Snap-in attachment clip for plastic panel

In combination with a vehicle body having transversely spaced apart right and left side body panels, said body panels, said body panels terminating in defining a pair of longitudinally extending opposed flange edges, each said flange edge formed with longitudinally spaced fore and aft rectangular-shaped cutouts, a pair of press-on attachment clips adapted for securing respective right and left outboard ends of a plastic panel to an associated inboard extending horizontally disposed mirror image flange, the combination comprising:

• each clip having a generally U-shape formed from resilient sheet material having a longitudinally elongate, generally bifurcated configuration with a transverse axis of symmetry and defining an upper contoured leg and a lower planar leg, said legs having inboard ends thereof joined by a bight wall;
• said upper leg having an inner pair of outboard extending longitudinally spaced fore and aft tangs, defining a central gap therebetween which overlies a lower leg elongated central tab portion, said upper leg terminating at its fore and aft ends in an outer pair of outboard extending end tangs having parallel side edges, each said end tang overlying a lower leg end tab portion with said end tang side edges in matched relation to associated side edges of an associated lower leg and tab portion, whereby each said fore and aft inner tang and its associated fore and aft end tang of said upper leg defining therebetween a pair of upper leg end notches with their side edges in matched relation to a pair of lower leg end notches;
• each clip end notch so sized and shaped such that upon said clip being mounted on an associated clip out end notch body panel flanged edge, each clip upper and lower leg outer pair of end notches are centered with one of said fore and aft cutouts, each said cutout defining a pair of opposed side edges spaced apart a predetermined longitudinal dimension greater than opposed side edges of each said clip end notch;
• said plastic panel having each outboard end thereof formed with fore and aft integral pairs of mirror image depending resilient locking prongs, each said prong formed with a taper face terminating in a horizontal shouldered surface, whereby with each said attaching clip mounted on said attaching clip's associated flange edge said plastic panel having each end fore and aft pair of locking prongs vertically aligned with an associated clip pair of upper and lower leg end notches and a flange fore and aft cutout so as to be initially received therein, such that an installer pushing downwardly on the plastic panel causes each pair of prongs to deflect as each prong tapered edge face rides over said prong tapered edge face's respective end notch opposed side edges, such that each pair of locking prongs will spring back in a snap-in manner with their respective shoulder surfaces in locked contact with an undersurface of said locking prong's associated clip lower leg.