Chrysler Corporation

Richard F Biermacher

Patrick M Harney

Mark E Gleason

Thomas C Odette

Joseph E Kubina

Billy J Barton

Jerry F Loughlin, Jr

Todd H Wludyka

Thomas G Tallon

Craig S Montie

Alfredo N DiMichele

Gary K Mannke

Dwayne A Black

Thomas M Patterson

A liner made of water sealing material is formed with a plurality of pockets. Each pocket is cut, and then the liner disposed next to the door with a respective pocket positioned over a component of a vehicle door to be sealed, e.g., a lock shaft. The pocket is collapsed around the component such that the excess material established by the now-collapsed pocket overlaps around the component, thereby establishing a water seal around the component.

Water seal liner for vehicle door

There is disclosed herein a fluid containment device secured to, or integrated within a vehicle cowl or louvered panel serving to divert water or windshield washer fluid 'run-up' away from the operator's line of vision. Such run-up of fluid tends to occur in the vicinity of the ends of a wiper blade at the end of its final or intermittent downward stroke. The fluid containment device is formed to include a ramped lead-in front surface and a vertically oriented trailing surface, creating a high pressure, low velocity space adjacent the rear surface thereof, causing a turbulent airflow to circle downwardly and spiral laterally. The result is to urge the fluid downward toward the base of the louvered panel, and laterally toward the outboard sides of the windshield.

Fluid containment device

The present invention relates to an arrangement for attaching a decorative molding strip to an open keyhole-shaped slotted passage terminating in a lock hole provided in a vehicle body flange upper edge. A T-like fastener, integrally molded of elastomeric material, has a block-shaped head joined to the backside of a molding member by a V-shaped stem. The head inboard surface and the molding backside form layered grooves therebetween on either side of the stem. The head has a base from which project pair of upstanding forked portions separated by a V-shaped compression notch. The notch terminates in a radiused root having upwardly diverging walls disposed at a predetermined acute angle. The stem has upwardly diverging arms from a juncture the interior walls of which define a root profile matching the notch root profile. Upon the flange upper edge being received in the layered grooves an installer applies a downward force on the molding strip whereby the stem is passed through the keyhole slotted passage resiliently compressing the stem arms by virtue of inward flexing action of the head forked portions. The stem is sized for resiliently biased reception in the lock hole providing a pressure frictional snap-in fit positively securing the molding to the body panel.

Integral molding snap-in attachment fastener

A one-piece resilient flush-look reveal molding adapted for pre-attachment to a glass plate for concealing the gap between an automotive body panel window opening and the edge of the glass plate. The molding has a generally asymmetric I-beam shape providing a web portion with a first pair of substantially equal length long legs defining an inner open channel for receiving the glass plate edge. A second pair of short length legs define an opposite outer channel. The upper long and short legs combine to provide a major trim strip. The lower short leg has an extension leg portion which diverges upwardly and outwardly and terminates in a T-shaped minor trim strip normally disposed in a horizontal plane. Upon installation of the glass plate, the extension leg flexes about a living hinge so as to close-off the outer channel while the minor trim strip outer edge engaging the reveal flange causing the minor trim strip to cant thereby partially underlying the upper short leg or the major trim strip in a self-adjusting shingled manner. The result is that the major and minor trim strips function as a composite dual reveal trim strip providing a 'flush' effect gap free appearance with the body panel.

Window reveal molding

An improved fastening arrangement provides for easy and quick attachment of a convertible top boot to a vehicle body. A plurality of plastic J-section fastener strips each have a forwardly extending planar pad portion, an intermediate arcuate resilient web portion, and a rearwardly extending hook-shaped portion. The pad portion is adapted for flush mounting to the underside of a boot backing panel by a plurality of rivets. The hook-shaped portion free edge is formed with an enlarged locking bead coextensive therewith. A retainer member, mounted on the body upper deck aft of the storage well, provides a transversely extending upwardly opening lead-in gap and subjacent enlarged furrow. The bead is adapted for releasable engagement in a self-seeking manner in undercut fittable retainer groove of the furrow upon snap-action passage through the lead-in gap that is hidden from view by the overlying boot.

Convertible top boot attaching arrangement

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Richard F Biermacher