Patent ID: 7017250

Claim:
A method of installing a vehicle cockpit assembly within a passenger compartment of a vehicle, wherein the passenger compartment is separated from an engine compartment by a firewall, wherein the passenger compartment comprises a floor, the method comprising: providing a dash insulator of thermoformable material that is configured to be attached to the vehicle firewall; attaching an instrument panel to a first edge portion of the dash insulator via adhesive, wherein the adhesive serves as a hinge that allows the instrument panel and dash insulator to move relative to each other to facilitate installation of the cockpit assembly within the vehicle passenger compartment; ascertaining acoustic properties of the vehicle to identify portions of the dash insulator requiring sound reflection and/or absorption; applying sound reflection and/or absorption material to identified portions of the dash insulator; and installing the attached dash insulator and instrument panel within a vehicle as a single cockpit assembly.