Two-piece side and floor panel arrangement for box assembly
View Patent ↗An improved vehicle box assembly with an upright front or side panel defined by a monolithic one-piece roll-formed steel sheet member having a desired three-dimensional configuration. The sheet steel member is roll-formed in the lengthwise direction thereof. The panel has a channel, preferably a closed tubular channel on the front panel, roll-formed along one edge of the sheet steel during forming of the panel. The closed tubular edge rail is preferably closed by a seam weld which extends lengthwise therealong and is performed in line with the roll-forming operation. The roll-formed panel is preferably provided with a flat shelf deformed horizontally to extend lengthwise along the panel downwardly from the top rail.
1. In a vehicle box assembly for a pickup truck, said box assembly having a horizontal floor, and right and left upright inner side panels joined to and projecting upwardly adjacent opposite lengthwise-extending side edges of said floor, comprising the improvement wherein said floor and inner side panels are, in their entirety, defined by two similar one-piece L-shaped panel members each defining one of said inner side panels and a floor panel section integrally and monolithically joined to the respective inner side panel and extending generally perpendicularly therefrom, each of the L-shaped panel members being roll-formed and having a plurality of sidewardly-spaced channel-shaped roll-formed ribs therein and extending lengthwise throughout the longitudinal length thereof, the floor panel sections of said two L-shaped panel members having lengthwise extending free edge portions which are fixedly joined together in the lengthwise extent of the floor, and each said floor panel section and the joined inner side panel each having a said channel-shaped roll-formed rib formed therein and extending lengthwise throughout the longitudinal length thereof.
2. A vehicle box assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each L-shaped panel member has a wheel well opening formed therethrough at a location intermediate the ends thereof, said wheel well opening being formed partially in the upright inner side panel and partially in the respective floor panel section but being spaced inwardly from lengthwise-extending free edges of the floor panel section and the respective inner side panel.
3. A vehicle box assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the wheel well opening as formed in the upright inner side panel projects upwardly and intersects the channel-shaped roll-formed rib which extends lengthwise of the upright inner side panel, and said upright inner side panel having a roll-formed horizontal shelf extending lengthwise thereof at an elevation between an upper extremity of the wheel well opening and a lengthwise-extending upper extremity of the upright inner side panel.