trailer hitch install
 

Anyone done their hitch themselves? I have a used U-Haul hitch and U-Haul won't install it without the "bolt kit" which I don't have and can only get with a new hitch. I can't see how it can be anything more than Grade 8 bolts in the bumper; I have the two that go on the diff mount already.

Anything I should know that I haven't seen at Lightning in a World of Thunder or Robinette's site?

Don't put a trailer hitch on your FD....

Please?

The owner's manual catagorically forbids it. And the car is simply NOT set up for this....if you have any doubts, just slide underneath and look at that beautiful race-car like rear suspension.....it was never made for towing loads, you are likely to completely fuck it up.....

Not to mention that putting a hitch on an FD is more appalling than ANY thing else I can think of, with the exceptions of curb feelers or a little bobbing head dog in the back..... :rolleyes:

It's actually quite simple.

Drill 5 holes in the cross bar in the rear bumper.

Before you drill the holes, make sure the tow bar is lined up correctly by eyeballing it from behind the car.

One of the holes has to be large enough to allow the bolts to go inside the rectangular part of the bar which is the support of the rear bumper.
The hardest part was getting the bolts to go inside and drop through the holes.
I did by passing a fishing line through one of the drilled bolt holes and back out the one large hole. I then tied a bolt onto it. And then I snaked the fishing line back, thereby putting the bolt inside and then through the drilled hole.

Shuddup :)
Mine needs one.. You just cant pack all your racing shite into the rx7.. thats not happening.. There is no way I can even get 2 tires, an air bottle and a helmet in the car!

But...but....but THAT is what you have a Suburban for!!!! :D

Then you HAUL the 7 to the track, with all your stuff comfortably stowed in that spacious cargo area.

:cool:

Um no..
Firstly the RX 300 will not pull the 7.. Its a panzy onthe towing side.. :(
And I wanted to do that. But I dont have anywhere to store something that big.. if you have an idea.. PLEASE let me know :)

Find friend w/ an F-150 (or any full size P/U) and offer a couple laps as a bribe for towing your Rex to the track - That way you can put on the R-compound Tires & Track Pads the day before, and not have to mess with putting them on at the track! :D

you can actually get 4 tires in the car assuming there is no roll bar and the tires are stock size....2 in the passenger seat, 1 in between the seats and the rear area, and one in the back. 2 tires, an air can, and a helmet shouldn't be a problem unless you've got a passenger.

I used to haul all my tires inside the car too until I installed a roll bar.

You know what additional benefit you get from a trailer hitch aside frombeing able to haul all the tires and tools?
It seemed to have added to the chassis stiffness more than marginally.

I have a passanger that always goes with me :) So no pass seat filled with tires.

i just want to be able to pull the shite. Unclip it and run. Then reclip it and go home.. I hate having to unpack everything for weight and then throwing it all back in @ the end of the day :( @ the end i just wanna change tires, roll em in and get thehell out of there :)

you guys just need to buy a full trailer like I did. :)

I pull my FD (or del sol, or CRX) to the track behind a 4.0 liter V6 Jeep cherokee.

Trailer hitch on FD is sacriligious! What are you thinking?? Nothing else to say, other than you don't deserve the car if you want utility out of it. Get a hauler/beater and hitch. I swear to f'ing God, any drilled holes in the bumper cover or a ball hitch shows on an FD I'd go postal, and get you BANNED from here. Yer fuggin with us, right? Hook up to a Supra or NSX, ok? :)

You guys who are freaking out apparently don't race/autox your car. If so, you would have seen plenty of FD's with trailers. We are talking a very small lightweight trailer with a 40"x48" bed that holds 4 tires and a tool box. No harm to the car at all; the hitch is out of sight. No holes in the bumper cover.

The loaded trailer weighs no more than your fat sister in law you only see on holidays:D

I assure you I am not defiling the car in any way.

ask to someone who really has a trailer hitch on FD and is on this forum.

" maxcooper "

i think hes using the extra space for tires/wheels, brake pads/rotors (maybe?), other small tools, etc.

like DamonB mentioned, it is hard to imagine an FD with trailer hitch if you dont have the "NEED" for extra storage when it comes down to race/autox.

I think it's OK, IF:

1. You mount the receiver far enough under the chassis so you can't see it sticking out when you're not towing. In this case you would need an extension square tube so that the ball would be mounted away from the bumper. Solid stock would do, but the tube is actually stronger in most cases.

1and1/2. Towing is EXTREMELY hard on engines, especially those with very low torque at low RPM's, fast starts with a trailer would be devastating to our engines and tranny's. Gentle acceleration would be tolerable. Don't even THINK of doing this with an automatic.

2. You promise to keep the trailer small and light.

3. You promise to never tow an airstream or a house of any sort.

4. I think a motorcycle type pop-up camper would be kind of fun to
pull if you were going to take a long touring trip, and especially if it was painted the same color as the car with some nice wheels........NAW, this is a bad idea. Any long trip in a 3rd Gen is a bad idea.

5. BMW has a brand new trailer designed for towing behind their cars. It ain't cheap but it looks....pretty darn good!

6. Europeans are famous for towing small trailers behind just about any vehicle you can think of. Your friends could start calling you "Aldo" or
"Guiseppe":D

Hitch Install
 

I worked at U-Haul in college and upon graduation purchased a 93 FD but had no way to haul my dirt bike to the races. A hitch was the only option and it works great. The u-haul hitch mounts by drilling only a couple of holes in the bumper subframe (not the cover). Since its black and my car is black you can barley see it when the draw bar is removed.
If you think about it accelerating with a trailer, is no different then accelerating with no trailer but at a greater rate. So if you drive normally there is no problem. I have trailered for over 5,000 miles with my FD and there is nothing to worry about.
Plus I always joke that its the worlds fastest tow vehicle!
It works great.

why oh why

installing the hitch
 

This is how I went about installing my U-Haul hitch. I did not have instructions nor the supplied "bolt kit" but with the help of some others' advice it went easily enough. The front of the hitch bolts to two empty holes on the rear subframe with 1/2" bolts about 2.5" long. The rear bolts under the bumper support using 5 fasteners. I used grade 8 bolts, 1/2" in diameter and 1.5" long. The problem is that you have to get 5 bolts inside a tube that you cannot reach inside of; it all has to be done "blind" from the outside. I marked and drilled the five 1/2" holes under the bumper; since the bumper is aluminum it drills quite easily. One hole will have to be enlarged enough so you can pass an entire bolt through it to get it inside the bumper. Then you have to "fish" the bolts to drop into each of their holes. I started off by making the center hole into the shape of a keyhole after I had drilled it. The small end is where the bolt would end up but the fat end was large enough to pass the bolt head with a washer up into the bumper. Now the tricky part; fishing. I made a simple hook out of a coat hanger by bending about an inch of the end into a "u" shape. I took a bolt and placed a washer on it and placed it through the "keyhole" with the threads sticking out the hole. I then placed my hook around it and squeezed it just tight enough with a pair of pliers that the wire grips the threads of the bolt and sort of snaps on. Do not comletely encircle the bolt with the wire, just snap it on. I could then very easily lift the bolt completely through the hole and push it along to drop into its proper mounting position. After dropping the bolt through I could unsnap my hook from the bolt by pushing on it firmly. Again, the whole trick was to not twist the wire completely around the bolt so that you are able to do this. Once I had the holes and keyhole made, it took all of 5 minutes to fish the bolts in. I couldn't believe how easily it went. Now, how the heck do you tighten the bolts when you cant reach the heads to keep them from spinning? I don't know for sure but I bet the proper U-Haul bolts have some sort of nibs in their undersides to make them grip the bumper and keep from turning. I had plain bolts and even washers inside so they would turn when you tried to tighten them. That is why I bought 1.5" long bolts. Once you get the nuts as tight as you can and the bolt begins to turn, you can grab the exposed portion of the bolt with a small pipe wrench or a pair of vise grips and hold it while tightening the nut with a wrench. Again, not too bad.

Now I just have to wire the lights...

sbarshie: world's fastest tow vehicle :D

I think this one might outdo ya! (just benchracin' witcha!)

on subject, I think the owner even rigged it up behind a fold down license plate - cool huh?

http://www.928s4vr.com/ames2.jpg


oops one last ps. for DamonB is there a way to safetywire the bolts (or use some of those weird locktab washers or cotter pins)? might give you extra piece of mind when towing.

If you were patient I am sure you could drill the bolts for safety wire or cotter pins before installing them, but I don't believe that's required. The hitch is only rated for a 150 pound tongue weight and you do have five bolts there. Even if a couple of them loosened up that thing would never come off. I did use lock washers under all the nuts though.

That trailer in the pic is the same one I purchased except mine has 12" wheels; the ones in the pic are 9". Only $199.99 from Harbor Freight. I think the one with 9" wheels was only $149.

I thought I post a pic of the barely conspicuous tow hitch on my third gen. Can you spot the hitch?

http://photos.netclubs.com/live/phot...20hitch(2).JPG

Here is a pic with a draw bar in the hitch.
http://photos.netclubs.com/live/phot...20hitch(2).JPG

Oops. wrong pic.
Here is the one with a craw bar.
http://photos.netclubs.com/live/phot...w%20bar(1).JPG

I had to replace my clutch on my first FD caues the noodle dick who had it before me was towing with it..........

It says in the manual about 16 times "Do not tow with the RX-7"
You dont deserve an FD if your towing with the fucking thing......

C'mon now, it's not like their going to tow a fucking trailer with it. I think it's practical to tow a tire trailer or jet ski with an FD.