Automobile assembling method and apparatus therefor

An apparatus for provisionally assembling at least one of a front drive system assembly and a rear drive system assembly to a vehicle body in proper registry prior to rigidly securing, said front drive system assembly, said rear drive system assembly and said vehicle body into one unit with fasteners in an automatic automobile assembling line, and for rigidly securing said front drive system assembly, said rear drive system assembly and said vehicle body into one unit with fasteners in said automatic automobile assembly line, comprising:

• a carrier pallet for carrying a set of front and rear drive system assemblies, placed in position on the carrier pallet;
• a conveyor system for conveying, in a first direction, said carrier pallet with said front and rear drive system assemblies placed thereon to a provisional assembling station where said front and rear drive system assemblies are to be provisionally assembled to a vehicle body;
• means for securing said carrier pallet in position in said provisional assembling station after said carrier pallet with said front and rear drive system assemblies thereon has been conveyed to said provisional assembling station;
• a base member, supported on said carrier pallet, for carrying said front drive system assembly;
• means for selectively locking said base member to and unlocking said base member from said carrier pallet;
• slidable means for moving said base member in said first direction and in a direction opposite to said first direction relative to said carrier pallet, after said base member has been unlocked from said carrier pallet;
• means for selectively clamping said base member to said slidable means once said carrier pallet has been secured in position in said provisional assembling station so that said slidable means can move said base member in said first direction;
• a plurality of holding means installed at said provisional assembling station, each of said holding means for releasably clamping a damper unit which is to be attached to at least said front drive system assembly;
• means for sliding each of said holding means, in a second direction, toward said front drive system assembly before each holding means has clamped a damper unit and away from said front drive system assembly after each holding means has released said damper unit;
• a vehicle body carrier for conveying said vehicle body above said provisional assembling station and lowering said vehicle body to said provisional assembling station for provisional assembly of said front drive system assembly to said vehicle body;
• and
• position adjusting means for shifting said holding means in said first direction forth and in a direction opposite to said first direction in synchronism with movement of said base in said first direction and said direction opposite to said first direction as said vehicle body carrier lowers said vehicle body to said provisional assembling station to properly position said holding means and each said damper unit relative to said vehicle body for provisional assembly.