Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Steven Michael Lakatos

Irfan Sharif

Jeffery Lee

Stuart Cibulka

A slip plane bracket for a front end sub-assembly of a vehicle and method of assembling the front end of the vehicle is disclosed. The slip plane bracket attaches a headlamp module to a bolster at a front end of a vehicle to facilitate adjustment of the headlamp module location relative to the front fascia, headlamps and grille. Headlamp modules are assembled to a bolster through a slip plane bracket interface that is adjustable in X (longitudinal) and Y (lateral) directions to achieve improved fit relative to adjacent modules. According to the method, a pair of headlamp modules is attached to the bolster with an adjustable fastener to set the height of the modules. Slip plane brackets are assembled to tabs provided on the headlamp modules and the location of the slip plane brackets is adjusted in a longitudinal plane and a lateral plane.

Headlamp module slip plane bracket

A fastener for securing a first vehicle module to a second vehicle module includes a head having a substantially vertical capturing surface configured for releasably engaging a portion of the second vehicle module, a body having a base configured for attachment to a back of the first vehicle module and a neck extending between the base and the head. The neck includes at least one reinforcing rib structure. The head defines a hook portion including the capturing surface configured for releasably engaging a cooperating flange disposed on the second vehicle module. The hook portion further includes a cam surface configured for slidingly translating over the cooperating flange, the capturing surface and the cam surface meeting at an acute angle. In embodiments, the fastener is used to variably secure a vehicle grille assembly to a vehicle front end module bolster.

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Waterford, MI, United States of America

Steven Michael Lakatos