Conversion of vehicle bodies

A vehicle body in which the load carrying roof has been removed and which has a lower body assembly comprising a floor pan with forward and rear suspension supporting sub frames respectively projecting forwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a reinforcement structure secured to said lower body assembly for adding torsional and bending strength to compensate for removal of the load carrying roof, said reinforcement structure comprising:

• a center section extending along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle body and connected to said lower body assembly to form with said floor pan a hollow tubular longitudinal beam to resist bending forces about axes transverse to the longitudinal axis and to resist torsional forces about the longitudinal axis;
• a front section at one end of said center section connected to said lower body assembly to transmit torsional and bending forces from said forward sub frame to said center section;
• a rear section at the other end of said center section connected to said lower body assembly to form with said floor pan a transverse beam for transmitting torsional and bending forces from said rear sub frame to said center section;
• said rear section including a mid-portion having a forwardly projecting longitudinal segment connected to the center section;
• the mid-portion also having opposite ends;
• the rear section also including a pair of end portions connected to the ends of the mid-portion;
• and joints formed at the junction of said center section with the forwardly projecting longitudinal segment of the mid-portion of said rear section and at the junctions of said mid-portion with said end portions of said rear section, said joints including channels formed at the respective junctions and having seating surfaces formed on opposite sides of said channels such that the seating surfaces seat against the mating sections and portions and bridge said channels.

A reinforcement structure for a vehicle having a lower body assembly with a sheet metal floor pan and forward and rear suspension supporting sub frames projecting respectively forwardly and rearwardly from the floor pan, said reinforcement structure comprising:

• a center section adapted to be secured to the floor pan along its longitudinal axis, said center section having an inverted U-shaped cross section with a top wall and a pair of depending side walls formed with attachment flanges at their lower edges for securing the center section to the floor pan on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis;
• a front section at one end of said center section including a rearwardly projecting longitudinal segment joined to one end of said center section and having in inverted U-shaped cross section including a top wall and a pair of side walls depending therefrom and mating with the top and side walls, respectively, of the center section;
• said front section further including a pair of wing portions projecting outwardly from said longitudinal segment;
• a rear section at the end of said center section opposite said front section, said rear section including a forwardly projecting longitudinal segment joined to the end of said center section opposite said front section, said forwardly projecting segment having an inverted U-shaped cross section including a top wall and a pair of side walls depending therefrom and mating with the corresponding top and side walls of said center section;
• said rear section further including a pair of outwardly projecting transverse segments projecting from said forwardly projecting longitudinal segment, said outwardly projecting transverse segments having a top wall merging with the top wall of the forwardly projecting longitudinal segment, front walls each merging with a respective side wall of the forwardly projecting longitudinal segment, and a continuous rear wall spaced from said front walls and depending from the edge of said top wall opposite said front walls;
• and
• said rear section also including a pair of rear extension members having leading and trailing segments projecting forwardly and rearwardly, respectively, from said transverse segments in a spaced relationship from each other on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis;
• and said extension members being connected with said lower body assembly to transmit bending and torsional forces from said rear sub frames to said transverse segments.

A reinforcement structure for a vehicle having a lower body assembly with a sheet metal floor pan and forward and rear suspension supporting sub frames projecting respectively forwardly and rearwardly from the floor pan, said reinforcement structure having a rear section mid-portion having a forwardly projecting longitudinal segment having a forward end, said segment having an inverted U-shaped cross section extending rearwardly from said forward end and including a top wall and a pair of side walls depending therefrom;

• a pair of outwardly projecting transverse segments projecting from said longitudinal segment, said outwardly projecting transverse segments having a top wall merging with the top wall of the forwardly projecting longitudinal segment, the front walls each merging with a respective side wall of the forwardly projecting longitudinal segment, and a continuous rear wall spaced from said front walls and depending from the edge of said top wall opposite said front wall;
• and a pair of rear extension members having leading and trailing segments projecting forwardly and rearwardly, respectively, from said transverse segments in a spaced relationship from each other on opposite sides of the longitudinal segment of the mid-portion, said rear extension members being connected with said lower body assembly to transmit bending and torsional forces from said sub frames to said rear transverse segments.