Patent ID: 7076877

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a road-bound, horizontally fitted vehicle body with a roof unit having an outer skin and an inward facing ceiling, or an outer skin and an inward facing ceiling with a ceiling frame, whereby the vehicle body has no outer skin before the roof unit is installed, the roof unit is a unit ready for installation, and a basic structure having longitudinal frames and side wall columns but not having a roof panel or outer skin, the ceiling and the outer skin along with the basic structure having joining configurations that mate with each other at mutual places for joining, the ceiling having at least one fitting from a group of fittings consisting of fittings for a ceiling cover; interior cladding; cushioning against impact; sun shields; an interior rear view mirror; interior lighting; wiring; operating and display elements; sliding, raising, folding, lamellar and glass roofs, and their frame parts and drive elements; and roof hand grips, the process comprising the steps of: inserting the ceiling with the fittings from the front or rear, raising the ceiling with the fittings so that the mutual configurations for connecting purposes of the ceiling and the basic structure without a roof panel or outer skin are brought together and joined permanently with each other, the side wall columns of the basic structure having a configuration for connecting purposes, and a configuration for connecting to the side wall columns is provided on the ceiling or ceiling frame, and lowering the outer skin so that the outer skin of the roof unit forms the outer skin of the vehicle body roof.