Fca US LLC

Mikil Sockow

David C Fischer

Michael Boyle

Jimmy L Suder

Cole T Schaenzer

Christopher J Allen

Robert Rizzo

Jeffery E Long

Robert H Perkins

Joshua Hall

Richard T Stuedemann

Jason E Schultz

Zachariah P Smith

A vehicle includes a vehicle body including a truck bed at least partially defining a cargo area, a vehicle interior with passenger seating, and a multi-component hard top assembly configured to selectively and removably couple to the vehicle body to provide an enclosed configuration at least partially enclosing the vehicle interior. The multi-component hard top assembly includes a rear window assembly configured to selectively and removably couple to the vehicle body.

Vehicle convertible top systems

A modular, multi-component hard top assembly for a vehicle having an interior with front passenger seating, rear passenger seating, and a rear cargo area is provided. In one example implementation, the hard top assembly includes a base frame configured to removably couple to a body of the vehicle, and a plurality of removable roof panels selectively coupleable to the base frame to create a substantially contiguous roof over the vehicle interior. Each removable roof panel of the plurality of removable roof panels is separately removable from the base frame to provide an open air configuration at that specific location of the hard top assembly while enabling a user to detach, remove, and transport a smaller portion of the hard top assembly without assistance or specialized equipment.

A vehicle includes a vehicle body including a truck bed at least partially defining a cargo area, a vehicle interior with front passenger seating and rear passenger seating, and a modular, multi-component hard top assembly. The hard top assembly is configured to selectively and removably couple interchangeably between (i) the vehicle body to provide an enclosed configuration at least partially enclosing the vehicle interior, and (ii) the truck bed to function as a truck bed storage cover to enclose the cargo area and provide a securable storage compartment. The multi-component hard top assembly is detachable from the vehicle body to provide an open air configuration for the vehicle interior.

A rear SMC component is adhesively bonded to a central SMC component to form a cavity adjacent the rear wall that encloses a tapping plate. A reinforcing SMC component is adhesively bonded to the central SMC component with a rail portion against the top wall and a rear gusset portion against the rear wall. Conductive heaters are positioned directly against the surfaces on both sides of the adhesive for the rail portion but only on the interior side of the adhesive for the gusset portion, because the rear component blocks access thereto. As a result, the adhesive for the gusset portion is only partially cured by the heater. A gusset fastener is installed through the rear gusset portion and the rear wall and into the tapping plate to fixedly retain the rear gusset portion against the rear wall while this partially cured adhesive subsequently cures.

Method of assembling a SMC vehicle roof assembly

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Mikil Sockow