Engine cradle with deflector device

A cradle for mounting an engine in a vehicle having wheels located outboard of the cradle, said cradle comprising:

• left and right side members spaced laterally apart from one another on opposite sides of the engine and inboard of the wheels;
• a rear cross member having right and left ends attached respectively to the left and right side members;
• a front cross member having left and right ends attached respectively to the left and right side members;
• left and right front vehicle body mounts provided on the cradle for bolting together the vehicle body and the cradle;
• left and right deflector devices mounted respectively on the cradle adjacent the left and right body mounts and forwardly of the vehicle wheels, each of the left and right deflector devices including an impact receiving member that projects outwardly from the cradle to receive an impact load that is offset outboard from the body mounts, said impact receiving members each having an upper and a lower sheet metal shell providing a top wall welded to a top wall of the cradle and bottom wall welded to the bottom wall of the cradle, and a front impact receiving wall extending vertically between the top wall and the bottom wall, said front impact receiving wall being formed by welded together overlapped portions of the upper and lower shells, and a rear reinforcing wall extending vertically between the upper and lower shells rearward of the front impact receiving wall to reinforce the upper and lower sheet metal shells.

A cradle for mounting an engine in a vehicle having wheels located outboard of the cradle, said cradle comprising:

• left and right side members spaced laterally apart from one another on opposite sides of the engine and inboard of the wheels;
• a rear cross member having right and left ends attached respectively to the left and right side members;
• a front cross member having left and right ends attached respectively to the left and right side members;
• left and right front vehicle body mounts provided on the cradle for bolting together the vehicle body and the cradle;
• left and right deflector devices mounted respectively on the cradle adjacent the left and right body mounts and forwardly of the vehicle wheels, each of the left and right deflector devices including an impact receiving member that projects outwardly from the cradle to receive an impact load that is offset outboard from the body mounts, said impact receiving members each having an upper and a lower sheet metal shell providing a top wall welded to a top wall of the cradle and bottom wall welded to the bottom wall of the cradle, and a front impact receiving wall extending vertically between the top wall and the bottom wall, said impact receiving member being formed of a single piece stamping folded to define the upper shell and lower shell including a top wall of the upper shell and bottom wall of the lower shell that are integrally connected to provide the front impact receiving wall.