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[Smitty2919]

I just began autocrossing and want more more more. My biggest issue is the distance I should drive the car if anything breaks. Right now I keep it within 1hr from my house if I need AAA or something.

I currently have my wife drive our 03 Chevy 2500 HD with tools in it and follow me to the track. It serves as an emergency tow vehicle in so I can find a local Uhaul and rent a trailer to get the car home in a pinch.

I was talking to my father in law about it and he said for YEARS he "flat towed" his 67 Vette to events all over the place before he got a trailer. I live in an apt and have NO room to store a trailer, plus I don't know how serious I will get into racing just yet. All I know is that it's fun and I don't want to be limited by distance so much.

So, that got me thinking. Has anyone fabbed up some brackets/mounts to a 4th gen to tow it like people tow their DD cars behind a motorhome? His 76 has a gaping wide open grill that he was able to find points on the frame to make mounts. My 95 Z may be a little tricky.

My initial thought (without actually poking around) is to use the metal bumper support you can see after taking the factory fog light+bracket out. This eliminates the need to put holes in the bumper cover and seems to be the right height off the ground for an attachment point fairly level with a truck hitch?

Opinions? Comments?
Thanks guys.

[CrashTestDummy]

Is your Z an auto or standard? While I'm not certain how a T56 will enjoy a flat tow, an automatic is definitely out.

An alternative to a tow bar would be a tow dolly. Like a trailer, you'd need storage space, but nowhere near the same space as for a trailer. A small storage rental space would probably work fine for one of these.

I think the fog light holes in the front fascia won't work without some creative fabrication. I don't think those holes are close to anything you'd want to bolt a bar to. But I haven't even thought about that sort of thing, so don't know for certain.

[ReEntryRacer]

As far as the damage to the transmission, auto or manual, if its a problem you just need to add one more task to the already bad day you may have...remove the driveshaft and insert one of those plastic tapered plugs to keep the ATF/gear oil inside. I'm sure a fabricator could fashion a solid towbar (if none exist) that you can store in the back of your HD on long hauls. Hell, you might even consider just taking it TO the track that way and you and your wife can travel in the same vehicle! JM2CW

[Smitty2919]

It's a manual. Makes me think what people do that drive all over the country with a motor home and their DD being towed behind it. 90% of those cars are autos....Jeeps/Kias etc.

Yes it could be driven TO an event with her in the truck behind me. But have the tow bars in the truck just in case.

But the issue of damaging the trans etc would still exist. I didn't think that a free spinning trans in neutral would cause issues.

I could remove the DS and use a plug...I don't mind the "at home track preparation", just add it to the list of items to pack up...tools, air tank etc.

I would be the one making this, and since I'm betting nothing on the market exists for these cars, it would be custom made. Just a matter of WHERE you would attach the
mounting brackets to on the car itself. The most robust/sturdy spot would be the K member. And that's X amount of feet behind the nose of the car.

[InfernalVortex]

It's a manual. Makes me think what people do that drive all over the country with a motor home and their DD being towed behind it. 90% of those cars are autos....Jeeps/Kias etc.

Most are front wheel drive and being towed by the drive wheels.

Yes it could be driven TO an event with her in the truck behind me. But have the tow bars in the truck just in case.

But the issue of damaging the trans etc would still exist. I didn't think that a free spinning trans in neutral would cause issues.

Yeah Im really curious about this... The T56 doesnt have any sort of oil pump or anything in it, so I'm having a hard time figuring that it would actually cause any problems. If the rear end is on the ground the car is even angled back so that any fluid in the trans would... hopefully, run back closer to the rear... Still, removing the driveshaft isnt that big of a deal, but it's not really an appealing job. For me the main annoyance is having to get the car high enough on jackstands to get to it. My car is on jackstands all the time but I just really, really hate putting the car in the air these days.

[Jacks2000]

Some manual transmissions the cluster gear doesn't turn in neutral, so no oil gets splashed up on the gears and they over heat. I had a friend with a Chevy II drag car, 4.88 gears, explode a Muncie onto the highway after he had towed about 25 miles. You used to be able to buy towing hubs which would bolt on the axle flange and then the rear tires would free wheel down the road. Some guys would make them out of an old set of front hubs. Beats taking the drive shaft out. loosing needle bearings, etc.

[CrashTestDummy]

It's a manual. Makes me think what people do that drive all over the country with a motor home and their DD being towed behind it. 90% of those cars are autos....Jeeps/Kias etc.

Yes it could be driven TO an event with her in the truck behind me. But have the tow bars in the truck just in case.

But the issue of damaging the trans etc would still exist. I didn't think that a free spinning trans in neutral would cause issues.

I could remove the DS and use a plug...I don't mind the "at home track preparation", just add it to the list of items to pack up...tools, air tank etc.

I would be the one making this, and since I'm betting nothing on the market exists for these cars, it would be custom made. Just a matter of WHERE you would attach the
mounting brackets to on the car itself. The most robust/sturdy spot would be the K member. And that's X amount of feet behind the nose of the car.

Many of those 'jeep-type' vehicles are 4WD/AWD, with a transfer case that can be shifted into neutral, letting things spin between the diffs and transfer case w/o spinning the transmission tailshaft. The big issue with autos is it needs the pump to move fluid, and that'll usually keep the tailshaft bushings lubricated. If the pump isn't pumping the fluid doesn't move much, and you risk burning up the tailshaft bushing and seals.

With a T-56, you'd have to determine whether or not enough parts are spinning inside (output shaft and maybe some idler gears) to keep the fluid flying around the inside of the transmission when in neutral with the rear wheels rolling.

Plugs exist, and since they're pretty cheap, you can modify them to 'clip on' somehow, so you don't risk loosing it enroute, and dumping fluid out that back:

http://www.summitracing.com/search/part-ty...order=Ascending

Personally, I'd save up for a trailer, and a boat stall rental.

[KeithO]

Consider buying an open trailer and finding a place to store it. If none of your friends have a space to store it, you will very likely be able to rent a parking spot. I rent a spot to store my enclosed car hauler.

The other nice thing about used open trailers is that they don't really depreciate much. Even if you buy it and decide to sell it, it is unlikely that you will lose much money on it.

This approach can avoid some pitfalls described above and in the very end cost the same or less (when you sell the trailer).

[roostmeyer]

Another thought, at least around here, U-Haul charges $55 per day for trailer rental. If you'll only be using the trailer once every month or so for a day or two, it's tough to make a financial case for buying vs renting. Make even less sense if you have to pay for storage. It's probably not the best long term solution, but I'd think you'd better off saving the money for a trailer for a down payment on a house with a real garage.

[mercutio]

AAA Plus will tow you up to 100 miles. And they've never given me any grief about it not being strictly "roadside assistance" when the car has numbers on the doors, is wearing slicks, and the car was parked in the pits at an autocross. I've used it twice now after breaking at an event.

[Al weyman]

I used to tow my 2nd Gen all over the UK to various race tracks with a tow dolly with rear wheels on ground and with a manual Muncie transmission and never had a problem, a mate used to do the same and he didnt have problems either.