Vintage tow vehicle

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by 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

Her Civic was T-boned by an inattentive driver laying rubber making an illegal right turn into me before I could get into a driveway (yes - I was driving HER car that time :-(, just like in the old figure 8 demolition derby on TV!

Great little car with great gas mileage with their 1st gen CVCC I-4 Motor, we were sorry to see it go - totaled by insurance of course!

[Rapa Nui]

Originally Posted by Air Cruiser

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

Deb

Sometimes more than I care to see. It's great for the ego, but tough on getting somewhere on time. Thanks for the kind words.

[Rapa Nui]

Originally Posted by pappy19

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

TVRAACA Old Car Movies

Thanks Pappy. Am enjoying the site. Great place to just rummage around and remember some of the vehicles displayed. Thanks again.

[strshpntrprz]

We have had the 57 bel air and the 66 pick up for 21 years and the 73 safari for 14 years. The truck has been the tow vehicle and a GREAT one at that, 1/2 ton, 8 ft fleetside with the original wood in the bed yet. The engine is the 283 V-8 with the 3 speed standard trans. with overdrive and 4.10 ratio rear and factory air conditioning to boot. In 2005 I overhauled the engine, adding a 4b. carb. high torque- low RPM cam, and rebuilt the heads with valve seats for the unleaded fuel we now have. I also did front disc brakes with dual master cyl. and booster, front and rear sway bars and 31-10.5 tires, and I love all the handling upgrades a LOT. I get 16-17MPG. general driving, and 10-11MPG. towing, can't complain about that. The truck had 100,000 miles on it when I bought it in Scottsdale AZ. and has 166,000 now, and we have not had to walk yet!!!! The truck and trailer both weigh the same, about 3900 lbs. as we camp. The car was a failed restoration project with fresh paint but in PIECES, and I mean a LOT OF PIECES. It did not run, so it was CHEAP- CHEAP- CHEAP. I did a tune up, and drained the punky gas from it and got it running to get it on and off the transporter to get it back here to MI. After arriving here I worked on it enough to figure out what I had, and that was a really rust free car with a 1969 327 4b engine with a powerglide, that was an original air cond. car with everything under the hood gone. I purchased most of the parts I knew I needed, including a complete interior and put it away, until I lost my really cheap storage in DEC. of 2013. I kicked the little women's car out of the garage and drove it home with no brakes except the emergency brake and started to finish it, because the pickup needed some freshening up, and the 57 could serve as the tow vehicle while that was happening, as that stuff always takes MUCH-MUCH longer to get done than anticipated. Over winter I did the front disc brake- dual master cyl.-booster conversion, rebuilt the rear brakes and replaced the rear wheel bearings and another 4 or 5 thousand other things and drove it all summer to see what I had, and did not have to walk, opp's said that before, didn't I!!! I welded up a class 3 hitch and wired it and pulled the trailer a little to see how it would do, and it did GREAT. It weighs the same as the truck, and does fine as a tow vehicle. This winter me thinks the engine will come out for valve seat upgrade and maybe be freshened up, and a decision made about the transmission, as in does it stay, or does it go for an upgrade to a TH350 or even a TH400 or something else with overdrive???

[AxelBruijnis]

i discovered a very pretty 1966 chevy bel air station wagon, with a new 327 engine.. i think i fell in love ( with it )
is there any way of telling what weight its capable of towing , according to the factory ?
i am sure it will look even better towing an airstream..

the vehicle is useless , if it can't tow an airstream

thank you !

Axel

[halftimer]

Originally Posted by 74"Twinkie"

__________________________________________________ ______________
I agree, my 50 in it's original form would have made for a poor TV. It was in bad shape before i started, so hopefully i haven't offended any purists with my hybrid.
The steering column is from the 82' w/tilt. The seats are out of a 2001 Suburban with integrated safety belts (nice not to have to find mounting spots for the shoulder straps). Leather and 6 way electric are nice too.
That Desoto looks like it would be a great project.

your luckily you started with one in such great shape and all you had to do was take it to the detail shop

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by AxelBruijnis

i discovered a very pretty 1966 chevy bel air station wagon, with a new 327 engine.. i think i fell in love ( with it )
is there any way of telling what weight its capable of towing , according to the factory ?
i am sure it will look even better towing an airstream..

the vehicle is useless , if it can't tow an airstream

thank you !

Axel

I doubt that beautiful wagon can tow those 30+ foot Airstreams that you indicate that you have on steep terrain. You have the power but does the torque and rear axel gearing up to it. Relatively flat country may be all. We tow our '66 Trade Wind with one of our 2 classic cars with 455 engines very comfortably in the mountains of Ca but a heavier trailer may be a challenge with the high gear ratios in those cars.

Neil

[slowmover]

3.2 to 3.3 gears and a 396 or 427 if staying with original drive trains and anticipate TTs not really much over 7k in measured weight. 55-60 mph towing. This is the way we did it back when.

Sky's the limit with A/S trailers if the checkbook can handle a much modified car.

That wagon, with a better drivetrain, would be great with a trailer from closer to that period due to size and weight.

Condition of both is the most difficult attribute to get right. Both really do need to be fully rebuilt if more than weekend distance trips are envisioned.

[AxelBruijnis]

Originally Posted by slowmover

3.2 to 3.3 gears and a 396 or 427 if staying with original drive trains and anticipate TTs not really much over 7k in measured weight. 55-60 mph towing. This is the way we did it back when.

Sky's the limit with A/S trailers if the checkbook can handle a much modified car.

That wagon, with a better drivetrain, would be great with a trailer from closer to that period due to size and weight.

Condition of both is the most difficult attribute to get right. Both really do need to be fully rebuilt if more than weekend distance trips are envisioned.

i should edit my signature..
i sold the excella, and currently have a 1969 overlander 27" ,
I would love to have a matching vintage TV (no unlimited checkbook, i am afraid)

[Gene]

Hampstead,

You haven't been on this thread you started years ago for a long time. How is it going?

Gene