Looking for suggestions re. front tow ring

[schwarz75]

Who has made a simple tow ring for the front of their track or race car? Any diagrams, photos, etc. would be helpful.

Thinking of installing one onto the frame rail where the front bumper attaches (my car doesn't have its front bumper installed currently). I have seen tow rings that protrude out of one of the grills, but I don't see how this would be very strong....and don't want to damage my nice alum. grills either.

Looking for a neat and "clean" way to have something to grab onto in the event something should break and require pulling the car back to the pits. Don't want to use the tiny loops for this purpose. My car is a '73 and has a stock body.

[BLUNT]

heres one of many pegasus offers. have a look at their site. lots of nice stuff

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecId=5348

[Guest Anonymous]

I made a tow bar that connects to the car via the front suspension locator rod that comes through the front of the engine/suspension subframe. remove the nut and washer, slide the mounting bracket on, and replace the nut and washer.

It can't be used without modification if you have a front airdam on the car. I towed a rolling chassis over 1000 miles from the east coast with it, checking all bolts and mounting points each time I stopped for gas, and never had a problem.

If anyone is interested, I can build them for about $80, not counting the ball hitch assembly.

[Mike Self]

things as off-track excursions, where a tow truck would pull you back onto the track, (not to flat tow the car on the highway) on a '73 the easy way is to use your original front bumper bracket as a template for the mounting holes. Then take a piece of strap iron of the same size/thickness (or cut up your old bumper bracket) and weld a ring to the end.

'73 bumpers (only) bolt thru the front frame rails with 10 or 12mm diameter bolts, and the brackets themselves were designed for a 2.5 mph impact, so they'd be plenty strong to simply pull the car with. For symmetry you could make one for each side...

cheers

mike

[Harv]

I'm not sure but I think the early bumpers mount with only compression in mind. I'd have to look at my car and see how they mount.

Look at the upper right in this picture. Notice how the button head bolts with the square shoulders fit into the slots. (Bolts and brackets arn't there) I think that even it they were very tight, they would pull out if used as a tow hook.

Now my car is a 69, and I have found some differences in the front inner fenders as compared to the 71 and on so your car may differ.

John

[TMK-001]

My 74 is the same Harv... I looked into that too.

I strengthened my factory mounts with better welds and painted it all up black. I towed the car last year off these without a trouble.

I towed off my back one which was reallllllly dodgy when I had a seized diff with no troubles.

Todd

[TJW]

Flat bar, welded a vertical tube on the end and a fancy ss D shackle.

The other end mates with the sub frame and is drilled through, the same size tube is used as spacers to stop the subframe rails compressing when tightening the bolts.

[bmw1602.com]

here's how I did mine........

also no bumper so I just welded a bar then cut a hole into it

[Mike Self]

mounts--completely different than the earlier roundies--to meet the 1973 Federal 2.5 mph bumper standards. Much sturdier brackets that year (only) too. I have both a 69 and a 73, and the bumper brackets and mounts are completely different.

mike

[TobyB]

Sorry, no pix, but if you use braided stainless cable, it's soft in compression

(like when you give someone a little nudge) but easy to clip to with the

tow truck. The stuff's insanely strong, so 3/8" or so will lift your car

vertically. With another car stacked on top.

I drilled holes through the front frame members, but on a '73, you should

be able to loop it through the bolt holes, then contort it to protrude through

the bumper mounting slot.

Where this matters is when you bump something- a solid mount will transfer the force into the rail, while the soft mount won't. It can make the difference between frame damage and cosmetic damage, or cutting someone's tire or the like- basically, it turns 'avoidable contact' into 'racing incident' where everyone finishes and then yells at each other in the pits later...

No, of COURSE it's never happened to me...

t

[winstontj]

here's how I did mine........

also no bumper so I just welded a bar then cut a hole into it

Showoff.... you just like to weld :-)