Patent ID: 8857853

Claim:
A modular vehicle chassis frame adapted to support front and rear suspension mechanisms of a vehicle, said modular vehicle chassis frame comprising: two longitudinal bar pieces that extend linearly in a first direction and that are opposite to each other in a second direction which is transverse to the first direction, each of said longitudinal bar pieces having front and rear end portions and a plurality of engaging portions that are spaced apart from one another in the first direction; two front connecting members; two rear connecting members; two terminal bar pieces, one of which is connected to said front end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces through said front connecting members and is adapted to be connected to and aligned with the front suspension mechanism in a third direction transverse to the first and second directions, and the other one of which is connected to said rear end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces through said rear connecting members and is adapted to be connected to and aligned with the rear suspension mechanism in the third direction, at least a portion of each of said front connecting members overlapping the respective one of said front end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces and said one of said terminal bar pieces in the second direction, at least a portion of each of said rear connecting members overlapping said rear end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces and said other one of said terminal bar pieces in the second direction; and a plurality of crossbar pieces that extend in the second direction, each of said crossbar pieces extending through two aligned ones of said engaging portions of said longitudinal bar pieces which are aligned with each other in the second direction; wherein each of said terminal bar pieces has two connecting end portions, said connecting end portions of one of said terminal bar pieces being connected to said front end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces, respectively, said connecting end portions of the other one of said terminal bar pieces being connected to said rear end portions of said longitudinal bar pieces, respectively; and wherein each of said longitudinal bar pieces is hollow, each of said crossbar pieces having two opposite engaging segments that are disposed in said two aligned ones of said engaging portions of said longitudinal bar pieces, each of said connecting end portions of said one of said terminal bar pieces extending into the respective one of said front end portions of the respective one of said longitudinal bar pieces to engage a respective one of said engaging segments of an adjacent one of said crossbar pieces, each of said connecting end portions of said other one of said terminal bar pieces extending into the respective one of said rear end portions of the respective one of said longitudinal bar pieces to engage a respective one of said engaging segments of an adjacent one of said crossbar pieces.