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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Towing a 914
Posted by: ehick72 Jun 8 2005, 08:02 AM
After paying a tow truck way too much money...the fuel injection work I had done has made a world of difference. Thanks for the advice by the way! My car runs great now...... however, knowing myself like I do there will always come a time when screw something up and have to tow it again. It sure would be nice if I had a tow bar like they have for the bugs. Has anyone done towed a 914? Is there a specific towbar I can use or make? I saw a guy modify a bug towbar to connect inside the front trunk but that looked like some serious work.
Any advice?
Eric
Posted by: seanery Jun 8 2005, 08:25 AM
Howard has one, you might check with him. I've towed with a trailer and a 2 wheel car dolly. No problems with either one.
Posted by: ! Jun 8 2005, 08:31 AM
I flat tow my race car and have a AAA card.
Posted by: Brando Jun 8 2005, 09:00 AM
there's a hook under the front trunk pan. Don't know how strong it is.
If you've got (some versions) 911 A-arms there should be 2 curved loops there for towing as well.
My car drives so I've only had it towed once 
Easiest way is to get the front wheels off the ground, put it in neutral, unset the p-brake and disconnect the speedo cable.
Posted by: SLITS Jun 8 2005, 10:07 AM
I use a car dolly and tow 'em ass first! Don't tell Uhaul...they won't rent you the dolly............... 
Posted by: ehick72 Jun 8 2005, 10:49 AM
http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&albumid=9980160442904
Posted by: ehick72 Jun 8 2005, 10:53 AM
Some examples.
http://evcl.com/914/Batbox/photos/IM0007.jpg
http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/communityalbums.cgi?action=openalbum&albumid=9980160442904
Posted by: Travis Neff Jun 8 2005, 11:00 AM
Careful whenever you tow or trailer the car backwards. Check your rear trunk pin to see if it holds. Ask me how I know, car ended up with it's own umbrella over the roof.
Posted by: jhadler Jun 8 2005, 11:43 AM
| QUOTE (Travis Neff @ Jun 8 2005, 09:00 AM) |
| Careful whenever you tow or trailer the car backwards. Check your rear trunk pin to see if it holds. Ask me how I know, car ended up with it's own umbrella over the roof. |
Ouch! Yes, I know how that is... Happened to me too when I had the car on a dolly. Really sucked. Still have some small wrinlkles on the corners of the trunk lid. Decided I was better off flat towing. Less weight, less hassle...
I'm setting up my car to flat tow. I installed the tow-bar brackets in the fog light buckets. Just pop off the grilles, and hook up the bar. I haven't finished the wiring, so if anyone has suggestion on wiring for flat towing, I'm all ears...
-Josh2
Posted by: nebreitling Jun 8 2005, 12:14 PM
i flat tow. use a generic 'jeep bumper' tow bar with a few modifications. brackets are welded onto modified late model bumper shocks which bolt into the stock location (75-76). this is a beefy area on the late model, would not use this location in the earlier cars.
behind the foglight area did NOT seem like a strong place to mount the tow bar when i looked at it. i would be weary...
use the tow loop under the front trunk for the chains.
Posted by: plas76targa Jun 8 2005, 12:39 PM
Did you do a search yet? Search on TOW BAR or TOW DOLLY you should find several past posts on this. Some pictures of Howards' and other set ups should surface in that search. The posts I recall were last year or more. So go back 12-18 months.
I am in the process of building a bracket for my car to attach to a tow bar. PM me and I'll send you the photo's I've saved from this board and if I can figure out how to scan it I'll send the diagram I made for the fabrication of a bracket. I'll take some photo's of the bracket, when it's complete, to post here too.
I'd like the 911 torsion bars with the loop metioned earlier. Someone was once selling inserts for those loops for towing, any one else recall that or have photo's of theirs?
sorry - I type too much 
Posted by: Paul Illick Jun 8 2005, 01:00 PM
I've been waiting for this subject to come up again, because we found a way that worked well. I towed a car from the Bay Area back to Houston behind an Acura RL, through rain and snow, and it was an absolute joy. The teener tucked in behind the car, and it wasn't just stable, I think the car handled better with the 914 back there. I didn't want to weld or drill any new holes in the 914, so we took off the bumper, got two pieces of flat stock from Orchard Supply Hardware (or Home Depot), bent them in the middle so they followed the countour of the car (nothing fancy, we put them halfway onto the curb and stepped on the unsupported half) drilled them so the bolts went through the vent holes are in the front trunk, and sandwiched the car between the plates, one plate inside the trunk, one outside. The thinking was that we'd get more square inches for support, to be safer and minimize any damage that could be done in panic braking or whatever. We bolted on a cheap ($35 on e-bay plus $15 shipping) universal tow bar and it worked great. It was MUCH better than a tow dolly, far more stable, I towed it easily behind a medium sized car, and the pieces, once taken apart, fit easily even into a small car's trunk. And when you take it off there's no trace that it's ever been there.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paulillick/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=e642.jpg
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paulillick/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=794a.jpg&.src=ph
The lights were just a cheap Harbor Freight towing kit, with the wires run inside the front trunk, out just below the windshield and into the closed driver's side door, out the back of the door and under the engine grill into the rear trunk, where the lights were held in place by the closed trunk lid.
Hardest part is removing the front bumper, everything else can be done in less than ten minutes. It's easy, cheap, and works great. It works so well, in fact, that I wouldn't tow a car any other way, unless it didn't roll or I had at least a large pickup and a full trailer.
Posted by: TonyAKAVW Jun 8 2005, 01:05 PM
Also when towing backwards beware of the rear window. Its glued on from the inside and is not made for backwards driving at high speeds. The targa bar also makes for a nice air trap back there.
AAA Plus has served me well. In cases where I have had a roller towed, I give the driver a decent tip to keep them happy.
-Tony
Posted by: neo914-6 Jun 8 2005, 01:10 PM
| QUOTE (Paul Illick @ Jun 8 2005, 11:00 AM) |
| I've been waiting for this subject to come up again, because we found a way that worked well. I towed a car from the Bay Area back to Houston behind an Acura RL, through rain and snow, and it was an absolute joy. The teener tucked in behind the car, and it wasn't just stable, I think the car handled better with the 914 back there. I didn't want to weld or drill any new holes in the 914, so we took off the bumper, got two pieces of flat stock from Orchard Supply Hardware (or Home Depot), bent them in the middle so they followed the countour of the car (nothing fancy, we put them halfway onto the curb and stepped on the unsupported half) drilled them so the bolts went through the vent holes are in the front trunk, and sandwiched the car between the plates, one plate inside the trunk, one outside. The thinking was that we'd get more square inches for support, to be safer and minimize any damage that could be done in panic braking or whatever. We bolted on a cheap ($35 on e-bay plus $15 shipping) universal tow bar and it worked great. It was MUCH better than a tow dolly, far more stable, I towed it easily behind a medium sized car, and the pieces, once taken apart, fit easily even into a small car's trunk. And when you take it off there's no trace that it's ever been there. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paulillick/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=e642.jpg http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paulillick/detail?.dir=/mail&.dnm=794a.jpg&.src=ph The lights were just a cheap Harbor Freight towing kit, with the wires run inside the front trunk, out just below the windshield and into the closed driver's side door, out the back of the door and under the engine grill into the rear trunk, where the lights were held in place by the closed trunk lid. Hardest part is removing the front bumper, everything else can be done in less than ten minutes. It's easy, cheap, and works great. It works so well, in fact, that I wouldn't tow a car any other way, unless it didn't roll or I had at least a large pickup and a full trailer. |
Paul,
your photos are inaccessible...
can you just post them?
Posted by: spunone Jun 8 2005, 01:22 PM
HEH will AAA tow yow say 10 miles if your car has no motor trans doors or hoods??? 
Posted by: SLITS Jun 8 2005, 01:35 PM
| QUOTE (Travis Neff @ Jun 8 2005, 10:00 AM) |
| Careful whenever you tow or trailer the car backwards. Check your rear trunk pin to see if it holds. Ask me how I know, car ended up with it's own umbrella over the roof. |
Duct tape my friend....duct tape........
Never had the window pop.......tow at 55.....
Posted by: andys Jun 8 2005, 01:41 PM
I made this to flat tow.......Used '75 bumper shock mounting points. Over engineered, TIG welded, but I just couldn't help it!
Andy
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Posted by: 94teener Jun 8 2005, 02:49 PM
Here is a commercially available tow bar that works well on the 914. The pictures are someone else's rig but I bought the same bar new on eBay for an unbeliveable $25.00.
Phil
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Posted by: 94teener Jun 8 2005, 02:51 PM
Here is a commercially available tow bar that works well on the 914. The pictures are someone else's rig but I bought the same bar new on eBay for an unbeliveable $25.00.
Phil
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Posted by: 94teener Jun 8 2005, 02:53 PM
Another pic.
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Posted by: 94teener Jun 8 2005, 02:54 PM
And another,
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Posted by: nebreitling Jun 8 2005, 03:21 PM
| QUOTE (94teener @ Jun 8 2005, 12:53 PM) |
| Another pic. |
that's howard's car. that's the exact location that i didn't feel comfortable putting the brackets at. but he could have reinforced it or something... YMMV
Posted by: jhadler Jun 8 2005, 03:35 PM
That's exactly the same kind of brackets and the same location I installed mine. The bracket is installed with an equally sized plate behind the bulkhead, and uses some pretty stout hardware to fasten it. I'd say it's possibly stronger than the factory bumper mounts.
So my question would be, what about the location are you uncomfortable with? It certainly seems to be pretty substantial.
-Josh2
Posted by: Dr Evil Jun 8 2005, 03:42 PM
Why tow backwards? 
I nhave towed my car from SF to SD on a two wheel dolly and had no problems withit facing forward. You would also have to reverse your tires so that you unidirectionals don't get F-ed up by towing backwards. I re-do trannies and do not see why you need to tow it ass first.
Posted by: TonyAKAVW Jun 8 2005, 04:11 PM
| QUOTE |
| HEH will AAA tow yow say 10 miles if your car has no motor trans doors or hoods??? |
They will. But you can't tell them thats what you are doing. Its against their policy to do it, because of people taking advantage of it. But I can tell you that I know personally of two cars that have been towed great distances (nearly 100 miles in one case) by AAA. A good friend of mine
told me that most of the time the tow truck drivers have no problem towing them and 2 out of 3 times they will tell you that they have a buddy who has a 914 he's restoring, etc. 1 out of 3 times however they complain expecially when 15 year old gasoline started pouring out onto their flatbed. Nothing that a decent tip won't fix. The drivers are contracted by AAA, they are not AAA employees.AAA does 100 mile towing up to 3 times a year if you have AAA plus. There's another level up where you get 200 mile towing once a year I believe. But it is substantially more expensive.
-Tony
Posted by: nebreitling Jun 8 2005, 04:22 PM
| QUOTE (jhadler @ Jun 8 2005, 01:35 PM) |
| That's exactly the same kind of brackets and the same location I installed mine. The bracket is installed with an equally sized plate behind the bulkhead, and uses some pretty stout hardware to fasten it. I'd say it's possibly stronger than the factory bumper mounts. So my question would be, what about the location are you uncomfortable with? It certainly seems to be pretty substantial. -Josh2 |
the hardware included in that kit is indeed stout, and that location may very well be better than the mounting points of the early/mid cars (i don't know), but does not even compare to the mounting points of the late cars.
IIRC, it simply seemed like fairly thin gauge sheet metal to be pulling and pushing upon with sudden and potentially great force. the bracket and mounting plate of the kit pictured with howards car did not seem particularly large to me.
again, YMMV, no big deal to me.
Posted by: Paul Illick Jun 8 2005, 07:47 PM
O.K., maybe the images will work this time. Flat stock sandwiched the sheet metal, with the towbar bracket bolts going through the vent holes, so no new holes, no welding:
Attached image(s)
Posted by: Paul Illick Jun 8 2005, 07:49 PM
Second photo from the inside of the trunk, lots of surface area, so no possibility of damage, and when it's removed no trace it was there:
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Posted by: jd74914 Jun 8 2005, 08:07 PM
I like that design.
We tow ours with a small trailer and that works great.
Posted by: Dead Air Jun 8 2005, 09:20 PM
Tow dollies are a peice of cake. truck is a four cylinder. 800 miles, no problem!
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Posted by: Rhodes71/914 Jun 9 2005, 12:48 AM
I had a tow dolly given to me when I bought an old bus. Didn't think much of it at the time but I have used it a ton. It's been on the Alcan Highway twice.
Posted by: jhadler Jun 9 2005, 10:08 AM
I towed with a dolly for about two seasons, I chose to tow it ass end first because of the low air dam. I would have had to remove the air dam each time I towed it to a race. Well, the backwards dolly towing thing bit me when the 914 decided to open up the air brake (rear trunk lid).
That's when I decided that I'd flat tow it when next it ran (which has been a couple years now...). I like that big steel plate idea, but for my car (a race car) that's way too much weight to have to remove at every race. I decided to live with the extra pound or two in the nose of the car with the brackets and just leave them bolted on in the foglight buckets.
I haven't actually towed it yet (need a drivetrain installed before I take it anywhere...), but I'm not that worried about the strength of the sheet metal I'm bolted to. It seems to have worked for others...
-Josh2
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