Instrument panel frame

An instrument panel frame interposed between a bulkhead behind an engine compartment and an instrument panel for mounting various instruments in front of a driver and provided to extend in a widthwise direction of a vehicle, comprising:

• an upper frame of said instrument panel frame with a substantially Z-shaped cross-section viewed from said widthwise direction;
• a lower frame of said instrument panel frame with said substantially Z-shaped cross-section provided under said upper frame so as to contact upper and lower flange portions respectively for forming a space by a pair of walls;
• and
• a plurality of outer ribs extended from an outer side of said walls.

An instrument panel frame positionable between an engine bulkhead and an instrument panel, comprising:

• an upper frame having an upper stepped surface wall with a first end and a second end, an intermediate surface wall extending down away from the second end of said upper stepped surface wall and having a first side to which said upper stepped surface wall is positioned and a second side, and a lower stepped surface wall extending off from said intermediate surface wall and positioned on the second side of the intermediate surface wall to form a Z-shaped cross-section in said upper frame;
• a lower frame having a first surface wall which has a first end joined with the first end of the upper stepped surface wall of said upper frame and which first surface wall extends vertically down away from said upper frame, said lower frame further including an upper stepped section wall, a lower stepped section wall and an intermediate section wall, said intermediate section wall extending between a lower end of said upper stepped section wall and a first end region of said lower stepped section wall, and said lower stepped section wall having a second end region to which is joined the lower stepped surface wall of said upper frame, with said upper and lower frames being spaced apart to define an internal space;
• a pair of side walls which are spaced apart in a direction of elongation of said upper and lower frames and positioned within said internal space so as to define a duct passage in said instrument panel frame;
• a plurality of reinforcement ribs joined to said intermediate section wall and said intermediate surface wall and extending between said intermediate section wall and said intermediate surface wall.