Vintage tow vehicle

[Jim Lee]

We tow our 1978 31' Sovereign with a 1999 Suburban. I like it. Old enough to get compliments and new enough to not worry about breakdowns.

[Rapa Nui]

We tow with a 1955 Ford sedan delivery set up specifically for the AS. Works great.

[prairieschooner]

'52 Pontiac Sedan Delivery! coming out of paint in a few weeks!

[Gene]

My mother had a '52 Pontiac sedan with a straight 6. It was sluggish with 5 people in it in the Pa. mountains—and they are not very high compared to the Sierra and Rockies. Hope you've got the V8.

Gene

[Hittenstiehl]

I so wanted this 58 Chevy Biscayne but it was not the big engine so we passed on it. Will keep casually looking.

[bevman]

Couldn't find a '58 to tow the '58 Flying Cloud. Had to settle for a '59 GMC. Half ton, with original Pontiac V8 and Hydramatic. Everything original, including the "Armstrong Steering".

[MarkE]

Piratesteve,
Your Pontiac will make a great looking tow machine with your vintage Airstream. The Pontiac sedan delivery is quite rare (compared to the Chevy version) and there is a photo of one, in a couple of the Airstream history books, taken on a long-ago Airstream caravan.
I kind of like your picture of the Ford 8N or 9N as a "around the house" puller.

[Denis4x4]

Here's a class act when it comes to vintage tow vehicles! 1933 Ford cab stretched and mounted on a Dodge dually chassis with a turbo diesel. Interior is state of the art. Same guy that built my hot rod built this for a local rancher.

[prairieschooner]

Thanks guys, The '52 Pontiac Sedan Delivery is very rare with only about 430 built. Don't worry though it has a 1968 Pontiac GTO 400/400 Drivetrain! Should be able to out-pull a chevy or ford!

[Tom_T]

Okay, so I'm 62 & have been driving since 1967, & bought my 1st car in Fall 1969 during my senior HS year, and have owned 5 cars in the 45 years since then - & still own & care for #3, 4 & 5 - the latter 2 as our DDs! So my wife & I are "vintage" - as is our Avion TT - & we are also are original or 2nd owners of several classic cars - soon to be vintage.

So not a million mile Volvo P1800 as featured in earlier pages here, but still just shy of 600,000 mile on those 3 still owned since 1975! But I'm sure that you vintage & classic car guys & gals can appreciate actually keeping those cars you wished you never sold, and driving them regularly.

#1 Pic - Our 1961 MY Avion T20 (1960 build #2 off line) from the 1960/61 Avion sales brochure with a 1960-ish (59-60-61) Olds Delta 88 Wagon pulling it back in the day .... & that pic could be of our actual trailer, since they typically used an early one off the line to shoot the brochures & ours was #2, & since it has the same base equipment & channel bumper (vs 6" round soil pipe type optional) as ours - but no way to know/prove it.

#2 Pic - The classic - not yet vintage - 1986-89 Porsche 928S/928S4 as my 1st dream classic TV to tow with - Factory/German TUV rated for 4144# towing, vs. T20 was 2850# dry/base/unladen; with a V8 4.7L 295 HP/290TQ `86 or 5.0L 317HP/315TQ `87-89 - all EFI naturally aspirated, 4spd Auto-transaxle, 4 wheel disc brakes, semi-steerable rear wheels/axle, HD radiator & AT-cooler, rated to 165-175 mph! Alas, not a big enough back seat at 2+2 for my wife!

Our Avion T20's TV is TBD, & we've rented various trucks & suv's since getting the TT in July 2012, but I'm now exploring a late model Porsche Cayenne S with a similar V8/Auto/4discs & 7719#TW/600-700#HW rating, but others could come into the picture.

#3-4 Pix of my #5 car (& wife's #5) - Our original owner 1988 VW Vanagon Camper GL Westfalia now at +/- 215k miles, with annual 3-6,000+ mile cross-country family road + local & regional camping trips since new, kids learner car & wife's DD; with front disc & rear drum - but not a TV for more than 1000# - even if rated at 2200# by VW/TUV in the owner's manual; with a Flat H4 waterboxer 2.1L 95HP/98TQ & auto-transaxle. Fun car now gaining cult popularity - especially since the recent rolling resto!

We also have but not pictured:
My #4 car (& wife's #4) - an original owner 1985 BMW 325e 2DR Coupe E30 at about 195k miles, with 2.7L I6 EFI & 5spd which gets 17-22 city/25-28 mixed/30-35 hwy & as high as 51 mpg semi-hyper-mileing (in desperation to make the next gas in the CA desert, but that's another story), 4 wheel discs 7 great handling suspension.

#5 pic & My #3 car - a 2nd owner since Dec`75 1973 Porsche 914-2.0 "914S" with a 2.0L 95HP/95TQ air-cooled/oil-cooled flat H4 & 5spd transaxle mid-engined & 4 wheel discs, with +/- 172k miles `75-85 as my DD, & mostly sitting `85-present due to an accident while parked after a rolling resto `80-83 (yet another story) & undergoing full-on resto & hopefully back on the road & concours circuit soon! I tent camped out of this car for 10 years, easily fitting gear & luggage for 2 in it's 2 trunks front & rear

What we don't have & not pictured:

My #1 car - 1968 Opel Kadett 2DR Notchback Coupe 1.1L I-4 & 4 spd

My #2 car - 1969 Pontiac Ventura 4DR Hardtop 400cid/2bbl/Auto (125"wb)

Wife's #1 & #2 cars - she thinks they were an early/mid 1960's Caddy sedan & late 1960's Ford or Mercury Wagon (she's not really a car person & not too sure).

Wife's #3 car - 1973 Honda Civic CVCC original owner new & still owned when we met in 1983 & kept until `88 wreck.

Plus - "The Kids' Car" - 1988 Honda Civic Hatchback DX bought new by my wife's youngest buyer, sold in 1990's to her 2nd oldest brother, then she inherited by her when he passed in `08 with 124k miles, & we did a rolling-refurb with our son for our son & daughter to share driving it, & now our son is in the Army & is still driving it at +/- 183k miles today!

[PaulnGina]

Originally Posted by bevman

Couldn't find a '58 to tow the '58 Flying Cloud. Had to settle for a '59 GMC. Half ton, with original Pontiac V8 and Hydramatic. Everything original, including the "Armstrong Steering".

That is a beautiful outfit. Nicely done!!

[Air Cruiser]

Wow, the pic of your Porsche 914 brings back memories for me.............I used to own and drive one; bought it in 1974, was the second owner but forget the year.

All of your vehicles look very nice -- you seem to keep them up nicely! Good for you!

We are "old car fanatics" too, we have been working on our '47 Ford Convertible for the past three years or so and hope to have it out next Spring or Summer. We also have our '50 GMC five window (First Series) pickup truck at the body shop and hope to have it out next year too -- plan to use it to tow our '56 Bubble.

We used to have a '36 Ford Fordor Sedan, but we sold it a few years ago when we thought we'd have our convert. out sooner.

All of our "old vehicles" have been frame-off restos.

Deb

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by Air Cruiser

Wow, the pic of your Porsche 914 brings back memories for me.............I used to own and drive one; bought it in 1974, was the second owner but forget the year.

All of your vehicles look very nice -- you seem to keep them up nicely! Good for you!

We are "old car fanatics" too, we have been working on our '47 Ford Convertible for the past three years or so and hope to have it out next Spring or Summer. We also have our '50 GMC five window (First Series) pickup truck at the body shop and hope to have it out next year too -- plan to use it to tow our '56 Bubble.

We used to have a '36 Ford Fordor Sedan, but we sold it a few years ago when we thought we'd have our convert. out sooner.

All of our "old vehicles" have been frame-off restos.

Deb

Nice pairings Deb! .... & a Fellow Teener! ...errr, Sister Teener!

The wife of a 60's AS couple at the Pismo Vintage Rally last May with whom we were talking was & is still a 74 914 owner too, so there must be some connection between vintage trailers & 914s! She was also a Pink Flamingo nut too, so my wife got along great!!

My folks had a silver `62 Olds 88 wagon, similar to the one in the Avion T20 photo above in, which I learned to drive, but if I could find it & do a resto & refit the drivetrain/brakes/etc. to tow on today's freeways, it will cost as much or more than a new SUV/Truck - as I'm sure you know with all those frame off restos!

Still ..... it would be cool to locate it & do that, or do it to the #2 `69 full size Pontiac Ventura I had! .... Hmmmm.....

[Air Cruiser]

I'm certain vintage tv's paired with vintage AS's are real head turners!

Best of luck if you decide to do a frame-off, they do take time and patience -- not to mention $$$$, and if by chance you decide to sell, you never, ever recoop the $$ you have invested in it, but you do keep the memories. We will never forget all the great times we had in our '36 Ford -- many trips to Louisville, KY to the Nats.; Pigeon Forge, TN; Knoxville, TN; York, PA; trip out West to Pueblo, CO; Burlington, VT, not to mention various trips around Ohio.............car shows and most of them we went in a caravan with our friends and fellow members of our car club -- great times and wonderful memories!

We street rod our vehicles, and I know there are those who only do "original", and that's ok too, just not for us -- we like being able to jump in ours and take off to the other side of this great nation and if we do have a problem, we can pull into any GM dealer and hook up to an analizer to find out what the problem is, not to mention the availability of parts.

On our old vehicles pretty much all we keep is the body and modify the frame. We put in Mustang II front ends and Ford rear ends, but modify the rear ends; we like to use later model engines and trannies -- LT1 and LS1 or 2's are nice and always try to get ones with their original trannies since they're set up to run together (you must have the computer reflashed tho); new drive shaft; we make some changes to the body; and we change out the interior. We had a LT1 with a 4L60E transmission and we averaged 22mpg, and we think that's great -- we don't baby them, we normally keep up on the interstates with the "flow" of traffic, our '36 Ford never didn't start and was very eager to run down the road with the best of them; never grumbled about the speed.

We are "chomping at the bit" to get another old vehicle out on the road, and the sooner the better.

About my previous cars that I wish I had kept:

1) In 1968 I bought a new, off the showroom floor 1968 Chevy Camaro convertible, 327 with three speed on the floor. I loved, loved that car, have kicked myself many times about getting rid of it. We have looked for another but haven't found the right one yet.

2) My 914 Porsche.

Deb

[Gene]

I had a '73 Civic too, but I lived in Buffalo, NY, and within several years it was rusting away. Not a winter weather car at all. But otherwise, a good little car for a several years until the oil pump went out, but made it through that. Then the rust hit….

Gene

[Rapa Nui]

Some great looking tow vehicles. Here's ours. 1955 Ford Sedan Delivery, 460 Lincoln engine, GearVendor over/underdrive, a/c, power everything.

[Air Cruiser]

Wow, how nice! I'll bet you get plenty of people wanting to look and talk!

Deb

[pappy19]

I posted this in the Vintage thread, but you all will enjoy this site-

TVRAACA Old Car Movies

[projector]

'73 Ford F100, wife's truck. 3 on the tree and no receiver so it's not set up for towing (Good thing, I'd be divorced if I tried it). But it's within a year of our safari and the same color scheme. Factory AC and original seat cover and floor vinyl by the way.

[Tom_T]

Now if both in the same color scheme & era, that would make a great rig!

You'll just have to convince her that the hitch is so that SHE can tow HER trailer to the Tow Girlz vintage trailer events!

Originally Posted by projector

'73 Ford F100, wife's truck. 3 on the tree and no receiver so it's not set up for towing (Good thing, I'd be divorced if I tried it). But it's within a year of our safari and the same color scheme. Factory AC and original seat cover and floor vinyl by the way.

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