HILLIER'S FUNDAMENT

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Repair of Vehicle Bodies

selection of Austin vehicles from 1909 to 1992.

That is, from Edwardian to modern times.

The inner construction of the head roof of these

saloons was concealed by a headlining. Up to and

including the immediate post-war years, this head

lining was made from a woollen fabric stitched

together and tacked into position on wooden

frames. However, the more recently developed

plastic and vinyl materials were found to be more

suitable than fabric, being cheaper and easier to

clean and fit. They are fitted by stretching over

self-tensioning frames which are clipped into posi

tion for easy removal, or alternatively the headlin

ing is fastened into position with adhesives.

Comfort improved tremendously with the use of

latex foam rubber together with coil springs in the

seating, instead of the original plain springing. The

general interior finish has also been improved by

the introduction of door trim pads, fully trimmed

dash panels and a floor covering of either remov

able rubber or carpeting.

Then came the general use of celluloid for win

dows instead of side curtains, and next a raising

and lowering mechanism for the windows.

Nowadays the windscreen and door glasses are

made of laminated and/or toughened safety glass.

The window mechanism in use today did not

begin to develop until well into the 1920s.

Mudguards, which began as wooden or leather

protections against splattered mud, grew into wide

splayed deflectors in the early part of the twentieth

century and then gradually receded into the body

work, becoming gracefully moulded into the

streamlining of the modern motor car and taking

the name of wings. Carriage steps retained on ear

lier models gave place to running boards which in

their turn disappeared altogether.

Steering between 1890 and 1906 was operated

by a tiller (Figure 1.3). This was followed by the

steering wheel which is in current use. The posi

tion of the gear lever made an early change from

the floor to the steering column, only to return to

some convenient place on the floor.

Some of the first vehicles, or horseless carriages

as they were known, carried no lights at all; then

carriage candle lamps made their appearance. Later

came oil lamps, acetylene lamps and finally the

electric lighting system, first fitted as a luxury

extra and ultimately becoming standard and finally

obligatory equipment which must conform with

legislation of the day.

When windscreens were first introduced such

accessories as windscreen wipers and washers were

unknown. Then came the single hand-operated

wiper, followed by the suction wiper and finally

electrically driven wipers.

The design of the wheels was at first dictated by

fashion. It was considered necessary for the rear

wheels to be larger than the front, a legacy from the

elegant horse-drawn carriages. Wooden spokes and

iron tyres were the first wheels to appear, and with

both rear and front wheels of the same dimensions.

Then came the wooden-spoked artillery wheel with

pneumatic tyre (Figure 1.4). The artillery wheel

gave way to the wire-spoked wheel, and this in

turn to the modern disc wheel with tubeless tyres.

Great strides have been made in the evolution

of the motor car since 1770, when Cugnot’s steam

wagon travelled at 3 mile/h (4.8 km/h), to the modern

Figure 1.1 Timber constructed bodies: (a) De Dion

Works body shop, Finchley, c. 1923 (b) Gordon

England Ltd, 1922 (National Motor Museum, Beaulieu)The history, development and construction of the car body

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1909 The first Baby Austi

With regard to bodywork, the vehicle designer must

take into account the safety of the driver, passengers

and other road users. Although the vehicle cannot

be expected to withstand collision with obstacles

or other vehicles, much can be done to reduce the

effects of collision by the use of careful design of the

overall shape, the selection of suitable materials and

the design of the components. The chances of injury

can be reduced both outside and inside the vehicle by

avoiding sharp-edged, projecting elements.

Every car should be designed with the following

crash safety principles in mind:

1 The impact from a collision is absorbed gradu

ally by controlled deformation of the outer

Styling

Styling has existed from early times. However, the

terms ‘stylist’ and ‘styling’ originally came into

common usage in the automotive industry during

the first part of the twentieth century.

The automotive stylist needs to be a combination

of artist, inventor, craftsman and engineer, with the

ability to conceive new and imaginative ideas and

to bring these ideas to economic reality by using

up-to-date techniques and facilities. He must have

a complete understanding of the vehicle and its

functions, and a thorough knowledge of the materi

als available, the costs involved, the capabilities of

the production machinery, the sources of supply

and the directions of worldwide changes. His

responsibilities include the conception, detail,

design and development of all new products, both

visual and mechanical. This includes the exterior

form, all applied facias, the complete interior, con

trols, instrumentation, seating, and the colours and

textures of everything visible outside and inside

the vehicle.

Styling departments vary enormously in size

and facilities, ranging from the individual con

sultant stylist to the comprehensive resources of

major American motor corporations like General

Motors, who have more than 2000 staff in their

styling department at Detroit. The individual

consultant designer usually provides designs for

When the first motor cars appeared, little atten

tion was paid to their appearance; it was enough

that they ran. Consequently the cars initially sold

There are many ways in which motor vehicles may

be classified into convenient groups for recognition.

Much depends on such factors as the manufacturer,

the make of the car, the series and the body type

or style. Distinctive groups of passenger vehicle

bodies include the following:

1 Small-bodied mass-produced vehicles

2 Medium-bodied mass-produced vehicles