Transverse sill reinforcement for a truck bed and method of making a sill reinforcement

Abstract

A sill reinforcement assembly is provided for a sill area of a pick-up truck bed that is supported on and connected to a pair of frame rails. A unitary one-piece aluminum reinforcement is secured to the frame rails below the pick-up truck bed by a frame bolt fastener. The unitary reinforcement includes a continuous tubular receptacle for the frame bolt. One or more transverse walls of the reinforcement are connected by one or more bridging walls to the tubular receptacle. The transverse walls are connected by one-sided fasteners to a laterally extending wall of transverse beams. The frame bolt extends through the truck bed floor, the tubular receptacle, the transverse beam and is secured to the frame rails below the pick-up truck bed.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method of reinforcing a sill area of a bed of a pick-up truck comprising:
 assembling a cab of the pick-up truck to a set of frame rails;   assembling a plurality of laterally extending beams to the frame rails;   extruding a one-piece unitary aluminum reinforcement and simultaneously forming a continuous tubular receptacle in the reinforcement;   assembling the reinforcement between the cab and one of the beams;   securing the reinforcement to the cab and one of the beams with one-side fasteners; and   securing the bed to the reinforcement and to one of the frame rails with a fastener that extends through the bed, the tubular receptacle and into the frame rail.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the step of extruding the reinforcement further comprises cutting the extrusion into predetermined lengths after being extruded. 
     
     
         16 . A method of reinforcing a sill of a pick-up truck comprising:
 extruding a reinforcement including a bridging wall and a tubular receptacle;   assembling the reinforcement between a cab and a laterally extending beam;   fastening the bridging wall to at least one of the cab and the beam with one-side fasteners; and   securing a bed to a frame rail with a bolt that extends through the bed, the tubular receptacle and the frame rail.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the step of extruding the reinforcement further comprises cutting the extrusion into predetermined lengths after being extruded.