Frank&Sherry,
I personally don't think a flatbed is "out"
I have a 16' two axle flatbed car hauler that I regularly pull behind my
1984 Ford Ranger, Manual transmission, 200K miles, ball on the bumper, worn
out truck. I figure your truck has got to be in better shape than mine :)
Seriously, spits do not weigh that much, and if you put the weight over the
axles on the trailer, I doubt you will even notice it is behind you.
I would definitely recommend trailering it. If you pull it you have wheel
bearings, hubs, etc, etc. to worry about. Let alone the driveshaft (your
right, less than a hour to pull). I'd let you use my trailer, but I'm
another 800 miles away, the wrong way. I've heard a lot of good stories
about dragging/dollying a car, but if given the option, I'd rather trailer
it.
Congrats on your spitfire purchase. I have a feeling I know about the '74
you bought. I contemplated buying it myself, but I'm 1900 miles away and
couldn't take quite that much time off of work. If it the red '74 I
thinking about, I'm envious, I think you got a steal! Welcome to the list,
if I (or anyone else on the list) could be any help, just ask!
Bill
78 Spit
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-spitfires@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-spitfires@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Frank & Sherry White
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 1999 6:49 PM
To: Spitfire List
Subject: Greetings...and request for advice.
Hello there!
I've been watching the list since I made the decision to get a Spitfire as
my introduction to LBCs, and have been impressed with the participants,
especially the lack of "arguing" that seems to take place on many other
lists.
Anyway, I successfully worked a deal for a complete, but partially
disassembled 1974 Spit. It is conveniently located about 1100 miles from my
home. I have allocated the time to go and get the car and tow it back, but
could really use some guidance on towing options. As the car sits now, it
does not have the motor installed, but does have the trans, which is
connected to the driveshaft. Some of the interior is out of the car, so I
estimate the weight at around 1200 lbs. My tow vehicle will pull around
3000 lbs, so I figure that a flatbed is out of the question. Here is what I
figure my options are, and any feedback and/or error corrections are humbly
welcomed:
1) The driveshaft needs to come out. The Haynes manual shows this to be a
fairly simple operation, probably about 1 hour?.
2) Towing options number one is a really simple tow bar that I found at a
local rental shop. One end goes on the 2" ball on my pikuptruk, the other
attaches to the front bumper of the towed vehicle. Any guidance on the
wisdom of dragging a Spitfire about by its front bumper is very welcome.
According to the current owner, the mounting points are in good condition,
but to not appear to be the very strongest mounting available, and may not
be a great plan. The benefits of this are that the towbar is really cheap
to rent and, as long as the bumper stays attached, should be very secure (A
friend rented the same deal from the same place before and had a good
experience). Also light weight. Did I mention cheap?
3) Towing plan two is to rent a U-haul dolly. These probably work great,
but getting U-haul to commit to having one on a certain date in the future
is all but impossible. Also, at $40 per day, a little pricey. Does anyone
know of alternative sources for a similar setup in the central Kansas area?
4) I am told that there is a pair of tow hooks that extend down from the
frame in the front that look much more substantial than the bumper. Does
anyone know how far apart these are? Maybe an RV style towbar would hook up
there?
What options am I missing? The current owner's suggestion of finding a 1972
Cadillac Fleetwood and just putting the Spit in the trunk sounds pretty
good!
Again...any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for a great list!
Frank White
Sherry White
McPherson, Kansas
"Speed doesn't kill. Its the sudden stop that gets you!"
|