Towing connections

[blitzkraig]

Ok here's the story. About 3 months ago my 240's tranny decided to take a dump in a Kragens parking lot and I ended up getting it towed home. The tow truck driver couldn't figure out a place to put the two tow hooks on the back so he wrapped a strap around each rear control arm which seemed to do the trick. Now I've been tearing out the suspension to put in urethane bushings and it looks like that little towing incident bent the rear control arms. Not in a structuraly bad way (I don't think), but it bent the metal flanges a little. So after I spend all the time repainting my suspension I don't want to have anything like this to happen again should I get towed at some point (I hope never). Where are good structures to latch onto for towing this little beast? Thanks

Craig

http://people.ucsc.edu/~crearly/Z.htm

[Inf]

I had some damage done to my underbody when I had my car shipped, the previous owner apparently didnt care how they hooked it up since it was no longer his car. Obviously not a Z fan like those on this board!

They put the hooks into the drainage holes on the rear frame rail and the holes in the front crossmember.

I have seen some pictures of cars with tow hooks mounted behind the front valance. I was thinking of getting some of these from the scrapyard, but I would still have to remove the airdam every time I have some mechanical trouble.

I would like to hear what others think about this as well.

Andrew

[Rob]

Originally posted by Inf

They put the hooks into the drainage holes on the rear frame rail and the holes in the front crossmember.

...

I would like to hear what others think about this as well.

Andrew

I think that whoever did that should be shot. :dead:

Don't really know what the answer to this is, whenever one of my cars has died I've been able to borrow a flat-bed trailer to get it home.

[Inf]

This was on a large car carrier, but that is where they placed the hooks to hold it to the trailer (I can see by reading what I wrote that people might think it was towed on 2 wheels by these points). So every bump on the highway between Sacramento and Dallas caused the car to bounce and pull against the hooks, resulting in the holes being torn open some.

I think the tow hooks I am referring to were probably meant for just pulling the car up onto a flatbed or something, and not actually for pulling it down the road since they don't look very rugged, but I am sure someone here has had that experience before!!

Andrew

[MikeW]

If you're talking about securing the car to a flatbed all Japanese cars should have hooks or loops specifically for that purpose attached near the bumpers. The reason? Because they came to the US on a ship.

[EScanlon]

Some dealers were known to remove the hooks used to latch the cars down in transport.

When you get towed, request that they either send a Flat Bed Tow Truck, OR get the Tire Lift Arm.

The Flat Bed is self explanatory. The Tire lift arm is basically a pair of rods that go in front and in back of each tire on either the front or rear of the car. They then lift that axle and roll the car on the other axle. (This is usually how they tow away illegally parked vehicles that may have the rear axle locked.)

Either one of these methods should make it so that the lack of the hooks is not a problem.

Personally, if you still get stuck with a Tow Truck that only has the old Chain Lift, I'd pass. That's why I belong to AAA Plus, they ask me what kind of tow I need, and not send whatever they have available.

2¢

[blitzkraig]

Well it was a flat bed tow truck. Thing is the driver was worried about my front valance not clearing the steep incline to bring it on the truck, so we backed it up onto it. He had the straps around the rear control arms and winched the sucker up into position. I do remember two little hooks connected somewhere in the bvack but I tore those off in my first restoration. Didn't seem like they were fit for pulling the whole car.