Method of fabricating vehicle body panel having honeycomb sandwich structure

A method of fabricating, within a vehicle body assembly line, a floor panel of a vehicle body having a honeycomb sandwich structure including a first plate, a second plate and a honeycomb core sandwiched between said first plate and said second plate, said second plate being an integral part of a structural panel of said vehicle body, said honeycomb sandwich structure being composed of a pre-formed sub-honeycomb panel with a predetermined shape and including said first plate connected to a first surface of said honeycomb core and auxiliary plate connected to a second surface of said honeycomb core opposite said first surface, said method comprising the steps of:

• strengthening said second plate by connecting said structural panel to a strength member, said second Plate being integral to said structural panel, and said strength member being a part of a vehicle body framework;
• pressing said pre-formed sub-honeycomb panel against said second plate with an adhesive layer therebetween to thereby connect said auxiliary plate of said sub-honeycomb panel to said second plate, wherein said honeycomb core is made of paper having permeability, wherein said step of pressing said sub-honeycomb panel against said second plate occurs immediately after a drying step conducted after washing of a painting stage of said vehicle body to thereby prevent said honeycomb core from getting wet, wherein said step of pressing said sub-honeycomb panel includes the step of releasing pressure formed within said sub-honeycomb panel by said pressing step to thereby prevent damaging said sub-honeycomb core due to pressure inside a plurality of cells in said sub-honeycomb as a result of the pressing thereof onto said strengthened second plate.