Vehicle Fascia and Grille Assembly

A vehicle fascia assembly comprising:

• a plastic fascia panel having a back side and a forward facing show surface having a grille opening therein for receiving the grille frame, said grille opening being defined by an integrally molded flange extending rearward from the show surface toward the back side of the fascia panel at a peripheral edge of the grille opening, said flange having a plurality of flexure fingers molded integral therewith at spaced intervals along the flange, and a grille frame having a forward facing show surface with an opening therein for mounting a grille and having a C-shaped channel molded integrally around the outer edge of the show surface and including a base leg and spaced apart channel legs;
• said base leg having a plurality of slots molded at spaced intervals along the base leg and defining a plurality of abutment faces, said slots of the grille frame registering with the flexure fingers of the fascia panel so that upon the assembly of the grille frame onto the backside of the fascia panel the spaced apart channel legs fit over the flange and of the fascia panel and the flexure fingers are accepted into the slots of the base leg and the flexure fingers engage with the abutment faces to attach the grille frame to the back side of the fascia panel without exposing the show surface of the fascia panel to possible injury by the grille frame during the assembly operation.

A vehicle fascia assembly comprising:

• a plastic fascia panel having a back side and a forward facing show surface having a grille opening therein for receiving the grille frame, said grille opening being defined by an integrally molded flange extending rearward from the show surface toward the back side of the fascia panel at a peripheral edge of the grille opening, said flange having a plurality of flexure fingers molded integral therewith at spaced intervals along the flange, said flexure fingers including a ramped surface projecting from the flange and into the grille opening and an abutment face facing toward the show surface of the fascia panel;
• a grille frame having a forward facing show surface with an opening therein for mounting a grille and having a C-shaped channel molded integrally around the outer edge of the show surface and including a base leg and spaced apart channel legs adapted to fit onto the flange of the fascia panel upon the assembly of the grille frame onto the backside of the fascia panel, said base leg having a plurality of slots molded at spaced intervals along the base leg and registering with the plurality of flexure fingers of the grille frame, said slots being defined in part by an abutment face on one of the channel legs that becomes engaged by the abutment face of the flexure fingers to attach the grille frame to the fascia panel, and a plurality of locating ribs molded on the other of the channel legs to narrow the effective width of the spacing between the channel legs and guide the C-shaped channel onto the flange of the fascia;
• whereby the grille frame is attached to the back side of the fascia panel without exposing the show surface of the fascia panel to possible injury by the grille frame during the assembly operation.