Towing a 914, How do you move your 914? Options

[ehick72]

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

[seanery]

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.

[Joe Bob]

I flat tow my race car and have a AAA card.

[Brando]

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 (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif) Easiest way is to get the front wheels off the ground, put it in neutral, unset the p-brake and disconnect the speedo cable.

[SLITS]

I use a car dolly and tow 'em ass first! Don't tell Uhaul...they won't rent you the dolly............... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[ehick72]

Using a bug towbar.

[ehick72]

Some examples.

Just a tow bar


Tow bar with modifications

[TravisNeff]

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.

[jhadler]

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

[nebreitling]

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.

[plas76targa]

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 (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif)

[DBCooper]

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.

From the front.
From Inside the Trunk

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.

[TonyAKAVW]

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

[neo914-6]

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. From the front. From Inside the Trunk 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?

[spunone]

HEH will AAA tow yow say 10 miles if your car has no motor trans doors or hoods??? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif)

[SLITS]

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.....

[andys]

I made this to flat tow.......Used '75 bumper shock mounting points. Over engineered, TIG welded, but I just couldn't help it!

Andy

[94teener]

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

[94teener]

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

[94teener]

Another pic.