Vehicle body construction

Claim 1

In a body structure for a motor vehicle driven by an engine, the combination comprising a pair of transversely spaced, vertically extending front pillers; a pair of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending front floor side members secured to said front pillers and extending rearwardly therefrom; a front floor member mounted between said front floor side members and forming a part of a passenger cabin; a dashboard panel separating the passenger cabin from an engine room; a cross member transversely extending between and connected to said front floor side members and to said front floor member; a pair of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending dash side members, said dash side members being secured to said dashboard panel at front portions of said dash side members and also secured to said front floor member at rear portions of said dash side members, said dash side members extending longitudinally to positions to cross said cross member such that impact shocks transmitted to the dash side members are transmitted through the floor panel to the cross member; a pair of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending reinforcing members connected at their rearward portions to said front pillers; a sub-frame provided in front of said dashboard panel to support the engine thereon, said sub-frame being connected at its front portion to said reinforcing member and at its rearward portion to said dash side members so that impact shocks are delivered simultaneously to the dash side members and the front pillars.