Abstract: A dual pivot hinge for a vehicle door includes a door side hinge support, and a body side hinge support, connected by a hinge arm. The door side hinge support includes a cam surface terminating in a detent. A rocker arm is pivotally mounted to the hinge arm, and includes a roller that is biased against the cam surface of the door side hinge support. A stop link is pivotally mounted between the body side hinge support and the hinge arm. To open the door, the door side hinge support pivots about the hinge arm until the roller of the rocker arm engages the detent. As the door opens further, the hinge arm pivots on the body side hinge support. The stop link prevents the hinge arm from over-rotating, and a roller and torsion rod arrangement prevents the door from inadvertently closing. Closing the door follows the reverse sequence.

Abstract: A liftgate handle assembly for actuating a remotely mounted liftgate latch comprising a liftgate handle assembly including a housing having a handle pivotally mounted therein, a key cylinder rotatably mounted therein, a main lever slidably and pivotally mounted thereon, a subordinate lever mounted thereon and in pivotal communication with the main lever which is operably engageable by the handle and operably connected to the key cylinder. The liftgate handle assembly includes a cable connected between the subordinate lever and the liftgate latch. The main lever is adapted to be reciprocally slidably actuated between a locked and an unlocked mode by rotation of the key cylinder, and pivotally actuated in an unlocked mode by manually lifting the handle to move the cable via the subordinate lever to operate the liftgate latch.

Abstract: A rear door latch remote control assembly for a dual-door arrangement includes a back plate mounted split-pin having a pair of operating levers pivoted thereon. A release lever, pivoted on the split-pin, is formed with an arcuate guide slot receiving a link pin. A locking lever is formed with an arcuate guide slot which also receives the link pin. With the locking lever in its latch releasing position, the actuation of either rear door handle unlatches the rear door. With the locking lever in its latch locking mode, actuation of either door handle causes its associated operating lever to freewheel, thereby obviating unlatching the rear door.

Abstract: A linkage comprising an elongated rod, a rod actuator to longitudinally reciprocate the rod, and a clip of flexible, resilient material connecting the rod to the actuator. The clip has a circular hub rotatably received in an opening in the actuator. The rod has a hook at one end received in a hole in the hub of the clip. The hole is elongated to enable the rod to be axially rotated to facilitate the insertion of the hook end in the hole during assembly. The clip has a stabilizing arm extending laterally from the hub. The rod is received in a transverse slot in the arm.

Abstract: A vehicle door hinge assembly according to this invention has a hinge bracket for mounting on each of a door and a body pillar of a vehicle. Each hinge bracket has a pair of spaced-apart legs wherein the pair of legs of one hinge bracket is received within and adjacent the pair of spaced-apart legs of the other bracket when the hinge brackets are hingedly mated together. The hinge brackets have aligned holes formed through their respective pairs of legs through which a hinge pin is received to hingedly mate the two hinge brackets together. The improvement comprises the hinge pin having a threaded tip or end and one of the legs of the outer hinge bracket having a nut affixed thereto in coaxial relation to the hole formed therein, or a the hole therein being threaded, and the threaded end of the hinge pin screwed therein when the hinge pin is inserted in the holes in the respective pairs of legs of the hinge brackets to hingedly mate the hinge brackets together.

Abstract: An overcenter latch for securing a closure to a body panel includes a panel bracket disposed opposite a closure striker block with a rubber link pivotally connecting the bracket and an operating handle. The block has spaced apart outwardly opening recesses each having a transverse raceway providing opposed inboard and outboard pivot sockets. A pair of depending handle prongs, each terminating in an arcuate cam, are adapted to snap overcenter on an associated raceway for pivotal reception between respective inboard and outboard pairs of sockets. The cams are readily positioned in their associated inboard sockets without the link being tensed. During latching, the handle cams are initially rotated about an inboard socket axis to an overcenter point, wherein the link is tensed to a predetermined dimension less than the links theoretical latching overcenter length.

Abstract: A handle assembly is adapted for installation in a vehicle panel aperture having a flanged border from the outboard side of the panel. The handle housing has a pre-installed attaching clip retained on the housing by a screw tightened to an initial setting enabling predetermined upward and inward travel of the clip between a lower gravity induced position to an installation rocked-in induced upper position. The clip has tapered flanges configured to bear on the aperture border during rocked-in movement of the housing along a determined swingline. Upon clip tabs being positioned inboard of the border the tapered flanges disengaging the border thereby returning the clip by gravity to its installed position such that tightening the screw clamps the tabs against the aperture border.

Abstract: Upper and lower three-piece hinge assemblies enabling a door to be attached and removed in a precise lateral take-apart manner during a vehicle body assembly line operation. Each of the hinge assemblies each provide a body-half mounting hinge and a door-half sub-assembly. The sub-assembly comprises a link plate and a door-half mounting bracket permanently pined together by a door hinge pin. Prior to removably attaching the door-half sub-assembly to the body-half hinge an installer inserts an abutment peg in a through bore of a bracket horizontal wing. The installer then rotates the link plate about its hinge pin until it engages the peg forming, with the bracket, a wedge-shaped receptacle adapted to slidably receive therein a complementary wedge-shaped foot plate of the body-half hinge. The receptacle seats on the foot plate in a predetermined abutting manner enabling each link plate aperture to be self-aligned with an associated foot plate threaded hole.

Abstract: A handle assembly is adapted for installation in a vehicle panel aperture from the outboard side of the panel. The assembly housing has an inboard projecting threaded stem supporting a one-piece L-shaped clip retained thereon in a pre-installation raised position a nut tightened on the stem. The clip comprises a vertically disposed head portion, having a vertical mounting slot receiving the stem, and a horizontally disposed body portion having a pair of fingers projecting toward the panel aperture. Upon the installer positioning the handle member in the panel aperture and loosening the nut, the clip descends in a predetermined manner wherein the fingers engage the aperture lower edge. Tightening the nut advances the clip outboard such that vertically disposed bearing edges thereon are urged into locking contact with the panel aperture flanged boarder.

Abstract: A tailgate handle assembly in a housing including a flush-mounted handle and an adjacent key cylinder. The housing is spaced apart from a latch mechanism. A laterally extending lever is slidably actuated on the housing from a locked mode to an unlocked mode manually by rotation of the key cylinder, or electrically via a power actuator, and then pivoted by manual lift-pulling on the handle, to thereby lift a latch rod extending between the lever and the latch mechanism to actuate the latter.