Sanspistons

Due to circumstances beyond my control (you can read that as lack of MONEY!) I'm now forced to drop my 85 Rotor Mistress from my insurance and park her indefinitely (SOB!!). However I will still autocross my girl when I can. Lucky for me the local track is less than 10 miles/16 km away so I can tow her there.

O.K., did the search on flat towing and found a few good tips like adding a metal insert into the oval tow hook holes to keep the bolts from moving. I'm using my old flat tow bar (how old? It used to tow my Chevette race car in the '80's...!) but it's a few inches short on each side.

Questions: Would a support bar/tube be useful to bridge between the two hooks for added strength? How about long term towing; are the hooks a weak spot? Could someone suggest a more modern tow bar that fits better?

I realize a tow dolly is a better bet but the budget is tight and I'm desperate to at least RACE my baby occasionally even if I can't drive her.

Any help/tips will be greatfully appreciated.

Sanspistons: Sad but still game...

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Do you need a front bumper to autocross? If not, remove the bumper and make a bracket that uses the same mounting bolts, (3 on each side), that the bumper shocks use. Make sure that the brackets hinge up and down in relation to the tow bar. I wouldn't trust the built in tow hooks, they're designed as tie downs to transport the car, not for towing.

Overfilling the tranny will help and tow speeds should be kept under 45 mph per the owner's manual.

74RX4

iTrader: (10)

This is the tow bracket I got with one of the 7's I've had. The PO Flat towed the car for at least 20000 miles behind his motorhome. It's extreme overkill for a short tow. He had it made as a one piece unit, but I cut it in half because it didn't always fit between the frame rails on the cars I was towing. The 2 1/4" muffler clamp fastens around the round front cross member. The holes in the side match holes that are on the inside of the frame rails under the front bumper. The tab on the front of the brackets sticks out just below the bumper. It's a little low for my short tow bar and the F250, but if I get an 8" drop hitch it would be perfect.

74RX4

iTrader: (10)

The tow bar I use is a $100 from JC Whitney. I've seen it at local parts stores also. It has a universal like joint with a large bolt that fits through the tabs on the brackets.

I've towed a parts RX-4 from Las Vegas to Naples. 2 more RX-4s from Birmingham, my DD RX-4 to Virginia and back, a Cosmo from NC, and 1st gen RX-7s from SC, Va, and several shorter hauls within Fla.

I have never disconnected a drive shaft and have never had a transmission problem afterwards (all were manual). Interstate speeds were the norm.

I always have safety chains between the car and the tow bar ends and the normal chains to the hitch. I disconnect the battery and turn on the ignition switch to keep the steering unlocked. I have a wiring harness I've made up from old RX-7 plugs so the side markers, taillights, turn signals, and brake lights plug into the tow vehicle and work like normal. My brother has a vinyl cutter so I always have a big, reflective, professional looking "Car in Tow" sign stuck on the back window. BTW only my DD RX-4 had a plate and current registration when towed.

Sorry, I don't have a picture of it all hooked up.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Similar towbar except the steel attachment points to the hooks allow the tow hook to go in the center.

I have used this same bar to tow over 25 7's over the years with no problems. With this type you need to remove the lower plastic valance. I use magnetic tow lights to attach to the vehicle.

smokindok

The tie down loops are not particularly strong. One of mine is nearly falling off.

I flat tow my '81 RX7 using the same JC Whitney style tow bar. I reinforced the bumper with a couple of pieces of 2 x 3/16" flat steel bolted to the bumper and looping around that round front crossmember, very similar to the pictures above. I then bolted a 2 x 2 x 3/16" angle iron to the underside of the bumper, to which I mounted the brackets that attach to the universal joints of the tow bar. It seems to be quite strong, as well as simple. A fair amount of the plastic bumper cover does need to be cut away from the underside of the bumper, though. Doesn't really show, being the underside, and makes for simple fabrication.

The owner's manual for my '81 gives distance and speed limitations for flat towing an automatic, but not for the manual transmission.

I can take some pictures to send you if you would like. Let me know.

John

Stevan

iTrader: (17)

I don't know about the FSM, but in the Haynes manual they are called "towing hooks" .
Although it says these should only be used in an emergency, it instructs you to attach a cable or chain to one of the hooks to pull the car out of snow, mud or some other situation. If one hook is strong enough to pull the car out of mud, I would think that two could pull it down the road, unless"one is about to fall off".
If in doubt, reinforce them, or fab your own and bolt/weld to the the same location, and of course use a safety chain attached to the tubular crossmember.
smokindok's setup sounds pretty stout, you could also run a bar/angle from the crossmember tube to the tow hooks as an alternative if you question your tow hooks, or your tow hooks are in question

Sanspistons

As you can see I don't get on the internet or my beloved RX7Club site very often so I apologize for the tardiness of my replies.

Thanks everybody for the good suggestions. After some thought I'm going to take off the bumper cover and see if I can adapt my existing towbar to the bumper shock attachments. With some cutting of the cover, I'm sure.

It's great to be able to have access to such great information; all hail the RX7Club web site!!

Thanks again, everybody.

Sanspistons; towed but not out!!