Abstract: A front body structure for a vehicle has a pair of front side frames of a boxed-type which extend in a lengthwise direction from the front to the back of the vehicle at opposite sides of the front body. The front side frame has a closed rectangular cross section which has an approximately constant height over the length and has a height-to-width ratio gradually decreasing toward a ratio of 1 (one) as the front frame comes closer to the forward end thereof.

Abstract: A vehicle assembly line has a first line for a first mobile conveyor and a second line for a second mobile conveyor and the first line is connected to the second line with two hanger conveyor lines. Two working robots are disposed to the first mobile conveyor, one being positioned within a cabin of an upper body section and the other being positioned in front of the upper body section. The second mobile conveyor has a mechanism for altering a posture of the upper body section and a height position thereof. To the upper body section are mounted various small parts such as grommets with the first working robot during the course of running the first mobile conveyor in the first line. The second line has plural stations for mounting larger parts such as bumpers to the upper body section which is loaded on the second mobile conveyor and whose posture and position are aligned with the working robots disposed in the plural stations before entering the stations.

Abstract: A vehicle assembling method includes the steps of assembling a lower body shell a including underbody portion having a front floor and front body portion, assembling an upper body shell, including a roof member and right and left body side panels, and assembling the upper body shell and the lower body shell, moving rearward the lower body shell relative to the upper body shell, and engaging transverse opposite side ends of the lower body shell with lower end portions of the upper body shell to join the lower body shell with the upper body shell. The under body portion can be readily joined with the upper body shell, improving the workability of the joining operation. The structure of joint portion thereof can be simplified with a desirable sealing.

Abstract: A front body structure of a vehicle capable of controlling a crashed mode of a front side frame at a collision with reduced weight. A rear frame of the front side frame has high rigidity by making the thickness thereof thicker than that of the front frame. The weight of the front body is reduced by lessening the thickness of the front frame. A crashed mode is controlled by adjusting the thickness of the front frame and the rear frame. The front and rear frames are joined by a butt joint to each other at a set angle with respect to a vertical direction of a car body, so that a joint part between both frames can be easily bent at a collision. A reinforcement and a engine mount are respectively disposed at the inside and the outside of the joint part to reinforce the joint part.

Abstract: In a vehicle body assembly line is disposed a jig unit having a mechanism for aligning and clamping a side inner panel and a mechanism for aligning and clamping a front header and a rear header of a roof panel. Each of the mechanisms is movable between a position of aligning and holding the member for structuring a vehicle body and a position of evacuating the mechanism from the vehicle body sections. The vehicle body assembly line has nine stations for subassembling the structuring members. In the second station, the side inner panel is set to the jig unit which is transferred to the third station with a welding robot disposed therein, in which the front and rear headers are set to the jig unit and they are temporarily welded to the side inner panel. The jig unit is transferred to the fourth station where the headers are permanently welded to the side inner panel. The side outer panel is aligned on the basis of the side inner panel in the fifth station and it is welded in the sixth station.

Abstract: A cowl box extends in the transverse direction of a vehicle body in front of the passenger room between left and right hinge pillars and is defined by a windshield support member on which the windshield of the vehicle is supported and a dashboard upper member which is joined to the lower surface of the windshield support member. The dashboard upper member has a vertical wall portion facing the passenger room. The cowl box having an open cross-section. A reinforcement is provided along the joining line of the dashboard upper member to the windshield support member. The reinforcement is formed of end portions which extend along respective end portions of the joining line of the dashboard upper member to the windshield support member and a main portion which extends along the rest of the joining line of the dashboard upper member to the windshield support member. The end portions are on the passenger room side over the entire length thereof and are fixed to the corresponding hinge pillars.