How's the best way to tow this?

[bairdandrew77]

Ok so I'm not an expert when it comes to towing vehicles, but do have the general knowledge to do it safely. This weekend I'm going to be picking up a 1960 corvair in idaho falls and taking it to utah, roughly 200 miles away. I'm going to use a 95 ford aerostar as the tow vehicle, which is why it's in the "other vehicles" section. The suburban is still not running and I can't find someone willing to lend me a better towing truck.

Here's where the concerns start... I have a tow dolly that I use to haul cars around, great for stock FWD cars. The corvair is rear engine, RWD automatic. My original plan was to back the car onto the dolly for better weight distribution and lock the steering so the front is going straight. But I got a text from the seller saying the steering doesn't lock with the key removed. So how I'm stuck trying to figure something else out. Here's my choices so far:

Load it on facing forward and put it in neutral. The worst thing here is the weight distribution will be thrown off pretty badly with the engine in back. I can try loading up the front trunk with a lot of weight to help out a little, but I'm sure I can still expect a bit of swaying.

Put the back on the dolly and find a way to lock the steering. There's no seats currently installed, or else I would get one of those things that goes between the steering wheel and driver seat to hold it in place.

If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear it! I still want to lock the steering but don't know how. I'm also going to keep looking for a better truck to borrow, but just plan on the van being used. Thanks!!

 

[74propu]

put I bolts in where the seats bolt down in the floor and use ratchet straps to the steering wheel to hold it in place and load it back end on the dolly

 

[CSFJ]

That's a tough spot. I can't remember when they introduced locking columns in vehicles, I know the older ones didn't have them. I would be concerned about the trans too. Even towing in neutral, may burn something up without the pump engaged.

 

[87scotty]

I've pulled a f550 a lot with a hitch on the front of it Behind a dirtymax always unlocked the steering wheel never had sway but it was front wheels although it being in natural shouldn't hurt anything make sure there's fluid in tranny and reaeend

 

[CSFJ]

put I bolts in where the seats bolt down in the floor and use ratchet straps to the steering wheel to hold it in place and load it back end on the dolly

This sounds pretty reasonable with trying to work with what you have.

 

[bairdandrew77]

put I bolts in where the seats bolt down in the floor and use ratchet straps to the steering wheel to hold it in place and load it back end on the dolly

That's a really good idea. Do you know what size the bolt should or might be? I'll probably get 3 or 4 different possible sizes just to be on the safe side.

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[87dieselburb]

Load it on with the front wheels on the dolly and drop the driveshaft best and safest way to do it towing it with the rear wheels on the ground and the Trany in neutral there is no lubercation and it heats up and at the very least you'll burn up bushings and the shaft and you could potentially set the car on fire with the drive shaft out its just like driving just make sure there is rear end fluid in it I have 5years in the towing field so I'm not talking out my ass

 

[87dieselburb]

Even with the ratchet strap the steering can still wanna move and it might not track straight or shimmy

 

[crazy4offroad]

I used to repo and we would just tie the seatbelts to the wheel. It would sway a little but not bad. Main thing to know is how to make it stop swaying when it seems to be just getting worse and worse as you're towing. And it seems counter-intuitive but you nail the gas to pull the sway out. I dont mean just a blip, but a few seconds like you're passing someone. It may still be a problem once you load it and take off, if the front end alignment isn't right. Be prepared to tow it from front or rear.

 

[CSFJ]

Load it on with the front wheels on the dolly and drop the driveshaft best and safest way to do it towing it with the rear wheels on the ground and the Trany in neutral there is no lubercation and it heats up and at the very least you'll burn up bushings and the shaft and you could potentially set the car on fire with the drive shaft out its just like driving just make sure there is rear end fluid in it I have 5years in the towing field so I'm not talking out my ass

Corvairs are rear engine. Pulling the half shafts is a lot more complicated than a drive shaft.

 

[bairdandrew77]

Yup it's an RR layout, which is why I can't do the the conventional drop driveshaft method. Pulling the cv axles is going to be a major inconvenience, especially considering I'm picking it up outside and never worked on an RR vehicle before. Plus there's the weight distribution with a van that's crap compared to a square body for towing.

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[bairdandrew77]

I used to repo and we would just tie the seatbelts to the wheel. It would sway a little but not bad. Main thing to know is how to make it stop swaying when it seems to be just getting worse and worse as you're towing. And it seems counter-intuitive but you nail the gas to pull the sway out. I dont mean just a blip, but a few seconds like you're passing someone. It may still be a problem once you load it and take off, if the front end alignment isn't right. Be prepared to tow it from front or rear.

This car wasn't equipped with seat belts haha but that does give me an idea. I can roll down the windows and go from the steering wheel to an adequate mounting area under the car on both sides with ratchets. This will be in addition to the eye bolts so there will be 4 ratchets holding it still, possibly more if I find another good spot.
Plus I can check everything before leaving the city and every 50 miles to be safe. I'm also not going to go above 55 mph max, for safety and so I don't put too much stress on this old van.

Any downfall or improvements on this idea? I'm heavily leaning towards this for this application, and it's a one time thing just to get it home.

P.s. thanks for the tips on handling swaying. I've pulled economy cars and think I'm pretty good at handling it for an amateur, but am always happy to get more advice!

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[CSFJ]

This car wasn't equipped with seat belts haha but that does give me an idea. I can roll down the windows and go from the steering wheel to an adequate mounting area under the car on both sides with ratchets. This will be in addition to the eye bolts so there will be 4 ratchets holding it still, possibly more if I find another good spot.
Plus I can check everything before leaving the city and every 50 miles to be safe. I'm also not going to go above 55 mph max, for safety and so I don't put too much stress on this old van.

Any downfall or improvements on this idea? I'm heavily leaning towards this for this application, and it's a one time thing just to get it home.

P.s. thanks for the tips on handling swaying. I've pulled economy cars and think I'm pretty good at handling it for an amateur, but am always happy to get more advice!

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LOL. I forgot about not having seat belts. It sounds like given the circumstances, it's about the best idea. Good luck, and get some pics of this set up for us.

 

[87dieselburb]

I had a brain fart and forgot corvair was rear engine and had half shafts not a solid drive shaft

 

[bucket]

The ratchet straps to the seat bolts is a good one, that way it's held tight in both directions. If it's not raining, you could roll the windows down and use the door handles as tie downs.