assembly of claim 7 , wherein one of the first fasteners is installed in a longitudinally engaging position and the other first fastener is installed in a vertically engaging position, the other first fastener serving as a height datum for the mounting of the rear fender fairing to the first stiffener.

9. The vehicle body assembly of claim 7 , wherein a third mounting location is located above the second mounting location and includes a third fastener different from the first and second fasteners.

10. The vehicle body assembly of claim 9 , wherein the third fastener includes at least one vertically extending tuning rib for lateral control of the installed rear fender fairing.

11. The vehicle body assembly of claim 9 , wherein a fourth mounting location is located at an upper end portion of the body and includes a fourth fastener similar in configuration to the third fastener.

12. The vehicle body assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first stiffener includes slotted openings for receiving the third and fourth fasteners, each slotted opening being oversized relative to each third and fourth fastener in a height direction.

13. The vehicle body assembly of claim 2 , wherein the rear fender body includes a second stiffener adjacent the rearward edge portion and extending substantially vertically between the upper and lower edge portions.

14. The vehicle body assembly of claim 13 , wherein the rearward edge portion of the rear fender body includes a cutout, and secured to the rear fender body at the location of the cutout adjacent the second stiffener is a supplemental stiffener configured for mounting of an associated tail light.

15. The vehicle body assembly of claim 1 , wherein the frame is a unibody frame.

16. A rear fender assembly for a vehicle body having a forward frame part defining a passenger cabin and a rear frame part defining a load carrying bed, the rear fender assembly comprising:
a rear fender releasably mounted to the rear frame part, the rear fender including a body having a forward edge portion, a rearward edge portion, an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, a first stiffener is secured to the body adjacent the forward edge portion and extends substantially vertically between the upper and lower edge portions; and
a separate rear fender fairing mounted to the first stiffener of the rear fender, the rear fender fairing including an elongated body having spaced mounting locations arrayed along its length and a seal provided at an edge portion of the fairing body and extending along a length of the fairing body.

17. The rear fender assembly of claim 16 , wherein each mounting location provided with a fastener adapted to engage the first stiffener, one of the fasteners serving as a height datum for the mounting of the rear fender fairing to the first stiffener, and another of the fasteners including at least one vertically extending tuning rib for lateral control of the installed rear fender fairing.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Rompage Adam J
• Bach Edward W
• Helton Kevin D
• Behm Steven U

Classifications

• B62D65/024

  Positioning of sub-units or components with respect to body shell or other sub-units or components · CPC title

• B05D7/14

  to metal, e.g. car bodies (involving a chemical reaction between the metal and the coating C23) · CPC title

• B05D1/007

  using an electrostatic field (B05D1/02 - B05D1/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• B62D25/16

  Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels (equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S) · CPC title

• B60J10/45

  Assembling sealing arrangements with vehicle parts · CPC title