DESC:Technical Field

[0001] The present subject matter described herein generally relates to a two-wheeled vehicle and particularly relates to a body frame for said two-wheeled vehicle.

Background

[0002] Typically, two-wheeled vehicles such as scooter-type vehicles, saddle-ride motorcycles, and the like include a plurality of mounting brackets disposed in a rear portion of a body frame thereof for mounting a plurality of vehicle body parts such as a pillion handle, seat latch, fuel tank, tail cover, tail lamp, fuel tank cover, etc. In other words, individual mounting brackets are provided in the rear portion of the body frame to receive each of said plurality of vehicle body parts. Conventionally, each of said plurality of mounting brackets is welded to the rear portion of said body frame.

[0003] Problems associated with welding different body parts to the body frame, including welding of mounting brackets to the body frame of said two-wheeled vehicles are manifold. One of the major problems associated, is deviation in position of mounting brackets at the time of welding, due to improper welding practices adopted at the stage of mass production. Besides, deviation in position of welding, deviations also occur in dimensions of weld bead formed. Failure to use welding fixtures, which prove to be a costly affair, often leads to such deviations.

[0004] Deviation in position of mounting brackets due to improper welding results in deviation of parts mounted thereto. As a result, the fit and finish between adjoining parts mounted to separate mounting brackets gets affected, leading to unaesthetic appearance of the two-wheeled vehicle. Most commonly, poor fit and finish is evidently visible in the interfacing between side panels and a tail cover of a scooter type vehicle. Additionally, in some scooter type vehicles having a rear fuel opening, it is often observed that there is misalignment in the position of a fuel tank cap and a corresponding orifice provided for the same in the tail cover.

[0005] Besides, contributing to poor aesthetics of said vehicles, welding a plurality of mounting brackets in the rear portion of said body frame also leads to weakening of the body frame, affecting overall durability of the vehicle. Moreover, providing a plurality of mounting brackets also leads to increase in number of parts and thereby leads to increase in overall cost of production. Further, assembly of body parts to said plurality of mounting brackets also becomes cumbersome since each of said mounting brackets would be oriented in different directions and the reach of assembly tools for introducing the mounting fasteners becomes inconvenient. There is therefore a need to ease assembly operations by facilitating easy assembly of fasteners for mounting different body parts of the vehicle.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been devised to overcome all or any of the problems set forth in the background.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a body frame including a mounting bracket which enables to prevent misalignment between vehicle body parts mounted in a rear portion of a body frame of a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide a body frame including a mounting bracket which enables to improve fit and finish between vehicle body parts mounted in a rear portion of a body frame of a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0009] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a body frame including a mounting bracket which enables adjustment of fuel tank mounting so as to prevent misalignment of a fuel tank cap with respect to a corresponding orifice provided in a vehicle body part such as a tail cover.

[0010] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a body frame including a mounting bracket adapted to receive a plurality of mounting fasteners used to mount various vehicle body parts, unilaterally.

[0011] It is one more object of the present invention to provide a body frame including a mounting bracket, the construction of which enables ease of assembly of fasteners used for mounting various body parts.

[0012] To this end, the present subject matter described herein discloses a body frame including a combination bracket for a two-wheeled vehicle, wherein said combination bracket serves as a mounting bracket.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, said combination bracket is rigidly supported between a pair of side tubes of said body frame, and in a rear portion thereof. As per an aspect, the combination bracket extends substantially parallely to a lateral axis of said vehicle, when seen from a vehicle top view, and extends substantially beyond a rear end of said pair of side tubes.

[0013] According to the present invention, the combination bracket includes a pair of supporting arms, a first mounting surface connecting said pair of supporting arms, a second mounting surface connected to said first mounting surface, and at least a pair of rear mounting lugs connected to said pair of supporting arms and extending at least partially beyond said second mounting surface. As per an embodiment, the combination bracket including said first mounting surface, said second mounting surface and said at least a pair of rear mounting lugs is adapted to receive a plurality of vehicle body parts. For example, in the present embodiment, the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface and the at least a pair of rear mounting lugs together enable mounting of a seat latch, a fuel tank, a pillion handle, a pair of side panels, a tail lamp, and a fuel tank cover. Thus, the combination bracket supports a plurality of vehicle body parts, said plurality of vehicle body parts being configured to be disposed in the rear portion of the body frame. Moreover, most of the mounting fasteners used to mount said plurality of vehicle body parts to the combination bracket are fastened unilaterally thereto, facilitating ease of assembly.

[0014] Further, the combination bracket includes a fuel tank mounting adjustment slot in the second mounting surface to receive a fuel tank mounting adjustment bracket previously fastened to a fuel tank mounting lug provided in a rear portion of an upper surface of said fuel tank. An adjustment fastener is used to fasten the fuel tank in the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot through said adjustable bracket. An assembly sequence for fuel tank mounting involves firstly mounting a front portion of the fuel tank to a fuel tank mounting bracket, followed by locating said fuel tank mounting adjustment bracket pre-assembled to the fuel tank against the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot, and placing the adjustment fastener loosely over said slot. Further, the adjustment fastener is tightened once it is ensured that a fuel tank cap pre-assembled to the fuel tank is aligned with a corresponding orifice in a tail cover. Thus, it is ensured that the fuel tank cap and the orifice are aligned laterally to have better centrality. Moving the adjustment fastener along said fuel tank mounting adjustment slot enables in achieving the correct alignment.

[0015] Summary provided above explains the basic features of the invention and does not limit the scope of the invention. The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made clearer from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0016] The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:

[0017] FIG.1 illustrates a right side view of a two-wheeled vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG.2 illustrates a perspective view of a body frame of said two-wheeled vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG.3 illustrates a detailed view of a combination bracket of said body frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG.4 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a seat latch to said combination bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG.5 illustrates a fuel tank in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG.6a illustrates an exploded view depicting a first step in mounting said fuel tank to said body frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG.6b illustrates an exploded view depicting a second step in mounting said fuel tank to said body frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG.7 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a pillion handle and a pair of side panels to said combination bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG.8 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a tail lamp to said combination bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG.9 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a tail cover to a pair of side panels in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG.10 illustrates a top view depicting adjustment of fuel tank mounting in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG.11 illustrates an exploded view depicting of a fuel tank cover to said combination bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0029] The present subject matter described herein relates to a body frame and particularly relates to a body frame which includes minimal number of mounting brackets whose configuration enables mounting of a plurality of vehicle body parts thereto.

[0030] Exemplary embodiments detailing features of the body frame, in accordance with the present invention will be described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various aspects of different embodiments of the present invention will become discernible from the following description set out hereunder. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Further, it is to be noted that terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “front”, “forward”, “rearward”, “downward”, “upward”, “top”, “bottom” and like terms are used herein based on the illustrated state or in a standing state of the two-wheeled vehicle with a driver riding thereon unless otherwise elaborated. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis refers to a front to rear axis relative to said vehicle, while a lateral axis refers to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to said vehicle. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The present invention described herein is particularly applicable for vehicles having an external fuel fill provision, especially in which at least a portion of a fuel tank is located in an orifice of a style member, disposed in a rear portion of a body frame of said vehicle.

[0031] Firstly a description is made of an entire schematic structure of a two-wheeled vehicle 100 with reference to FIG.1.

[0032] FIG.1 is a side view of the two-wheeled vehicle, ‘hereinafter vehicle’ 100. As shown in FIG.1, said vehicle 100 includes a body frame 111 (shown in FIG.2), for example an underbone body frame, made of steel or aluminium alloy and covered by various covers. The body frame 111 supports a steering assembly including a steering shaft (not shown), and a handle bar 125 in a front portion thereof. A front fork 130 is rotatably supported to the steering shaft. The handle bar 125 provided above the front fork 130 allows steering of a front wheel 135. A headlight assembly 140 is supported on the handle bar 125.

[0033] Further, a front cover 145 is provided to cover a forward facing side of the body frame 111. A front fender 150 is provided to cover an upper portion of the front wheel 135.

[0034] A pair of side panels 124 is disposed to cover left and right sides of a rear portion of the body frame 111. A seat 155 is disposed above the pair of side panels 124. A fuel tank 122 (shown in FIG.5) is arranged in the rear portion of the body frame 111 with its sides covered by the pair of side panels 124. Further, a utility box (not shown) is disposed in front of the fuel tank 122 and above an engine 160. The engine 160 is powered by an air fuel mixture sent in by a throttle body (not shown) to a combustion chamber of the engine 160. In the present embodiment the throttle body is a carburettor. However, in another embodiment, the throttle body can be an electronic fuel injection device.

[0035] Further, combustion gases generated by the engine 160 are let out as exhaust from a muffler (not shown) extending along a right hand side of said vehicle 100.

[0036] A toggle link (not shown) is supported swingably on a lower side of the pair of side panels 124. A rear wheel 165 is connected to the toggle link via the engine 160, wherein said toggle link is directly connected to the body frame 111.

[0037] FIG.2 illustrates a perspective view of the body frame 111. The body frame 111 includes a head tube 112, a main tube 113 extending downwardly and rearwardly from said head tube 112, a first cross member 114 extending sidewardly from either sides of said main tube 113, a pair of floor board support tubes 115 extending rearwardly and substantially perpendicularly to the first cross member 114, a second cross bridge 116 bridging the pair of floor board support tubes 115 at a rear end thereof, and a pair of side tubes 117 extending rearwardly and inclinedly upwards from the second cross bridge 116, and a combination bracket 120 rigidly supported between said pair of side tubes 117, and disposed at a rear portion thereof. Particularly, the combination bracket 120 extends substantially parallely to a lateral axis of said vehicle 100. In other words, the combination bracket 120 extends in a vehicle width direction when viewed from vehicle top side.

[0038] FIG.3 illustrates a detailed view of the combination bracket 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As may be seen in FIG.3, the combination bracket 120 includes a pair of supporting arms 120a, a first mounting surface 120b bridging said pair of supporting arms 120a extending upwards from a rear portion of said pair of side tubes 117, a second mounting surface 120c connected to said first mounting surface 120b, and disposed beyond said first mounting surface 120b, and at least a pair of rear mounting lugs 120d connected to said pair of supporting arms 120a and extending at least partially beyond said second mounting surface 120c. In the present embodiment, the pair of rear mounting lugs 120d extend beyond a rear end 117b of the pair of side tubes 117. In other words, the combination bracket 120 extends at least partially beyond the rear end 117b of the pair of side tubes 117. As per an aspect of the present invention, said combination bracket 120 including the above mentioned details is formed as a single integrated member. Further, as per another aspect, the second mounting surface 120c is formed at a substantially higher elevation with respect to the first mounting surface 120b. Further, the pair of rear mounting lugs 120d is disposed at a substantially lower elevation with respect to the second mounting surface 120c.

[0039] As per an aspect of the present invention, the first mounting surface 120b, the second mounting surface 120c and the pair of rear mounting lugs 120d serve to receive mountings of a plurality of vehicle body parts. For example, in the present embodiment, the first mounting surface 120b includes a first pair of mounting holes 120ba, a plurality of second mounting holes 120bb disposed on either side of said first pair of mounting holes 120ba. Further, the second mounting surface 120c includes a fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca, centrally disposed therein, and a third pair of mounting holes 120cb disposed on either side of said fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca.

[0040] In the present implementation, the combination bracket 120 is a single integral member formed by dye press forming a sheet metal. Further, to prevent spring back of said bracket formed by dye press forming, the sheet metal is subjected to restriking. Further, above described holes and slots are formed in said bracket by piercing. Furthermore, the combination bracket 120 in the present embodiment is rigidly secured to the pair of side tubes 117 of the body frame 111.

[0041] Mounting of a plurality of vehicle body parts to said combination bracket 120 is elaborated with reference to FIGs 4-11. FIGs 4-11 are explained in order of the assembly sequence followed in mounting said plurality of vehicle body parts to said combination bracket 120.

[0042] FIG.4 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a seat latch to said combination bracket. In the present embodiment a seat latch 121 used to secure the seat 155 to the body frame 111, is mounted to the first mounting surface 120b of the combination bracket 120. Particularly, the seat latch 121 is fastened to the first pair of mounting holes 120ba disposed centrally in the first mounting surface 120b, by means of a first pair of fasteners 120bc. As may be seen, the first pair of fasteners 120bc is secured from a top side of the seat latch 121.

[0043] A second step in the assembly sequence for mounting said plurality of vehicle body parts to the combination bracket is the mounting of a fuel tank 122. The present embodiment involves two mounting steps for mounting the fuel tank 122 to the combination bracket 120.

[0044] With reference to FIG.5, a construction of said fuel tank 122 is elaborated. Firstly, the fuel tank 122 is pre-assembled at a sub assembly station along with a fuel tank cap 122a. Further, a fuel tank mounting adjustment bracket 122b is fastened to a fuel tank mounting lug 122c provided in a rear portion of an upper surface of said fuel tank 122. In order to prevent rotation of said fuel tank mounting adjustment bracket 122b with respect to the fuel tank mounting lug 122c on said upper surface of the fuel tank 122, it should be ensured that there is minimal gap between said bracket 122b and said upper surface of the fuel tank 122.

[0045] Assembly of the fuel tank 122 to the body frame 111 is illustrated with reference to FIG.6a. The fuel tank 122 preassembled as explained above, is firstly mounted to a mounting member 118a rigidly attached to a cross member 118 of the body frame 111, from a bottom side of the body frame. Particularly, a front mounting lug 122d of said fuel tank 122 is fastened to said mounting member 118a. Thus, a front portion of the fuel tank 122 is mounted to the body frame 111 through said front mounting lug 122d.

[0046] Further, as shown in FIG.6b, the fuel tank mounting adjustment bracket 122b fastened at a rear portion of an upper surface of said fuel tank 122 is located against the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca by means of an adjustment fastener 120cc. In the present embodiment, said adjustment slot 120ca is an elliptical slot in a vehicle lateral direction, which facilitates movement of said adjustment fastener 120cc therealong. It is ensured that said adjustment fastener 120cc is not completely fastened to the combination bracket 120 before ensuring alignment of said fuel tank cap 122a with respect to a tail cover 126 (shown in FIG.9). Moreover, since anti rotation of said adjustment bracket 122b is ensured, a reliable mounting of the fuel tank 122 to the second mounting surface 120c of said combination bracket 120 is achieved once the adjustment fastener is tightly fastened.

[0047] FIG.7 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a pillion handle and a pair of side panels to the combination bracket. In the present implementation, the pillion handle 123 and the pair of side panels 124 are sandwich mounted to the combination bracket 120. As may be seen, the pillion handle 123 and the pair of side panels 124 are sandwich mounted to the combination bracket 120 through a side panel mounting bracket 124a attached to each side panel of said pair of side panels 124. Particularly, the pillion handle 123 and the pair of side panels 124 are sandwich mounted to the plurality of second mounting holes 120bb in the first mounting surface 120b. As may be seen, a plurality of second set of fasteners 120bd used to fasten the pillion handle 123 and the pair of side panels 124 to the combination bracket 120 are also secured from a top surface of the pillion handle 123.

[0048] FIG.8 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a tail lamp to said combination bracket. In the present embodiment, a tail lamp 125 is mounted to the pair of rear mounting lugs 120d. As may be seen, fasteners 120da used to fasten the tail lamp 125 to the combination bracket 120 are secured from a top side of the pair of rear mounting lugs 120d. Besides, being mounted to the combination bracket 120, the tail lamp 125 is also mounted to the pair of side tubes 117 through a rear tail lamp mounting bracket 117a.

[0049] Once the tail lamp 125 is assembled, a tail cover 126 is fastened to a pair of mounting slots 124b integrally formed in said pair of side panels 124, as shown in FIG.9. In the present embodiment, the tail cover 126 includes an orifice 126a which covers the fuel tank cap 122a at least partially. Thus, when the tail cover 126 is assembled, the orifice 126a covers an outer peripheral portion 122ab of said fuel tank cap 122a. It is important to ensure that there is no misalignment in the orientation of the fuel tank cap122a with respect to said orifice 126a so as to maintain a good aesthetic appeal in a rear portion of said vehicle 100. Besides, it is also important to maintain perfect alignment of the fuel tank cap 122a with the corresponding orifice 126a, in order to ensure that the fuel tank cap 122a is covered well.

[0050] In the present embodiment since the fuel tank cap 122a is preassembled to said fuel tank 122, alignment of the fuel tank cap 122a can be adjusted by adjusting mounting of the fuel tank 122 to said body frame 111. Particularly, fuel tank cap adjustment is achieved by adjusting mounting of the fuel tank 122 to the combination bracket 120. More particularly, moving an adjustment fastener 120cc along said fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca based on position of the orifice 126a enables to achieve perfect alignment of the fuel tank cap 122a with said orifice 126a. In the present implementation, the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca is positioned inclinedly forwardly in the second mounting surface 120c so as to facilitate ease of access to the adjustment fastener 120cc while adjusting the same.

[0051] For example, as shown in FIG.10, moving said adjustment fastener 120cc to a left extremity causes a position of the fuel tank cap 122a to be shifted towards a left side of said orifice 126a or by maintaining the adjustment fastener 120cc centrally in the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca causes the position of the fuel tank cap 122a to be in the centre with respect to the position of the orifice 126a. In other words, alignment of the fuel tank cap 122a with respect to position of the orifice 126a is adjustable with the aid of the fuel tank mounting adjustment slot 120ca.

[0052] A final step in the assembly sequence involves mounting a fuel tank cover to the combination bracket. FIG.11 illustrates an exploded view depicting mounting of a fuel tank cover 127 to the combination bracket 120. As may be seen, said fuel tank cover 127 is mounted to the second mounting surface 120c of said combination bracket 120. Particularly, the fuel tank cover 127 is fastened to the third pair of mounting holes 120cb by means of a third pair of fasteners 120cd which are also inserted from a top side of the second mounting surface 120c.

[0053] As is apparent from the above teaching, said combination bracket 120 as per the present invention aids in eliminating the need for providing a plurality of mounting brackets in the rear portion of the body frame for receiving a plurality of vehicle body parts, thereby aiding in preventing problems arising due to improper welding of said plurality of mounting brackets. Thus, the construction of the combination bracket aids in ensuring proper fit and finish of plurality of vehicle body parts mounted thereto. Besides, since the combination bracket serves to replace all the conventional plurality of mounting brackets in the rear portion of the body frame, overall number of parts in the vehicle is reduced, thereby also aiding in reducing overall production cost.

[0054] Moreover, the construction of the combination bracket is such that it receives all mounting fasteners from a top side thereof. In other words, all fasteners are inserted into corresponding mounting holes from a single direction or in a unilateral direction. Particularly, since the plurality of fasteners is inserted from the top side of the combination bracket, ease of assembly is facilitated.

[0055] While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form, connection, and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

,CLAIMS:I/We Claim:
1. A body frame (111) for a two-wheeled vehicle (100), said body frame (111) including a pair of side tubes (117) extending rearwardly towards a rear of said two-wheeled vehicle (100);
wherein said body frame (111) includes a combination bracket (120) rigidly supported between said pair of side tubes (117), and is adapted to receive a plurality of vehicle body parts, including a fuel tank (122), and a tail cover (125);
characterized in that, said combination bracket (120) includes a pair of supporting arms (120a), a first mounting surface (120b) bridging said pair of supporting arms (120a), a second mounting surface (120c) connected to said fist mounting surface (120b), and at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) connected to said pair of supporting arms (120a) and extending at least partially beyond said second mounting surface (120c), wherein said first mounting surface (120b), said second mounting surface (120c) and said at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) are adapted to receive a plurality of mounting fasteners (120bc,120cc,120bd,120da) used to mount said plurality of said vehicle body parts in a unilateral direction.

2. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said combination bracket (120) extends in a vehicle width direction and is integrally formed.

3. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mounting surface (120c) is disposed at least partially upwardly and rearwardly of said first mounting surface (120b).

4. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mounting surface (120c) includes a fuel tank mounting adjustment slot (120ca) to enable alignment of a fuel tank cap (122a) provided on the fuel tank (122) with respect to the tail cover (126).

5. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mounting surface (120b) includes a first pair of mounting holes (120ba) to receive a seat latch (121) as one of said plurality of vehicle body parts.

6. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mounting surface (120b) includes a plurality of second mounting holes (120bb) to receive a pillion handle (123) and a pair of side panels (124), said pillion handle (123) and the pair of side panels (124) being sandwich mounted to said first mounting surface (120b) through a side panel mounting bracket (124a) attached to each side panel of said pair of side panels (124).

7. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 3, wherein said adjustment slot (120ca) receives a fuel tank adjustment bracket (122b) mounted to the fuel tank (122).

8. The body frame (111) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) is adapted to receive a tail lamp (125) of said two-wheeled vehicle.

9. A combination bracket (120) for a body frame (111) of a two-wheeled vehicle (100), wherein said combination bracket (120) is adapted to be rigidly supported to a pair of side tubes (117) of said body frame (111);
characterized in that, said combination bracket (120) includes a pair of supporting arms (120a) to be supported on said pair of side tubes (117), a first mounting surface (120b) bridging said pair of supporting arms (120a), a second mounting surface (120c) connected to said fist mounting surface (120b), and at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) connected to said pair of supporting arms (120a) and extending at least partially beyond said second mounting surface (120c), wherein said first mounting surface (120b), said second mounting surface (120c) and said at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) are adapted to receive a plurality of mounting fasteners used to mount said plurality of said vehicle body parts in a unilateral direction.

10. A two-wheeled vehicle (100) having a body frame (111), said body frame (111) including a pair of side tubes (117);
wherein said body frame (111) includes a combination bracket (120) rigidly supported between said pair of side tubes (117) , and is adapted to receive a plurality of vehicle body parts, including a fuel tank (122), and a tail cover (125); characterized in that, said combination bracket (120) includes a pair of supporting arms (120a), a first mounting surface (120b) bridging said pair of supporting arms (120a), a second mounting surface (120c) connected to said fist mounting surface (120b), and at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) connected to said pair of supporting arms (120a) and extending at least partially beyond said second mounting surface (120c), wherein said first mounting surface (120b), said second mounting surface (120c) and said at least a pair of rear mounting lugs (120d) are adapted to receive a plurality of mounting fasteners used to mount said plurality of said vehicle body parts.