69 RR tow vehicle

[mbarker]

Any suggestions on why my tow vehicle sways? I notice it most at 120mph. For you fellow gear heads its a 69 Roadrunner with a crate 472cci/525hp hemi. I had both in the drive way and the opportunity for a joke was to tempting.

[richinny]

it must do nice wheel stands while towing!

[Andrew T]

Back in 1982 we set up a Baracuda or a Challenger with a 426 Hemi to a new 27' Airstream. It worked really well, the customer had a lot of fun with it.

One of the more memorable road tests I have done.

Andy

[slowmover]

Popular Mechanics or another car magazine road tested a 1970 Plymouth Fury with the rare optional Six Pack 440 w/3.23 and T-Flite. They felt it would make quite a tow vehicle.

Plymouth Sports Fury GT

I recall a photo of a 528 Hemi from SEMA that was port injected, made 600-hp/600-tq with the tq coming on from 2500 rpm!

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by mbarker

Any suggestions on why my tow vehicle sways?

Yup, bad aerodynamics!

For Airstream hauling a Porsche 917 is the way to.

[JimGolden]

"Aerodynamics are for those who cannot make horsepower." - Enzo Ferrari

Beautiful Roadrunner man. MOPAR OR NO CAR!

I still have my first ride; a '65 Plymouth Sport Fury. I restored it once in 1985. She has since degraded again, but is still plenty good to fix once again. The only rust...the new quarter panels I put on in '85. If I could persuade my grandpa to sell me his '58 Traveler, I'd pull it behind the Plymmy.

I did talk to a dude about buying his '64 GlobeTrotter, so if that works out, they'll even be close to the same year.

My favorite car of all time: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona It's a Wing Thing!

[safari57]

Originally Posted by mbarker

Any suggestions on why my tow vehicle sways? I notice it most at 120mph. For you fellow gear heads its a 69 Roadrunner with a crate 472cci/525hp hemi. I had both in the drive way and the opportunity for a joke was to tempting.

NICE car MB. Love the RR's. When I read your thread title I thought oh boy, some one is pulling their 'stream with a fun car. Still, well worth seeing the car. Thanks for sharing the pic.

Hey J-G, neat that you still have your '65. So let's see, you did the first refresh after it was 20 years old and now you are making it wait for the second an extra 5 years? Hmmm, seems to me you should be out in that shop right now instead of reading threads on the Forums giving your baby some attention.

My brother-in-law still has his 70 AAR 'cuda and our other friend has kept his '70 Hemi 'cuda, both with low 30K miles on them. Funny, neither of them has shown any interest in towing a trailer of any vintage with them. I just don't understand it?

We do intend to tow our much older, shorter and lighter Flying Cloud with the 70 SS Chevelle to give the '57 a rest while I do some freshening up on it.

Barry

[CdnSafari]

Does anyone know what old mag had a 427 Chevy trying to set a record pulling an Airstream? I think it was a '69 Caprice.

[VIKING]

Hey! that '69 Caprice was my first car. I believe it was the largest production-made car of it's time, if I remember right. It would go from 0 to 75 mph before you could see over the hood again.
I remember when the starter went out, it was about as heavy as my 1200cc VW short block engine. I almost broke my hand lowering it to the ground.
It was also one of the few vehicles I have owned that could sleep four adults!

[richinny]

i had a 70 fury III with a 383 2bbl. it was my favorite of the 40 or so cars i've had. very stable at various speeds

the trunk was big enough to hold 4 spare tires!

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

"Aerodynamics are for those who cannot make horsepower." - Enzo Ferrari

Fortunately Enzo took that notion to the grave with him.

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I still have my first ride; a '65 Plymouth Sport Fury.

Very Nice!

Back in the late 60's friends of our family towed a 27' Airstream with a 383, 65 Fury (2 door hard top). That rig went back and forth from Canada to Florida many times with 4 adults in the car. We have a pic. I will post if I can find it.

[JimGolden]

Roadruler,

Please do find and post that picture, I'd love to see it! It would be an inspiration to me.

I disagree with Enzo too; I'm actually an aerospace engineer, pilot, and rabid EAAer, so I like aerodynamics I still like my Fury, but my real desire is for one of the winged mopars. I had a line on two SuperBirds twenty years ago, but neither guy would sell. Both were sitting under trees and in the weeds rotting. I don't know whatever happened to them. Oh well, I'll build a clone if nothing else.

I wish I had a big hemi, but I've got a built wedge. It's a 447 now. Should be in the neighborhood of 500hp, so it's a start anyway. I bet it'd pull the 17' Traveler pretty well, at least

Barry, yeah, I should have fixed the Fury up five years ago. But I was embroiled in this house building project that still isn't finished. I'm getting close though. In fact, I'm off to do some sweeping and vacuuming so I can have the rest of the drywall delivered this week. I'd rather be wrenching on the Mopar....

see ya on the road,

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

Roadruler,

I had a line on two SuperBirds twenty years ago, but neither guy would sell. Both were sitting under trees and in the weeds rotting.

Not to long ago on the Speed channel a Dodge dealer said he had a new SuperBird in his show room (way back when...) and he couldn't sell it. Now if you can find one the prices are sky high.

In 1975 I saw a 1970 Boss Mustang in a farmers field with a for sale sign on it for $500. I bought it for $350. and drove it home.

[JimGolden]

SWEET! I hope you still have it! What a deal!

Here's my "One that got away story..."

Long about 1988, my buddy and I were commuting to college together. We could see this old tri-5 Chevy from the road up in this guy's driveway. Finally, we decide to stop. My buddy just loves '55 Chevy's and he really wanted one. Well we go up to the guy's house, and the car was indeed for sale, but it was a 4-door. No dice. So I asked the old fellow; "Do you have any other old cars you want to sell?" He says "Well, I did up until three weeks ago. Had an old Plymouth Road Runner. Had that funny lookin' motor where the spark plugs are in the middle of the valve cover. I finally got rid of it. Got $300 fer it!" He was all proud of himself. I thought MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just my luck. Even then, the engine would have probably brought $5K alone.... Oh well, better luck next time

I really would like to see that pic of the '65 Fury pulling the Airstream

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I really would like to see that pic of the '65 Fury pulling the Airstream

A good story about the Hemi RR Jim. I will be at the location (Moms place) today. I will have a look and see if I can find the pic. I recall the Fury/ Airstream is parked in a row with SOB's. It was clipped from a newspaper article about the trailer club my Dad started back in the 60's. I still have contact with the family and I will check and see if they have other shots of the Fury/Airstream.

[mojo]

I had a new Plymouth Superbird 440 six pack way back when. Dealers couldn't sell them and one let it go for cheap. 150mph plus....Wow!

Perhaps that big wing would help you with that sway problem?

[JimGolden]

Road Ruler,

Thank you. I'll keep watching on here. I'd really like to see that.

Mojo,

Too cool! 19' of MEAN!

[slowmover]

My grandparents TV in the 1960's was what I still believe to have the best car to ever tow a trailer: a loaded 1968 Monaco with all the heavy-duty parts that were part of the police package. And a high compression 440-4V that averaged 10 mpg towing or solo.

What made for the best series of police cars ever built (until today) was the advantage of Chrysler engineering (see subtopic of same name: 1971 Dodge police cars: Dodge Coronet and Polara), and this advantage of bulletproof and best performing drive train couple to unitized construction and bigger brakes made one heckuva competent car.

I sold my daily driver 1971 Chrysler a few years ago. It is eye-opening to a neophyte to drive any 1960's competition against a Mopar, the comparison absolutely deflates the proponents of Oldsmobile, Mercury, you-name-it.

Those used muscle cars we 1970's teenagers abused and hopped up were no match for a DODGE Polara Police Pursuit. The "scariest" moments of the 55-mph years was topping a rise on a highway and seeing one of those T-Rex's idling in the median, with that 108" whip still buttoned down. You might outrun him a few miles, but he had the power, the better chassis, the better stability and the better range to haul you down bodily. Hemi Roadrunner, 6V 427 Corvette, didn't matter.

Radios were for cops who might ought to look for other work. The big Dodge made them redundant.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

I will be at the location (Moms place) today. I will have a look and see if I can find the pic. I recall the Fury/ Airstream is parked in a row with SOB's. It was clipped from a newspaper article about the trailer club my Dad started back in the 60's. I still have contact with the family and I will check and see if they have other shots of the Fury/Airstream.

LOL, well it was about 20 years since I last had a look at the pic and as you can see Jim my memory of the pic was incomplete. The Fury/Stream is at the end of the row with the Fury out of the picture. Sorry.

[slowmover]

Here's info on the tow package for 1968 (advertisement page), AND the FSM pages for building a uni-body hitch:

untitled

That info was put online by the son of the driver/lessor of one of the Turbine Powered Chryslers, and an avid C-Body fan (full size Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth/Imperial) at turbinecar.com

I recall that diagonal stiffeners were added to this kind of work as detailed.