Motor vehicles – Bodies
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-27
2001-08-21
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Motor vehicles
Bodies
C280S785000, C296S190050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276477
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to a component car system and method for making the same and more particularly to a novel system of car components adapted to enable persons to build a new car having the appearance of a classic or antique car such as a “Tucker”.
The method of making automobiles has evolved over the years from the practice of crafting motor vehicles one at a time to assembly in a piecemeal fashion in an assembly line manned by human operators whereby the various chassis components such as parts of the suspension system, steering system, driveline elements and the engine were added to the vehicle-frame as it progressed from station to station to the present practice of preassembling subassemblies incorporating portions of the body and frame that are attached to other portions of the frame. In spite of the ever-increasing variety of automobiles currently available due in large part to the aforementioned increased efficiency of the production process, a significant portion of the population retains an interest in antique, vintage, rare and/or unusual automobiles which are only available to the general public in limited quantities. Typically such automobiles are inaccessible for the average vintage automobile aficionado due to the exorbitant cost or are unavailable because of scarcity. In addition, many of these automobiles were not well constructed as originals, due to poor materials, engineering and/or workmanship. As a result, even a collector fortunate enough to own an “original” antique or vintage car can not operate the vehicle on the road because of safety concerns and/or for fear of damaging the original parts. In such cases the original parts of the automobile are inevitably replaced with replica or stock parts. However, retrofitting such vehicles with new parts is typically difficult and costly, often requiring custom fitting or fabrication of each part with no guarantee that the replacement parts will render the vehicle roadworthy or provide an acceptable degree of aesthetic appeal.
In an effort to increase the general availability and accessibility of vintage automobiles, automobile “kits” have been provided which consist of nothing more than a series of prefabricated panels that are intended to be mounted by a purchaser onto an existing stock chassis to replicate the appearance of a particular automobile. Such kits generally provide poor imitation shells of the automobiles which they are intended to replicate and when assembled on a stock chassis do not provide an automobile well-suited for operation on the street. The alternative to kit cars is for an enthusiast to custom build a desired vintage car from scratch. The cost of such a venture is prohibitive.
Therefore, for the vintage car enthusiast who wishes to build his or her own car, a need exists for a component car consisting of modular body components which can be shipped to and subsequently assembled by the enthusiast without the need for reengineering the vehicle or contracting to have the vehicle built from the ground up.
Many classic automobiles have been the subject of kits, including for example the Auburn, Cord, and Ford Cobra. However, it is heretofore unknown to remanufacture a classic car known as the “Tucker Torpedo”, also known as the “Tucker 48” according to the apparatus and method disclosed herein. Only fifty “Tuckers” were ever produced, making it one of the rarest of production automobiles. One effort to produce a car having the outward appearance of the “Tucker” was undertaken for the purpose of providing a prop for a movie dramatizing the life of the manufacturer of the “Tucker”. However, the automobile resulting from that effort was merely an ordinary stock chassis having a body shell in the shape of the “Tucker”. The body shell was not operable in that it was not able to be driven on the street, the windows did not work and the doors could not be opened.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an assembly of modular components which provide a novel system for providing a replica automobile body which is better constructed than the original automobile upon which it is based.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a component car body capable of housing all of the refinements of a modern automobile yet having the appearance of a vintage automobile.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a component system which when assembled provides a replica of the body of the “Tucker Torpedo” or “Tucker 48”.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a component system consisting of modular body components capable of being shipped to a customer and assembled by the customer.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for assembling the components of the present component car system.
These and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A novel component car system has been developed which has a chassis and a plurality of body components mountable on said chassis or to one another to form the body of the car. The chassis is provided with a plurality of mounting means for supporting said body components and for further supporting front and rear axles, a steering suspension, at least one engine and the remaining parts required to provide an automobile capable of being operated on any of the nation's highways. The chassis consists substantially of a central frame member having a front frame member extending therefrom at one end and a rear frame member extending therefrom at the other end. Each of the frame members is preferably substantially rectangular in shape. Each of the frame members has a plurality of mounting means disposed thereon. The modular body components consist substantially of a rear end section comprising a rear trunk box integral with right and left rear fenders forming the right and left rear sides and the rear of the car and rear wheel wells and further comprising air induction cutouts and at least one grille receiving opening, a trunk cover, a pair of front doors and a pair of rear doors, a cab section comprising a body, a floor, door openings for receiving said doors, a firewall, wheel well inside walls and a bulkhead, a front end section comprising right and left front fenders forming the right and left front sides and front of the front end and front wheel wells and headlight apertures, a front trunk box, a front end support, a hood and wheel well covers or skirts. When assembled, the rear end section, cab section, and front trunk box are mounted directly on the chassis. The front trunk box is further securably attached to the firewall of the cab. The rear end section and the cab section are further attached to each other. The trunk cover is hingedly mounted to said rear end section. The front and back doors are each hingedly mounted on said cab section in the openings provided therefor. The front end section is secured to said front trunk box. The front end support is secured to the front of the front end section. The hood is hingedly attached to said front end section. The unique modular components are capable of being crated and shipped to a customer for later assembly. When assembled the component car has the outward appearance of a classic car such as the “Tucker Torpedo”. The components of the present invention are uniquely constructed to facilitate shipping, assembly and ease of handling by a car enthusiast to enable the enthusiast to build his or her own classic automobile. In essence, a reassemblable automobile body is provided which when assembled provides an automobile body equivalent to or superior to the body of the original automobile. To this end, a unique system of flanges and/or attachment means integral with the modular body components facilitates attachment of the components to each other and to the chassis.
The component car system of the present inven
Dunn David R.
Ida Automotive
Mathews, Collins Shepherd & Gould P.A.
Swann J. J.
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