CAR BODIES DESIGNS

There are so many different types of car body types, makes and models that it can quickly become
overwhelming to decide which one is best suited for your needs. There are many things to closely consider
before making such a large investment eg.

 Do you have a large family or will you be the only person utilizing the car?
 Do you need tons of storage and cargo space or can you get by with less?

These questions and so many more will begin to shape what car body type you will be searching
for. That is why the following list and description of seven of the most popular car body types
has been assembled. They are, in no particular order, as follows:

Sedans
Coupes
SUVs
Minivans
Hatchback
Crossovers
Saloon

Trucks A truck is the perfect

vehicle for those who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Truck owners are usually quite handy
and often need the truck bed to haul equipment from one location to the next. Many even require
one for work if they work in a labor intensive field such as construction.
Sedans
A sedan can be defined as any vehicle that has both four doors as well as a separate trunk space
with a lift gate that does not fall into the hatchback class of vehicles. It is one of the most
common vehicles on the road today and serves as a great commuter car.

Coupes

Similar to a sedan, a coupe has a separate trunk space with a lift gate that does not fall into the
hatchback class of vehicle but instead has only 2 doors and a fixed roof.
SUVs Sport utility vehicles,
more commonly known as SUVs, are designed to handle more rugged terrain. They are more of a
car than a truck but have additional cargo like a truck while being fully enclosed. Because they
are larger, SUVs usually are more expensive.

Minivans Minivans are the perfect

family car. There is plenty of space for all of the kids and their belongings and they often come
with three rows of seating. Some models even include entertainment systems which are sure to
keep the kids happy.
Hatchbacks
A hatchback is a vehicle that can have two or four doors but does not have a separate trunk
space. Instead, a rear door swings upward to gain access to more limited trunk space. The rear
seats often fold down, however, in case you should need additional cargo room.

Crossovers A crossover
can be thought of as a mix between an SUV and a regular passenger vehicle. It is usually
somewhere in between the sizes of these two cars and can offer the best of both worlds for some.

Convertibles
According to the definition, convertibles are those vehicles that can convert from being open to
being completely closed. These vehicles are derived from the earlier phaeton, which was an open
vehicle that does not have glass side windows that may have had removable panels of fabric.
Cars introduced at the beginning were all open. The end of the nineteenth century saw the
introduction of cars with an enclosed body. During the 1920s, the production of steel bodies
increased and as a result, closed cars became available to the average buyer. Gradually, the fully
open cars disappeared from the mainstream market and convertibles entered in the mid ‘20s.
They are sometimes called cabriolets or roadsters.

Wagon
Station wagon, also known as an estate or only wagon, is a body style which has an interior that
is extended to the back, and comes usually with an extra seat or luggage compartment. Derived
from a horse-drawn vehicle, the wagon name is used for cars that display a sharp level of utility.
These vehicles were very popular among families during the 1950s through the ‘70s. An easy
way to determine whether the car is a wagon or not is that the roof line of a wagon continues past
the rear doors. A wagon offers everything from all-wheel drive, a roomy interior, rugged offroad
ground clearance, abundant technology, to turbo-diesel torque and efficiency. Occasionally this
term is used to refer to passenger vans. Some popular examples of station wagons are
Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen, Ford Flex, Subaru Outback.

Van / Minivan
It is the most common type of vehicle used for transporting mainly goods or people. It is
generally covered and is nearly cubical in shape, longer and higher than cars, but smaller than
trucks. Cargo barriers generally fit behind the front seats of many vans to prevent injuries caused
by sudden deceleration or rolling over of cargo. Sometimes, doors are fitted with cargo barriers
that allow drivers to pass through the cargo compartment of the vehicle. The word van for
vehicles has arrived as a contradiction of the word caravan. According to the early definition of
van, it is a covered wagon used for transporting goods.
Checking Chassis Frame Alignment

1. The time-honored method of checking chassis frame alignment is by measurement of

diagonals using a plumb-bob and a chalked string.

2. To carry out this check the vehicle should be placed on the level ground with a clear
surface and handbrake applied.

3. Initially, the positions of the forward attachment points of the front spring ‘ and rear ward
attachment points of the rear spring should be transferred to the ground.

4. This is done by chalking an area beneath each position of the plumb bob and then
drawing a cross with pencil or scriber such that the center of the cross represents the plumb line.

5. The four crosses on the ground should now accurately represent the extreme comers of
the frame. so that if the vehicle is moved away the dimensions of the diagonals and length of side
members can be determined exactly

6. If the Opposite dimensions are within about 6mm the frame would be generally regarded
as satisfactory unless the vehicle has received a side impact.

7. In this case, further points are taken on each side of the frame and plumb lines dropped to
the ground suitable points are at the rearward attachment of the front springs and also two
corresponding points on each side of the center of the frame.

8. There will now be five crosses on the ground on each side of the frame, therefore if the
vehicle is moved away again an exact copy of essential points of the frame are pictured on the
ground.

9. The points at each end of the frame can next be joined by lines and these lines bisected
and a line representing the center of the frame can be marked by stretching a chalked string
between them and carefully lifting and it to snap back to the ground so that white line is marked
thereon.
10. From this centreline all the points marked can be checked for correct relative separation
which will indicate whether the frame is bent or not.