Method for assembling a car

A method for fixing a nose unit having a shroud panel to the front portion of a car body. Shroud upper fixing brackets are temporarily attached to the shroud panel before various parts are mounted on the shroud panel so as to assemble the nose unit on a car assembly line. The brackets serve to fix the shroud panel to the car body. In the state of temporary attachment, the brackets are welded to the car body. Then, the shroud panel is removed from the brackets. The various parts are attached to the shroud panel so as to assemble the nose unit. The shroud panel of the nose unit is fastened to the brackets, so that the nose unit is fixed to the car body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a method for assembling a car, and more 
particularly to a method for fixing a nose unit having a shroud panel to 
the front portion of a car body on a car assembly line. 
Conventionally, the car such as an automobile has been assembled by the 
flow line operation on the car assembly line. A bumper, a radiator, a 
cooler condenser and the like are sequentially attached to the front 
portion of the car body in individual attachment stations provided in the 
middle of the car assembly line. Accordingly, there is caused a problem 
that the number of working stations is increased on the car assembly line 
so that the car assembly line has its overall length increased and is 
complicated. 
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-103771 has disclosed a 
technique that parts such as a radiator, a head lamp, a bumper, a radiator 
grille and the like are attached to a radiator core support so as to be 
united, and the unit thus obtained is separately assembled and fixed to 
the front portion of the car body so that the overall length of the car 
assembly line is controlled. 
The front portion of the car body is provided with wheel aprons for forming 
the side walls of an engine room. Front side frames and apron 
reinforcements are bonded to the underside and upside of the wheel aprons, 
respectively. A shroud panel is provided between the apron reinforcements. 
A cross member is provided between the front side frames. In the case 
where the parts to be fixed to the front portion of the car body are to be 
untied, the shroud panel functions as a unit component. In addition, the 
cross member also functions as the unit component, if necessary. The parts 
such as the radiator and the like are incorporated in the unit components 
so that a nose unit can be formed. Before the nose unit is fixed to the 
car body, therefore, it is necessary to attach by welding or the like any 
member (for example, a bracket) for mounting the shroud panel to the car 
body when fixing the nose unit thereto. 
However, the above-mentioned members cannot independently and precisely be 
fixed in the predetermined positions of the car body because there are no 
means for defining, i.e., determining the positions in which the members 
are attached to the car body. If the nose unit is fixed to the car body, 
therefore, the adjustment of the parts on the nose unit and car body sides 
is damaged. Consequently, there is lowered the precision in attachment of 
the parts on the nose unit side to the car body. Thus, when the precision 
in attachment is lowered, the stiffness of the car body cannot be ensured. 
In addition, there is a possibility that a gap or the like is generated on 
the outer face of the car body. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for assembling 
a car wherein a nose unit is formed by separately uniting parts to be 
attached to the front portion of the car body, the nose unit is fixed to 
the car body, and there can be improved the precision is attachment of 
fixing means for fixing the nose unit (specifically, a shroud panel) to 
the car body and the precision in fixation of the nose unit. It is another 
object of the present invention to provide a method for fixing the nose 
unit having the shroud panel to the car body which is to be delivered 
along a car assembly line and has wheel apron reinforcements, wheel 
aprons, wheel apron gussets and front side frames in its front portion 
forming an engine room. 
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the fixing means for fixing the 
shroud panel to the car body is temporarily attached to the shroud panel 
before various parts are mounted on the shroud panel so as to assemble the 
nose unit. In this state, the fixing means is attached to the car body. 
Then, the shroud panel is removed from the fixing means and the various 
parts are attached to the shroud panel so as to assemble the nose unit. 
The shroud panel of the nose unit is fastened to the fixing means so as to 
fix the nose unit to the car body. In this case, the fixing means is 
attached to the car body in consideration of the mounting of the various 
parts. Then, the shroud panel is removed from the fixing means with being 
positioned by a positioning member. The fixing means has brackets to be 
welded to the car body, for example. The shroud panel has a shroud upper 
extended to both sides of the car body. Both end portions of the shroud 
upper are fastened to the brackets. In that case, the bracket has a base 
and an upper fastening portion. The base is welded to the wheel apron 
reinforcements, wheel apron and wheel apron gusset. The upper fastening 
portion is protruded from the base onto the engine room side. 
The fixing means is mounted on the front portion of the car body with being 
temporarily attached to the shroud panel on the nose unit side. 
Consequently, the positional relationship between the fixing means and the 
shroud panel is precisely regulated, so that the fixing means can be 
mounted on the car body with high precision. Accordingly, the precision in 
mounting of the fixing means is enhanced. Thus, the shroud panel can be 
fastened to the fixing means with high precision when fixing the nose unit 
to the car body, so that the adjustment of the parts on the car body and 
nose unit sides can be ensured. Consequently, there can be obtained high 
precision in attachment. In addition, the suitable stiffness for the car 
body can be ensured. As a result, it is possible to prevent a gap or the 
like from being generated on the outer face of the car body owing to no 
adjustment. 
The apron reinforcements have engagement portions on the rearer side of the 
car body than the welding positions of the brackets. A bar is engaged with 
the engagement portions. The bar serves to prevent the front portion of 
the car body from being deformed when fixing the nose unit thereto. The 
engagement portions are fixed to the apron reinforcements so as to be 
protruded onto the engine room side. Consequently, even if the front side 
frames are not connected to each other by the cross member, the stiffness 
of the front portion of the car body can be ensured. Thus, the nose unit 
can be fixed to the car body with high precision. 
The shroud panel includes a shroud upper and a stay. The shroud upper has 
first engagement holes. The stay is extended downward from the shroud 
upper and has a second engagement hole. The lower portion of the stay is 
positioned by a positioning member so as to hold a normal position with 
respect to the shroud upper. In this state, various parts are attached to 
the shroud panel. In addition, the shroud panel includes shroud side 
panels. The shroud side panels are provided on both sides of the stay, are 
vertically extended downward from the shroud upper and have third 
engagement holes. Radiator support brackets are fixed to the lower end 
portions of the shroud side panels. The radiator support brackets serve to 
support the lower portions of the radiator and cooler condenser as parts. 
The positioning member is a rectangular frame, and has engagement pins on 
its upper and lower portions respectively. The upper engagement pins are 
respectively engaged with the first engagement holes of the shroud upper. 
The lower engagement pins are engaged respectively with the second and 
third engagement holes of the lower end portions of the stay and shroud 
side panels. 
The shroud panel has a shroud upper, a stay and shroud side panels. The 
stay is extended downward from the shroud upper. The shroud side panels 
are provided on both sides of the stay and are vertically extended 
downward from the shroud upper. The cross member can be fixed to the lower 
end portions of the stay and shroud side panels. The side and portions of 
the cross member are fastened to the front side frames. In this case, the 
radiator support brackets are fixed to the cross member. The radiator 
support brackets serve to support the lower portion of the radiator as a 
part. 
In the state where the various parts are attached and positioned by the 
positioning member, the lower portion of the stay is fixed to the member 
on the car body side. The member on the car body side is a cross member 
which is provided between the tip portions of the front side frames, for 
example. 
In the case where the car body has the cross member extended to it both 
sides and provided between the front side frames, the fixing means is 
mounted on the car body with the shroud panel temporarily fastened to the 
cross member in order to increase the precision in mounting of the fixing 
means. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed 
description and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more 
detail with reference to the drawings. 
FIG. 1 shows a car body to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 
1, the car body is indicated at 1, front fenders are indicated at 2, and 
an engine room is indicated at 3. At 4 are indicated wheel aprons forming 
the side walls of the engine room 3. Front side frames 5 and apron 
reinforcements 6 are respectively provided on the underside and upside of 
the wheel aprons 4. A cross member 7 is provided between the tip portions 
of the front side frames 5. The cross member 7 is extended to both sides 
of the car body 1. Wheel apron gussets 8 are fixed to the front side 
frames 5 and the cross member 7. They are precisely positioned and welded 
to one another on a first main line C to be described below. 
Shroud upper fixing brackets 11 are protruded onto the engine room 3 side, 
i.e., the inside of the car body 1, and are welded to the front end 
portions of the apron reinforcements 6. Both end portions of a shroud 
panel 10 (shroud upper 10a) forming a nose unit 9 are fastened to the 
brackets 11. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 11 has a base 11a welded to the wheel apron 
reinforcement 6, wheel apron 4 and wheel apron gusset 8. The base 11a has 
an upper fastening portion 11b protruded onto the engine room 3 side. The 
upper fastening portion 11b has an almost L-shaped cross section downward. 
The upper fastening portion 11b has bolt insertion holes 12. Nuts (not 
shown) are fixed onto the lower face side of the upper fastening portion 
11b correspondingly to the bolt insertion holes 12. 
Engagement portions 13 are fixed to the apron reinforcements 6 so as to be 
protruded onto the engine room 3 side in slightly rearer portions of the 
car body than the fixing positions of the brackets 11. The engagement 
portions 13 have engagement holes. The engagement portions 13 are provided 
for fixing a bar 14. The bar 14 serves to prevent the front portion of the 
car body from being deformed when fixing the nose unit thereto. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the shroud panel 10 has the shroud upper 10a. The 
shroud upper 10a has an almost L-shaped cross section downward and is 
extended to both sides of the car body 1. Both end portions of the shroud 
upper 10a can be fitted in the brackets 11 and have bolt insertion holes 
(not shown) correspondingly to the bolt insertion holes 12 on the bracket 
11 sides. Engagement holes 16 are formed in the inner portions of the bolt 
insertion holes 12. The engagement holes 16 are provided for attaching a 
nose unit fixing member 15. The upper end portion of a center stay 10b is 
fixed to almost the lateral center portion of the shroud upper 10a. The 
center stay 10b is vertically suspended downward. The upper end portions 
of shroud side panels 10c are fixed onto both sides of the center stay 
10b. The shroud side panels 10c are vertically suspended downward. 
Consequently, the shroud panel 10 is formed. Radiator support brackets 17 
are fixed to the lower end portions of the shroud side panels 10 c. 
As shown in FIG. 4, a radiator 21, a cooler condenser 22, a bumper 
reinforcement 23 and a bumper 24 are attached to the shroud panel 10. 
Consequently, there can be formed the nose unit 9 to be fixed to the front 
portion of the car body 1. Pins 25 are engaged with the radiator support 
brackets 17 provided on the shroud panel 10. The pins 25 are protruded to 
the lower end portion of the radiator 21. The upper end portion of the 
radiator 21 is connected to the shroud upper 10a through connecting 
members 26 (see FIG. 2). Thus, the radiator 21 is attached to the shroud 
panel 10. Pins 27 are engaged with the radiator support brackets 17. The 
pins 27 are protruded to the lower end portion of the cooler condenser 22. 
The upper end portion of the cooler condenser 22 is connected to the 
shroud upper 10a through connecting members 28. Thus, the cooler condenser 
22 is attached to the shroud panel 10. The bumper reinforcement 23 and 
bumper 24 are fastened to the shroud side panels 10c through bolts 34 and 
nuts (not shown) by using the openings formed on the shroud side panels 
10c. The bolts 34 are protruded from the bumper reinforcement 23. The 
above-mentioned structure is one of examples, and is not particularly 
limited. FIG. 4 shows only the main parts forming the nose unit 9. Other 
parts such as a cooler receiver tank, a bonnet lock and the like are 
attached to the shroud panel 10. 
There will be described a method for assembling a car. 
As shown in FIG. 5, parts are sent out of a car body temporary attachment 
line A and a frame attachment line B, and are connected to each other on 
the first main line C. Each portion of the car body is subjected to 
predetermined welding along the first main line C. Consequently, the car 
body 1 can be formed as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the structure of the 
front portion of the car body 1 is clearly displayed by removing the 
shroud panel 10. 
Then, the car body 1 is delivered into a coating line D. The car body 1 
thus coated is subjected to predetermined steps such as suspension 
attachment and the like on a second main line E. Consequently, an entire 
car is transmitted in the direction of an arrow F. 
In that case, the both end portions of the shroud upper 10a are fitted in 
the upper fastening portions 11b of the brackets 11 from above on the car 
body temporary attachment line A. Fastening bolts 29 are inserted in bolt 
insertion holes (not shown) on the shroud upper 10a side and the bolt 
insertion holes 12 of the brackets 11, and then are engaged with the nuts 
welded to the lower faces of the brackets 11. Consequently, the brackets 
11 are temporarily attached to the shroud panel 10. 
In that state, the brackets 11 are applied to the front end portions of the 
apron reinforcements 6. At this time, the lower end portions of the center 
stay 10b and shroud side panels 10c are temporarily attached to the cross 
member 7 through fastening bolts 30. The radiator support brackets 17 are 
engaged with and seated on the upside of the cross member 7. Consequently, 
the shroud panel 10 is positioned. The temporary attachment is carried out 
through the fastening bolts 30 in the state where the bar 14 is provided 
between the engagement portions 13 on the apron reinforcements 6 so as to 
prevent the side walls forming both sides of the engine room 3 from being 
expanded. 
In the state of temporary attachment, the respective spaces between the 
apron reinforcements 6 and between the front sides frames 5 are controlled 
to become constant by the shroud upper 10a and the cross member 7. In 
addition, the wheel aprons 4 are also positioned. In this state, each 
portion of the car body 1 is subjected to welding. The brackets 11 are 
also welded to the car body 1. 
Thus, the base 11a of the bracket 11 is fixed to the upper face 6a of the 
apron reinforcement 6 and the side face of the wheel apron 4. The wheel 
apron 4 is provided on the engine room 3 side of the apron reinforcement 
6. 
The wheel apron gusset 8 is fixed to the front side frame 5 and the cross 
member 7 side, and has a flange 8a extended upward. The flange 8a is 
inserted in and welded to the base 11a. In addition, a flange 4a of the 
wheel apron 4 on the front side of the car body 1 is welded to the flange 
8a. Accordingly, the wheel apron 4, apron reinforcement 6 and wheel apron 
gusset 8 are welded to one another. The bracket 11 is bonded to the wheel 
apron 4, apron reinforcement 6 and wheel apron gusset 8. The 
above-mentioned welding structure is one of examples, and is not 
particularly limited. 
In the state where the brackets 11 are temporarily attached to the shroud 
panel 10 and the shroud panel 10 is temporarily fastened to the cross 
member 7, the brackets 11 are welded to the car body 1. Then, the car body 
1 is delivered along the coating line D. After the car body 1 gets out of 
the coating line D, the shroud panel 10 is removed from the car body 1 in 
a station S1 which is provided on the inlet of the second main line E. 
In order to assemble the nose unit, the shroud panel 10 is removed from the 
car body 1 by using the nose unit fixing member 15 shown in FIG. 4. 
The nose unit fixing member 15 is a rectangular frame, and has engagement 
pins 31 and a support portion 15a on its upper and lower portions. The 
engagement pins 31 are engaged with the engagement holes 16 formed on the 
shroud upper 10a. The support portion 15a receives and supports the shroud 
upper 10a, and has engagement pins 32. The engagement pins 32 are engaged 
with engagement portions 33. The engagement portions 33 are provided on 
the lower end portions of the center stay 10b and shroud side panels 10c 
of the shroud panel 10. 
The engagement pins 31 and 32 are engaged with the engagement holes 16 and 
engagement portions 33 respectively, so that the shroud panel 10 is held 
by the nose unit fixing member 15. In this state, the shroud upper 10a is 
released from the brackets 11, and the center stay 10b and shroud side 
panels 10c are released from the cross member 7. 
Thus, the shroud panel 10 is removed from the car body 1 and is held by the 
nose unit fixing member 15. As shown in FIG. 4, various parts such as the 
radiator 21, the cooler condenser 22, the bumper reinforcement 23, the 
bumper 24 and the like are attached to the shroud panel 10 so as to 
assemble the nose unit 9 on a nose unit assembly line G. Thus, the various 
parts are attached to shroud panel 10 held by the nose unit fixing member 
15 such that the center stay 10b and shroud side panels 10c are precisely 
positioned with respect to the shroud upper 10a. In FIG. 4, at 10g are 
indicated bolt insertion holes for attaching the radiator 21 to the shroud 
panel 10, at 34a are indicated bolts for fastening the bumper 
reinforcement 23 to the shroud side panels 10c, and at 34b are indicated 
bolts for fastening the bumper reinforcement 23 to bolt insertion holes 36 
on a cross member side 35. 
The nose unit 9 thus assembled is transmitted to a nose unit fixing station 
S2 shown in FIG. 5. On the other hand, the car body 1 is delivered along 
the second main line E, and is subjected to necessary working for 
attaching various parts such as a suspension and the like. The nose unit 9 
is fixed to the car body 1 in the nose unit fixing station S2 provided in 
the middle of the second main line E (see FIG. 7). The nose unit fixing 
member 15 is returned to a shroud panel removing station S1 along a member 
return line H. 
In similar to the temporary attachment shown in FIG. 3, the nose unit 9 is 
fixed to the car body 1. More specifically, the shroud upper 10a is 
fastened to the brackets 11 through the bolts 31 (see FIG. 7). The shroud 
side panels 10c are fastened to the cross member 7 through bolts with the 
radiator support brackets 17 engaged with the cross member 7. The bumper 
reinforcement 23 is fastened to the wheel apron gussets 8 through the 
bolts 34 by using the bolt insertion holes 36 on the first cross member 
sides 35. The first cross member sides 35 are integrated with the wheel 
apron gussets 8. Then, there are attached to the car body 1 other parts 
such as radiator grille, a head lamp and the like (not shown). 
With the above-mentioned structure, the shroud upper 10a of the shroud 
panel 10 forming the nose unit 9 is temporarily attached to the brackets 
11 through the bolts 29. Then, the brackets 11 are welded to the car body 
1 with the shroud panel 10 temporarily attached to the cross member 7 
through the bolts 30. Consequently, the brackets 11 are precisely 
positioned and welded to the car body 1. In addition, welding is carried 
out with the positional relationship between the brackets 11 and the 
shroud panel 10 (and nose unit 9) regulated, so that the precision in 
welding is improved. Accordingly, there can be enhanced the precision in 
fixation of the nose unit 9 to the car body 1. Consequently, the stiffness 
of the car body can be increased. In addition, it is possible to prevent a 
gap of the like from being generated on the outer face of the car body 1. 
The present invention can also be applied to a car assembly line shown in 
FIG. 8. 
A car body 1 is assembled along a line K by predetermined delivery means 
51. The car body 1 thus assembled is delivered to the nose unit assembly 
station L side by a delivery conveyer 52. A nose unit 9 is assembled in a 
nose unit assembly station L while the car body 1 is delivered by the 
delivery conveyer 52. The nose unit 9 is transferred along a predetermined 
passage M by transfer means 53 such as a truck. Then, the nose unit 9 is 
fixed to the car body 1. Thereafter, the car body 1 having the nose unit 9 
changes in course by a turntable 54, and is received by the predetermined 
delivery means 51 through a delivery conveyer 55. The car body 1 is 
delivered along a line N again, and then assembly is carried out. 
The car body 1 is delivered to the nose unit assembly station L side as 
follows. While the car body 1 is delivered along a car assembly line, 
wheel aprons 4 are attached to the inside of front fenders 2. The wheel 
aprons 4 form the inside faces of an engine room 2. In addition, a pair of 
front side frames 5 are provided on the underside of the wheel aprons 4. 
The front side frames 5 are extended in the longitudinal direction of the 
car body 1 and take the form of a closed cross section. Furthermore, apron 
reinforcements 6 (one of them is shown) are provided on the upside of the 
wheel aprons 4. The apron reinforcements 6 are extended in the 
longitudinal direction of the car body 1. A cross member 7 is provided 
between the tip portions of the front side frames 5. The cross member 7 is 
extended in the direction of a car width and takes the form of the closed 
cross section. Wheel apron gussets 8 are provided from the junctions of 
the front side frames 5 and cross member 7 to the front end portions of 
the front wheel aprons 4. They are precisely positioned, and are welded 
and integrated with one another. In FIG. 9, at 10b are indicated bolt 
insertion holes for fastening end portions 10i of a shroud upper 10a to 
nose unit fixing brackets 11A. 
The nose unit 9 is assembled in the nose unit assembly station L by 
attaching various parts such as a radiator and the like to be mounted on 
the front portion of the car body 1. The nose unit 9 thus assembled is 
fastened to the brackets 11A of the car body 1. 
The various parts are attached to the nose unit 9 with the shroud upper 10a 
held by a member 15. Then, the nose unit 9 having the various parts is 
fixed to the car body 1. 
The nose unit 9 thus assembled is delivered along the delivery passage M by 
the truck 53 as delivery means (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The truck 53 is 
provided below the member 15. Consequently, the nose unit 9 is fixed to 
the car body 1. 
When assembling the nose unit 9, the shroud upper 10a and the lower 
portions of the center stay 10b and shroud side panels 10c are positioned 
by the member 15. Consequently, the center stay 10b and shroud side panels 
10c are normally positioned with respect to the shroud upper 10a with high 
precision. Accordingly, the various parts such as the radiator and the 
like are provided in normal positions of a unit base with high precision. 
Thus, the nose unit 9 can be formed with high precision by the unit base. 
In the state where the various parts such as the radiator and the like are 
normally positioned with high precision, particularly, the lower portions 
of the center stay 10b and shroud panels 10c are fastened through bolts to 
the front face of the cross member 7 on the car body 1 side. Consequently, 
the various parts such as the radiator and the like can be attached to the 
car body 1 with high precision. Thus, there can be fixed to the car body 1 
with high precision the nose unit 9 formed by the unit base including the 
various parts such as the radiator and the like. 
According to the present embodiment, the cross member 7 connecting the 
front side frames 5 is fixed to the front portion of the car body 1. As 
shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the cross member can be incorporated as a unit 
component on the nose unit side. The basic structure is the same as in the 
above-mentioned embodiment. Consequently, the same components are 
represented by the same reference numerals, and their detailed description 
will be omitted. 
On the car body 1 side, extended portions 5a are protruded downward from 
front side frames 5. Both end portions of a cross member 7A are fastened 
and fixed between the front side frames 5 by the extended portions 5. Side 
end portions 7a of the cross member 7A on the nose unit 9A side are 
fastened to a car body 1 by inserting bolts 41 in holes 5b of the extended 
portions 9a. The side end portions 7a have nuts welded to their inner 
faces. In addition, the upper face portion of the cross member 7A is 
fastened through bolts 42 to the lower face portions of the front side 
frames 5. The lower face portions of the front side frames 5 have nuts 
welded to their inner faces. The lower face portion of the cross member 7A 
has holes 7b for the bolts 42 so as to be fastened to the lower face 
portions of the front side frames 5. 
The cross member 7A is fixed to the lower end portion of a shroud panel 
10A, i.e., the lower end portions of a center stay 10e and shroud side 
panels 10f. The center stay 10e has its upper end portions fixed to a 
shroud upper 10d. Radiator support brackets 43 are fixed onto the rear 
side of the cross member 7A. The radiator support brackets 43 serve to 
support the lower end portion of the radiator 21. 
The side end portions of the shroud upper 10d are fastened through bolts 44 
to the underside of fastening portions 11c of shroud upper fixing brackets 
11A. 
Although the present invention has fully been described by way of example 
with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that 
various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the 
art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart 
from the scope of the invention, they should be construed as being 
included therein.