Plastic vehicle body panel mounting structure

摘要

A vehicle body panel structure includes a plastic panel mounted upon an underlying metal substructure. A fastener fixedly attaches one end portion of the plastic panel on the metal structure. A mounting block is slidably mounted on the metal substructure longitudinally spaced from the fastener to define a path of longitudinal movement of the mounting block toward and away from the fixed end portion of the plastic panel. A spring urges the mounting block to a certain longitudinal position and is yieldable to permit movement of the mounting block away from the certain longitudinal position. A fastener attaches the plastic panel to the mounting block so that the plastic panel is effectively supported in a manner enabling longitudinal movement relative to the fixed one end portion to accommodate thermal or hygroscopic growth of the plastic panel.