GB2137938A - Method of vehicle construction - Google Patents

Method of vehicle construction Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2137938A
GB2137938A GB08309943A GB8309943A GB2137938A GB 2137938 A GB2137938 A GB 2137938A GB 08309943 A GB08309943 A GB 08309943A GB 8309943 A GB8309943 A GB 8309943A GB 2137938 A GB2137938 A GB 2137938A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
chassis
vehicle
parts
insert
securing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08309943A
Other versions
GB8309943D0 (en
GB2137938B (en
Inventor
Vernon Preston
Kenneth G Moss
Guillaume Louis Degol
Marc Jozsef Jean Castells
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ford Motor Co
Original Assignee
Ford Motor Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ford Motor Co filed Critical Ford Motor Co
Priority to GB08309943A priority Critical patent/GB2137938B/en
Publication of GB8309943D0 publication Critical patent/GB8309943D0/en
Publication of GB2137938A publication Critical patent/GB2137938A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2137938B publication Critical patent/GB2137938B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
    • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D21/00—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted
    • B62D21/14—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted of adjustable length or width

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Automobile Manufacture Line, Endless Track Vehicle, Trailer (AREA)

Abstract

A vehicle has a chassis 10 divided at 14 into a front part 16 and a rear part 18 which may be temporarily secured together so that the chassis can pass along a vehicle assembly line which has fixtures of fixed dimensions. At the end of the assembly line, the chassis is divided, and a chassis insert 22 of desired length is inserted between the front and rear parts. The insert and front and rear parts are then secured together to form a vehicle which has an extended wheelbase. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle Construction The invention relates to the construction, using an assembly line, of vehicles having different wheelbases.
On a conventional mass production vehicle assembly line, the tooling, fixtures and jigs are all arranged to cater for a particular vehicle wheelbase. To do any more than making small alterations to the wheelbase requires major, expensive modifications. There is however a demand, particularly in the light to medium goods vehicle market, for versions of the same vehicle but having different wheelbases.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of constructing a vehicle which has a chassis, comprising the steps of dividing the chassis into a front part and a rear part, temporarily securing the front and rear parts together, and subsequently separating the front and rear parts, placing a chassis insert between the two parts and securing the parts of the insert.
With this method, the conventional vehicle assembly process is carried out with the chassis of the vehicle to be extended temporarily secured together, so that it fits the assembly line fixtures.
Short wheelbase vehicles will require no chassis extension, and the chassis will not normally be divided.
Since the chassis is divided at an early stage in production, the protective coating (electro coat/paint) can be applied subsequently and the steps involved in extending the chassis will not disrupt the coating.
The invention also provides a vehicle having a chassis, the chassis being divided transversely of the vehicle into a front part and a rear part and having means for temporarily holding the front and rear parts together whilst the vehicle travels along an assembly line, and a chassis insert which can be inserted between the front and rear chassis parts to lengthen the wheelbase and can be secured thereto.
One convenient method of joining the chassis parts and the inserts is to have a tongue on one part/insert which fits into a socket on the other part/insert. This joint can help to provide longitudinal rigidity to the chassis. The tongue and socket will normally be held together by bolts.
However other joint configurations are possible, and the invention is not limited to any particular type of joint.
The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figures 1 to 4 are side views of a vehicle showing successive stages in vehicle construction.
The vehicle shown is a chassis/cab version of a light goods vehicle with a chassis 10 and a cab 12.
Figure 1 shows the vehicle as it comes off the assembly line. Since this vehicle is to be extended, its chassis 10 is divided at 14 into a front part 16 and a rear part 18 which have been temporarily secured together. The vehicle then goes to an off line reworking location.
The temporary securing of the parts 16 and 18 is then released. The securing can conveniently be by bolts which can be simply undone and removed. The two parts 16 and 1 8 are then separated as can be seen in Figure 2. The front part 1 6 has a tongue 20 which fits inside rear part 1 8 to provide stiffness to the joint.
A chassis insert 22 is then introduced. In a normal ladder-type chassis, both side members only will be divided, and an insert 22 will be provided for each side member. The insert has a tongue 24 and a socket at its end 26. Figure 3 indicates how the insert is "plugged in" to the front and rear chassis parts. The parts are then pushed together to the position shown in Figure 4, and bolts are inserted and tightened to hold the assembly together.
The drawings, which are only schematic, omit functional parts of the vehicle. When separating the front and rear chassis parts, the electric wiring, brake tube, brake rod and exhaust pipe must all be disconnected. The fuel tank will be dropped and the drive line will be removed. After reaching the position shown in Figure 4, a new, longer drive line is installed, the electric wire, brake tube, brake-rod and exhaust are reconnected using different or extra components where necessary and the fuel tank is refitted.
Different chassis configurations will require different points of division between front and rear parts. In particular it might be necessary to divide and put inserts in some cross members as well as the side members. The division line can be in any convenient position between the front and rear wheels.
At the reworking location the vehicle will be supported on a fixture which has four points for supporting the front vehicle part and four points for supporting the rear.
With this construction, the side chassis members will be dril!ed (for bolts) and cut prior to welding. After welding, a protective coating will be applied to the metal, and this coating will not be disturbed when the chassis is extended, since a mechanical joint, rather than a welded joint, is used to hold the chassis together.
1. A method of constructing a vehicle which has a chassis, comprising the steps of dividing the chassis into a front part and a rear part, temporarily securing the front and rear parts together, and subsequently separating the front and rear parts, placing a chassis insert between the two parts and securing the parts to the insert.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the chassis is provided with a protective coating after it has been divided into front and rear parts.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the parts and insert are secured together by means which do not disrupt the protective coating.
4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle travels along an assembly line
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (9)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Vehicle Construction The invention relates to the construction, using an assembly line, of vehicles having different wheelbases. On a conventional mass production vehicle assembly line, the tooling, fixtures and jigs are all arranged to cater for a particular vehicle wheelbase. To do any more than making small alterations to the wheelbase requires major, expensive modifications. There is however a demand, particularly in the light to medium goods vehicle market, for versions of the same vehicle but having different wheelbases. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of constructing a vehicle which has a chassis, comprising the steps of dividing the chassis into a front part and a rear part, temporarily securing the front and rear parts together, and subsequently separating the front and rear parts, placing a chassis insert between the two parts and securing the parts of the insert. With this method, the conventional vehicle assembly process is carried out with the chassis of the vehicle to be extended temporarily secured together, so that it fits the assembly line fixtures. Short wheelbase vehicles will require no chassis extension, and the chassis will not normally be divided. Since the chassis is divided at an early stage in production, the protective coating (electro coat/paint) can be applied subsequently and the steps involved in extending the chassis will not disrupt the coating. The invention also provides a vehicle having a chassis, the chassis being divided transversely of the vehicle into a front part and a rear part and having means for temporarily holding the front and rear parts together whilst the vehicle travels along an assembly line, and a chassis insert which can be inserted between the front and rear chassis parts to lengthen the wheelbase and can be secured thereto. One convenient method of joining the chassis parts and the inserts is to have a tongue on one part/insert which fits into a socket on the other part/insert. This joint can help to provide longitudinal rigidity to the chassis. The tongue and socket will normally be held together by bolts. However other joint configurations are possible, and the invention is not limited to any particular type of joint. The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figures 1 to 4 are side views of a vehicle showing successive stages in vehicle construction. The vehicle shown is a chassis/cab version of a light goods vehicle with a chassis 10 and a cab 12. Figure 1 shows the vehicle as it comes off the assembly line. Since this vehicle is to be extended, its chassis 10 is divided at 14 into a front part 16 and a rear part 18 which have been temporarily secured together. The vehicle then goes to an off line reworking location. The temporary securing of the parts 16 and 18 is then released. The securing can conveniently be by bolts which can be simply undone and removed. The two parts 16 and 1 8 are then separated as can be seen in Figure 2. The front part 1 6 has a tongue 20 which fits inside rear part 1 8 to provide stiffness to the joint. A chassis insert 22 is then introduced. In a normal ladder-type chassis, both side members only will be divided, and an insert 22 will be provided for each side member. The insert has a tongue 24 and a socket at its end 26. Figure 3 indicates how the insert is "plugged in" to the front and rear chassis parts. The parts are then pushed together to the position shown in Figure 4, and bolts are inserted and tightened to hold the assembly together. The drawings, which are only schematic, omit functional parts of the vehicle. When separating the front and rear chassis parts, the electric wiring, brake tube, brake rod and exhaust pipe must all be disconnected. The fuel tank will be dropped and the drive line will be removed. After reaching the position shown in Figure 4, a new, longer drive line is installed, the electric wire, brake tube, brake-rod and exhaust are reconnected using different or extra components where necessary and the fuel tank is refitted. Different chassis configurations will require different points of division between front and rear parts. In particular it might be necessary to divide and put inserts in some cross members as well as the side members. The division line can be in any convenient position between the front and rear wheels. At the reworking location the vehicle will be supported on a fixture which has four points for supporting the front vehicle part and four points for supporting the rear. With this construction, the side chassis members will be dril!ed (for bolts) and cut prior to welding. After welding, a protective coating will be applied to the metal, and this coating will not be disturbed when the chassis is extended, since a mechanical joint, rather than a welded joint, is used to hold the chassis together. CLAIMS
1. A method of constructing a vehicle which has a chassis, comprising the steps of dividing the chassis into a front part and a rear part, temporarily securing the front and rear parts together, and subsequently separating the front and rear parts, placing a chassis insert between the two parts and securing the parts to the insert.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the chassis is provided with a protective coating after it has been divided into front and rear parts.
3. A method as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the parts and insert are secured together by means which do not disrupt the protective coating.
4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle travels along an assembly line with the front and rear parts temporarily secured together, and is moved off line for the steps of separating, introducing a chassis insert between, and securing the chassis parts.
5. A vehicle having a chassis, the chassis being divided transversely of the vehicle into a front part and a rear part and having means for temporarily holding the front and rear parts together whilst the vehicle travels along an assembly line, and a chassis insert which can be inserted between the front and rear chassis parts to lengthen the wheelbase and can be secured thereto.
6. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 5, wherein one of the chassis parts has a projecting tongue and the other part has a socket for receiving the tongue, and the parts are adapted to be held together by bolts.
7. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the chassis insert also has a projecting tongue at one end and a socket at the other end.
8. A method of constructing a vehicle, substantially as herein described with reference'to the accompanying drawing.
9. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB08309943A 1983-04-13 1983-04-13 Method of vehicle construction Expired GB2137938B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08309943A GB2137938B (en) 1983-04-13 1983-04-13 Method of vehicle construction

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08309943A GB2137938B (en) 1983-04-13 1983-04-13 Method of vehicle construction

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8309943D0 GB8309943D0 (en) 1983-05-18
GB2137938A true GB2137938A (en) 1984-10-17
GB2137938B GB2137938B (en) 1986-08-28

Family

ID=10541012

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08309943A Expired GB2137938B (en) 1983-04-13 1983-04-13 Method of vehicle construction

Country Status (1)

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GB (1) GB2137938B (en)

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2585317A1 (en) * 1985-07-26 1987-01-30 Heuliez Henri France Design Method for making a motor vehicle higher, especially for transforming a basic vehicle into a van, and corresponding vehicle
EP0297057A1 (en) * 1987-06-23 1988-12-28 FIAT AUTO S.p.A. Modular body element for motor cars
EP0308574A1 (en) * 1987-06-26 1989-03-29 Al-Ko Kober Ag Arrangement for transporting the steering and engine units of automotive front-driven special purpose motor vehicles
EP0611677A1 (en) * 1993-02-19 1994-08-24 Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH Transport device
US5660427A (en) * 1995-03-03 1997-08-26 The Budd Company Hybrid vehicle
US6390537B1 (en) * 2000-06-01 2002-05-21 Digonis Michael K. Vehicle adapted for taxicab and livery cab purposes
DE10140921A1 (en) * 2001-08-13 2003-03-13 Hymer Idc Gmbh & Co Kg Chassis for commercial motor vehicle has longitudinal members projecting rearwards behind cross member in region of rear axle assembly, and without cross connection, and on or below its level
DE20312500U1 (en) * 2003-08-11 2004-12-30 Al-Ko Kober Ag Add-on chassis for motorized traction heads
EP1634798A1 (en) * 2004-09-13 2006-03-15 Al-Ko Kober Ag Joining method and adapter for attachable extension chassis for tractors
ES2343611A1 (en) * 2008-02-21 2010-08-04 Tecnotrucks Carrocerias, S.A.U Tilting truck with improved mechanism (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
GB2467586A (en) * 2009-02-09 2010-08-11 Christopher Peter Hatton Chassis connection inserts and attachment prongs
DE202015102106U1 (en) 2015-04-28 2016-08-01 Alois Kober Gmbh adapter
NL2017562B1 (en) * 2016-09-30 2018-04-10 Coxx Group B V A method of manufacturing a motor vehicle
US10081290B2 (en) 2016-12-27 2018-09-25 The Toro Company Method and kits for converting a two seat utility vehicle to a four seat configuration and for providing an extended bed thereon
DE102013109996B4 (en) 2012-09-12 2023-08-17 Alois Kober Gmbh chassis and motor land vehicle

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2585317A1 (en) * 1985-07-26 1987-01-30 Heuliez Henri France Design Method for making a motor vehicle higher, especially for transforming a basic vehicle into a van, and corresponding vehicle
EP0297057A1 (en) * 1987-06-23 1988-12-28 FIAT AUTO S.p.A. Modular body element for motor cars
EP0308574A1 (en) * 1987-06-26 1989-03-29 Al-Ko Kober Ag Arrangement for transporting the steering and engine units of automotive front-driven special purpose motor vehicles
EP0611677A1 (en) * 1993-02-19 1994-08-24 Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH Transport device
US5660427A (en) * 1995-03-03 1997-08-26 The Budd Company Hybrid vehicle
US6390537B1 (en) * 2000-06-01 2002-05-21 Digonis Michael K. Vehicle adapted for taxicab and livery cab purposes
DE10140921A1 (en) * 2001-08-13 2003-03-13 Hymer Idc Gmbh & Co Kg Chassis for commercial motor vehicle has longitudinal members projecting rearwards behind cross member in region of rear axle assembly, and without cross connection, and on or below its level
DE10140921B4 (en) * 2001-08-13 2004-07-29 Hymer Idc Gmbh & Co Kg Chassis for a commercial vehicle, kit and method for widening the track and extending the wheelbase of the chassis
DE20312500U1 (en) * 2003-08-11 2004-12-30 Al-Ko Kober Ag Add-on chassis for motorized traction heads
EP1506914A2 (en) 2003-08-11 2005-02-16 Al-Ko Kober Ag Attachable extension chassis for tractors
EP1506914A3 (en) * 2003-08-11 2005-09-14 Al-Ko Kober Ag Attachable extension chassis for tractors
EP1634798A1 (en) * 2004-09-13 2006-03-15 Al-Ko Kober Ag Joining method and adapter for attachable extension chassis for tractors
ES2343611A1 (en) * 2008-02-21 2010-08-04 Tecnotrucks Carrocerias, S.A.U Tilting truck with improved mechanism (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
GB2467586A (en) * 2009-02-09 2010-08-11 Christopher Peter Hatton Chassis connection inserts and attachment prongs
GB2467586B (en) * 2009-02-09 2010-12-22 Christopher Peter Hatton Chassis connection inserts/chassis attachment prongs
DE102013109996B4 (en) 2012-09-12 2023-08-17 Alois Kober Gmbh chassis and motor land vehicle
DE202015102106U1 (en) 2015-04-28 2016-08-01 Alois Kober Gmbh adapter
NL2017562B1 (en) * 2016-09-30 2018-04-10 Coxx Group B V A method of manufacturing a motor vehicle
US10081290B2 (en) 2016-12-27 2018-09-25 The Toro Company Method and kits for converting a two seat utility vehicle to a four seat configuration and for providing an extended bed thereon

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8309943D0 (en) 1983-05-18
GB2137938B (en) 1986-08-28

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Legal Events

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746 Register noted 'licences of right' (sect. 46/1977)
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee