Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Syed H Sarmast

Gerald F Herbert

Charles F Hodge

Luigi Mastrofrancesco

Dennis Michael Sopko

Gary M Sopko

Jeff Showalter

A ball joint assembly is disclosed which comprises a generally cylindrical housing having a recess at one end thereof with a circumferential lip, a ball element disposed in the housing, and a joint pin connected to the ball element and extending from the housing. The assembly further includes a polymeric bearing disposed over the ball element in the housing and a cover plate for sealing the ball element and bearing in the housing and preventing contaminants from entering the housing.

Ball joint assembly

A wheel and cover assembly for an automotive vehicle is provided which includes a resilient cushioning assembly positioned laterally intermediate a wheel covering disc and a vehicle road wheel. The cushioning assembly consists of a plurality of upstanding channels defined on the laterally inner face of the wheel cover disc into which is inserted a rubber cushioning member which includes a mounting portion for reliable retention by the channel and a ramp portion for effective engagement with the outer annular surface of the wheel.

Cushioned wheel and cover assembly

A wheel and cover assembly for an automotive vehicle is provided which includes standoff ribs formed on the laterally inner side of a wheel cover which have a free end that includes a curved surface, which may be formed as a radius tangent to the adjacent wheel surface, for accommodating manufacturing tolerances which result in variance in lateral spacing between the wheel cover and the wheel when the wheel cover is mechanically secured to the wheel.

Wheel and cover assembly with radiused standoff

A wheel and cover assembly for an automotive vehicle is provided which includes a road wheel and a cover member aligned road wheel and provides a continuous cushioning member interposed laterally between the cover and the road wheel. The cushioning member is formed as the rubber band L-shaped in cross-section which cooperates with a plurality of circumferentially spaced standoff ribs formed on the laterally inner surface of the cover.

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Syed H Sarmast