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Chapter 3 Vehicle Construction
Outer Body Assemblies
The outer body assemblies are readily visible when
looking at the vehicle. These assemblies may or may
not be structural parts, depending on vehicle design.
Many of the common outer body assemblies are identi-
fied in Figure 3-12. Refer to this figure as the parts are
described in the following sections.
A bumper assembly is located at the front and rear y
of the vehicle and is designed to protect the vehicle and
occupants during minor impacts. The bumper assembly
can be simple or complex. A simple bumper, some-
times called a face bar, is made of formed steel and is
generally painted or chromed. A more complex bumper
may have a plastic cover called a fascia, a reinforce-
ment, and an impact absorber. See Figure 3-13. Turn
signals and a grille may be mounted in the bumper
assembly, as well. Bumpers are bolted to the frame or
unibody. The header panel is also known as a head- l
light panel because the headlights are mounted in it. Not
Figure 3-10. The windshield glass is broken but it is
held in place by the inner plastic layer.
Figure 3-11. The side glass in this minivan is broken.
This tempered glass breaks into shards.
Hood Roof Windshield pillar Doors
Front bumper cover
A A
B
Deck lid
Rear bumper cover Rocker panel
Sail panel
Fender
Figure 3-12. Typical outer body assemblies found on a
late-model unibody vehicle are shown. A—Front view.
B—Rear view. (Nissan)
The front or back of a part is always referenced
from the perspective of the part being installed on
the vehicle.
A structural part increases the strength of the t
vehicle. A non-structural part does not make a t
vehicle any stronger.
An assembly is a group of individual parts.
Tempered glass
Laminated d
glass glass