Flat towing with tow tabs

[njsteve]

Looks cool but the problem is that you have a 4,000 "trailer" behind you with no brakes. That's a helluva lot of stress on the braking system of the rig you are pulling it with.

It would be kinda like &quot;bump drafting&quot; for a couple hundred miles on your way to the show. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif[/img]

[scuncio]

I towed with a tow bar...once...when I was 18. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Looks cool but I would never do it again.

[John Brown]

I used to flat tow my 57 Chevy and 67 Caprice Junior Stockers everywhere I went racing. Even towed the Caprice all the way to Bristol Tennessee. Only trouble was backing the 57 up a slight hill and into a garage, but it did get done. Sand (most everything is paved at dragstrips now, but it wasn't then) gets to be a problem too if you aren't ready for it. To tow through sand, you need to let the pressure in the front tires down on the towed vehicle so the tires will follow the tow vehicle. My tow bar was pretty long. It was a factory tow bar that originally came with a 64 Thunderbolt. I made my own brackets for the cars so they would fit the tow bar without having to modify it. Used NMW towing hubs and 54 Chevy wheels to get the right offset for clearance. Towed fine at legal highway speeds using a 69 Catalina with the 57, and a 73 Impala with the Caprice.

[bigjake]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----I once flat towed a 1960 Corvette behind a 1966 El Camino from San Jose to Cape Cod. Got caught in a bad snow storm in Indiana along the way with almost bald tires on the El Camino. It was so long ago that I didn't have a credit card and ran out of money in Ohio. Luckily, I had family in Ohio and one kind relative lent me $100. Not my best trip!.....Bill S </div></div>

Hey Bill......remember flat towing the 409 from Cousin Eddie's garage?

[Verne_Frantz]

I used to tow my '62 09 to the track all the time with no problems. Used my '69 Road Runner to tow. However once going to a show, I had to pull off for some reason and the edge of the driveway I pulled into had a dip and a lip next to the pavement. When the front wheels of the '62 hit it, they decided to go the wrong way and bent the tow bar.
Also, if you were stopped at an intersection and needed to turn, you needed to start rolling straight before you turned in order for the towed vehicle's wheels to follow. If you started by turning the tow vehicle, the towed vehicle wheels wouldn't know how to follow.
I also used the bar to tow a couple parts cars with no engines. The front wheels just would not track with no weight on them. I pumped up the front tires to 60lbs and tied the steering wheel to the vent window post and just dragged the tires around on the turns.

Verne

[earntaz]

&quot;tied the steering wheel to the vent window post and just dragged the tires around on the turns&quot; Been there -- done that and wanted to say it earlier -- but I kept my trap shut ... HeHeHe TAZ [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/haha.gif[/img]

[68l30]

That's why tow truck drivers use to wear belts!

BIG

[olredalert]

----Sure do, Jake! The 1st time I saw it I coildnt believe you were actually going to restore it......Bill S

[Keith Seymore]

I wouldn't do it these days. Too many other crazy drivers on the road.

I retained the setup just for display purposes.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Same tow bar: