GB686767A - Improvements in or relating to vehicle bodies - Google Patents

Abstract

686,767. Vehicle bodies. BUDD CO. Nov. 1, 1949 [Nov. 1, 1948; Nov. 1, 1948], Nos. 27918/49 and 27919/49. Class 103 (iv). A vehicle body includes a side wall having a shear panel formed or provided on its outside with horizontally arranged nodes or corrugations spaced apart in a vertical direction, wherein the side portions of said nodes or corrugations are adapted to engage marginal portions of outer trim sheathing or panels and to hold such sheathing or panels in place. Each side wall structure comprises longitudinally spaced pillars 10 connected by window sill members 16, a bottom sill 11 secured to an underframe sill member 13 and a shear panel 17, a belt rail 18 and a rub rail 32. The panel 17 is formed with longitudinally extending nodes 19, the width of each of which is several times smaller than the space between successive nodes. The upper and lower faces of each node are splayed outwardly from the vehicle side to accommodate and retain the lateral edges of removable curved fairing panels 23. The belt rail 18 is formed on its lower portion into an extension 28 which resembles the nodes 19. The rub rail 32 is held in position by the engagement of its upper flange 34 by the cut-off flange 21 of the lowest node 19 and exteriorly secured rivets 36 on its lower flange 35. In alternative methods of construction, Figs. 4-6 (not shown), the nodes 19 are formed separately as top-hat sections spot-welded to the panel 17 to form a closed box. In one form the outer wall of the node is concave instead of convex as shown in Fig. 2 and in another form the upper and lower faces are depressed towards one another in a V-section, the lateral edges of the panels 22 being formed in a similar manner. A method of disguising a damaged node by means of a sprung-on capping piece is described. Specification 661,115 is referred to.