Looking to haul a 914 behind me for about 400 miles. My SUV is too light - they won't rent me a full trailer. So I'm stuck with a dolly.

Is there anything to be gained by disconnecting the half shafts? That is no easy task since it would be the outers that would need to be the disconnect point. Personally I see no reason to do it but it is a U-Haul recommendation. I figure the car is meant to be able to roll at speed - no different than driving it - matter of fact less stress. Condition of the CV's is unknown but I figure if I stop after the first hour and make sure nothing is getting hot I should be ok.

Any "oh my god don't do that"s?

Oh my God dont do that. Tow as is, in neutral, with everything intact, you will have no problems.

Neutral will work fine.

What U-Haul recomends is to disconnect the drive shaft....most automatic cars have a rear pump that oils the rear section of the auto tranys and without the engine running and driving the automatic trans the rear pump builds preasure and pops seals.........they know shit about a 914 or standard tranys.....

Just nod and smile at them when the make their recomendations

If you are brave, according to the nay-sayers on this and other boards, tow it backwards. I always tow a teener in that manner as this puts the majority of the car weight on the tow dolly.

I duct tape the trunk lid and targa top. I take a section of rope and slam it in the passenger door to hold it, tie the steering wheel centered and then slam the other end in the driver door ...... keeps stuff straight.

But, I don't know about your area but I never tell Ju-Haul that I'm towing a 914 ... they tell me I can't do it.

I have flat towed my 914 ~2000 miles now to tracks and AXs.

no problems...I have two friends that have flat towed 914s for 20 years with no tranny or CV problems.

Just load it forward on the dolly and get the thing towed.

tow in neutral, no problemo

Thanks all. Sort of what I expected.

Bruce, thanks for the added info on the auto tranny - now I know why they make the recommendation.

Slits. Always thought that would be be the best way of towing it. Not sure if I have the guts to try it. Be interesting to try it without the ropes and see if it naturally castors behind. Maybe on a local haul.

Quite simply, flat-tow is the way to go. Get David Lee's bracket, an Empi super-beetle tow-bar, a magnetic trailer-light set, and you're set. Coupla hundred bucks solves the problem. I trailered my 914 1100 miles that way with no problems. Disconnect the negative side of the battery (so you don't drain the battery), turn the ignition switch on (so the steering wheel can turn), release the e-brake (duh), and put the tranny in neutral.

I towed a roller from Vegas to here backwards, but the roof and trunk lid were in the back of the truck......and it had no glass.......

Without the ropes the wheels will go to one side (hard right or left) and the car will want to dog track, trying to pull itself off the dolly.

Just remember to check the tire straps after a few miles (before you get on the freeway). They have a tendency to "find" a new spot and loosen up.

Flat towing is the way to go!

That, I'm sure, is the best solution. But since this is going down on Wed I won't have time to get the stuff. Probably will look into that for long term support though. Thanks

Hay Steve: You really got the Gov. paper work done fast,I thought it would be a couple of weeks. Maybe less bureaucracy in Canada than in the states.
good luck Dave

not too bad actually. Title is the important document for getting it out of the states. US folks need a fax of it 72 hours in advance. Canadian folks are most interested in the bill of sale so they can assess tax. This one is getting a little complicated because the title is still in the previous owners name. Supposedly all I need is bills of sale to give the ownership chain. We shall see.

I'm trailering it so I don't have to worry about plates/insurance/permits ... all that nasty stuff.

Assuming all goes well I'll post a recap for other Canucks who are looking south for their car.

What did you buy Steve?

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=74020

Another 73 1.7 It was being sold as a running car but I'm treating it as a project car. Got it for $2,550 so it is not a huge risk. BarberDave had a look at it for me and thought it was pretty solid. Between it and my car I should be able to come up with a pretty decent runner. Then I'll offer my original out to someone who enjoys rustoration (enjoys????). Dispite the condition of the longs it is really too good to consign to the crusher.

Looks like a good car......Just a heads up, get some insurance for it while it's being transported. You can get temp insurance for fairly reasonable $$. If someone hits you, you would have to hire a lawyer in the state where it happened to get any $ back. If it's insured your insurance company has that headache not you.

Checked with my insurance guy. My policy covers things that are being trailed including a car. Policy also covers any new car purchased automaticly for up to 30 days. I'm good to go! Made it to London today. Tomorow I do battle with the customs guys

Customs is easy...as long as you faxed the title to the US port of export at least 72 hrs before you show up there. Go in, get the title stamped, off to Canada Customs.....then it costs $$

Good luck on the trip

I pulled mine backwards for 830 miles, from Mississippi to Detroit on a dolly at 80 MPH. No probs.

Mark

backward works great. i did it x2 last weekend. leave the front wheels straight, the steering wheel locked (key out) and the dolly won't want to wander. give the front wheels a good shake and ensure the bearing aren't sloppy. reef down hard on the tire webbing ratchets and make sure they're in the fully 'locked' position. check after 10 miles to make sure they haven't loosened up. be patient and keep the speed down.

k

If you're going to dolly or flat tow, just make sure to check (and re-check) the lugs!!!

The guy that bought my early 911 coupe decided to dolly tow it from TN to NJ. He calls me about an hour after he left my house telling me that the rear wheel fell off...on I-75...going about 80mph!!! OUCH!!!

I never bothered to check the lugs since I trailered it home and never drove it, just pushed it around in my garage and driveway.

That was easy! Like the bard said - much ado about nothing.

Only time I got white knuckled was going through construction on I75 coming into Detriot. The lanes were insanely narrow going over the bridges and I had one of the dolly wheels what felt like less than a foot from the concrete and had transports brushing the other one. Yah I probably had plenty of room - I'm just out of practice with trailing. My DD is only 8' long - this big stuff takes some getting used to!

914rrr - funny you should mention that! I didn't think to look at the lugnuts (damn you think the guy would have felt the vibrations!). I did though look at the CV joints and sure enough on one of them 3 of 4 bolts were completely backed off and the 4th was about 1/4" out.

As Bruce predicted - customs was nothing! Hardest part was finding out how to get to export control in Detroit.

Once there a terminally bored agent said 'Title!' - gave it to him. 'Stand over there' - took 4 steps back. About a minute later he motioned me over, gave me the title duly stamped and said - 'take the car over to where the sign says "to Canada" and wait'. Did so - 2 trucks in front of me cleared. An even more bored agent looked at the title and sent me on my way.

Over on the Canadian side the guy in the booth asked the normal questions and sent me over to the shed. A student officer showed me where to park and then directed me over to the office. Over there the officer wanted the title, bill of sale, and my drivers licence. Couple of minutes to fill out the form. Then over to the cashier to pay the GST. (no Duty or other fees cause it is older than 15 years.) Badda boom Badda bing I was out of there! The sad part in all this - no one even looked at the car to check the VIN! The guy under the shed asked some questions but I go the feeling it was more out of curiosity than duty.

I'll get some pictures up and show you what I got. She has some dirty little secrets but all in all about what I expected. Thanks BarberDave! Definitely will need some help from my original car.