Front-end assembly including cowl
Or dash panel
The front-end assembly (Figure 1.45) is made up
from the two front side member assemblies which
are designed to carry the weight of the engine, suspension,
steering gear and radiator. The suspension
system used will affect the design of the panels,
but whatever system is used the loads must be
transmitted to the wing valances and on to the
body panels. The front cross member assembly
braces the front of the car and carries the radiator
and headlamp units. The side valance assemblies
form a housing for the wheels, a mating edge for
the bonnet and a strong box section for attachment
of front wings. Both the side frames and valance
assemblies are connected to the cowl or dash
panel, The front-end assembly is attached to the
main floor at the toe panel.
The cowl or dash panel forms the front bulkhead
of the body (Figure 1.45) and is usually formed by
joining smaller panels (the cowl upper panel and
the cowl side panel) by welds to form an integral
unit. In some cases the windscreen frame is integral
with the cowl panel. The cowl extends upwards
Figure 1.43Major body panels
1 12
7 6 8
1 Roof panel
2 Bonnet panel
3 Boot lid
4 Front wing
5 Radiator grille
6 Front bumper bar
7 Headlamps
8 Sidelamps
9 Sill panel
10 Front door
11 Rear door
12 Centre pillar
13 Rear quarter panel
14 Rear bumper bar
44Repair of Vehicle Bodies
The history, development and construction of the car body 45
(Facing page)
Figure 1.44Body shell assembly (Austin
Rover Group Ltd )
1 Underbody assembly
2 Body side frame assembly
3 Windscreen upper rail assembly
4 Cowl and dash panel assembly
5 Front wheel house complete panel
6 Instrument panel assembly
7 Cowl side lower brace
8 Front body hinge pillar (A-post)
9 Roof panel assembly
10 Roof bow assembly
11 Bulkhead brace assembly
12 Rear quarter centre panel assembly (back window)
13 Back window upper rail panel assembly
14 Rear-end upper panel assembly
15 Radiator panel complete assembly
16 Centre pillar (BC-post)
17 D-post
18 Rear quarter assembly
19 Sill panel
20 Front side member assembly
21 Rear wheel arch assembly
22 Main floor assembly
23 Front valance complete assembly
Figure 1.45Complete front-end assemblies
(Rover Group Ltd )
1 Headlamp panel RH and LH
2 Front cross member closing panel
3 Front cross member
4 Bonnet lock panel
5 Headlamp panel reinforcement RH and LH
6 Front wing corner piece RH and LH
7 Bonnet frame extension
8 Bonnet skin
9 Bonnet frame
10 Dash panel
11 Scuttle panel
12 Front bulkhead
13 Chassis leg reinforcement RH and LH
14 Front inner wing RH and LH
15 Front chassis leg RH and LH
16 Subframe mounting RH and LH
17 Front wheel arch RH and LH
18 Front wing RH and LH
19 Battery tray
20 Chassis leg gusset RH and LH
21 Bumper mounting reinforcement RH and LH
22 Chassis leg extension RH and LH
23 A-post rear reinforcement RH and LH
24 A-post front reinforcement RH and LH
around the entire windscreen opening so that the
upper edge of the cowl panel forms the front edge
of the roof panel. In this case the windscreen pillars,
i.e. the narrow sloping construction at either
side of the windscreen opening, are merely part of
the cowl panel. In other constructions, only a portion
of the windscreen pillar is formed as part of the
cowl. The cowl is sometimes called the fire wall
because it is the partition between the passenger
and engine compartments, and openings in the cowl
accommodate the necessary controls, wiring and
tubing that extend from one compartment to the
other. The instrument panel, which is usually considered
as part of the cowl panel although it is a
complex panel in itself, provides a mounting for the
instruments necessary to check the performance of
the vehicle during operation. Cowl panels usually
have both inner and outer construction, but in certain
constructions only the upper portion of the
cowl around the windscreen is visible. On many
vehicles the front door hinge pillar is also an integral
part of the cowl.