Vehicle floating nut assembly

A vehicle floating nut assembly comprising:

• a nut element with a first axial end, a second axial end and an axially extending threaded bore;
• and
• a nut retainer assembly having a mounting plate with an aperture and a retaining member fixed to the mounting plate as a separate member to retain the nut element therebetween such that the second axial end of the nut element is arranged to slide on a planar surface of the mounting plate,
• the retaining member having an opening with a portion of the first axial end of the nut element disposed therein to limit movement of the nut element within a predetermined range of movement,
• the opening of the retaining member and the first axial end of the nut element being configured and arranged with a pair of first opposed abutments and a pair of second opposed abutments to substantially only allow a limited range of movement of the first axial end of the nut element in one linear direction with the first opposed abutments being arranged to substantially prevent linear movement in a perpendicular direction to the one linear direction and the second opposed abutments being arranged to allow the nut element to freely move along the limited range of movement in the one linear direction relative to the retaining member, the first opposed abutments being configured and arranged to maintain a constant maximum amount of movement in the perpendicular direction to the one linear direction along the entire limited range of movement in the one linear direction.

A vehicle floating nut assembly comprising:

• a vehicle body structural element configured and arranged to be part of a vehicle body;
• a first mounting part fixed to a first portion of the vehicle body structural element, the first mounting part including
• a first nut element having a first threaded bore extending in an axial direction and a first planar end surface perpendicular to the first threaded bore, and
• a first nut retainer assembly having a first mounting plate fixedly secured to the vehicle body structural element and a first retaining member fixed relative to the first mounting plate to substantially only allow limited movement of the first nut element in a first linear direction relative to the vehicle body structural element, the first retaining member having opposed abutments configured and arranged to maintain a constant maximum amount of movement in a second linear direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first linear direction along an entire length of the limited movement in the first linear direction,
• the first mounting plate having a first planar sliding surface in sliding contact with the first planar end surface of the first nut element;
• and
• a second mounting part fixed to a second portion of the vehicle body structural element that is spaced from the first portion of the vehicle body structural element, the second mounting part including
• a second nut element having a second threaded bore extending in an axial direction and a second planar end surface perpendicular to the second threaded bore, and
• a second nut retainer assembly having a second mounting plate fixedly secured to the vehicle body structural element and a second retaining member fixed relative to the second mounting plate to allow at least a first range of limited movement of the second nut element in the first linear direction and a second range of limited movement in the second linear direction, the second range of movement of the second nut element in the second linear direction being larger than any amount of movement of the first nut element in the second linear direction,
• the second mounting plate having a second planar sliding surface in sliding contact with the second planar end surface of the second nut element.