Tow Hubs

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 06:31 PM

See post #25.

Rich Biebel · 04-19-2014, 06:38 PM

Ed the only way you're going to get that much positive caster on many cars is with a hacksaw and a welder....and some surgery on the upper control arm....

And if you pull out of a gas station as I did with a steep sloped driveway you're still likely to have the same problem....tow vehicle and towed vehicle are at 2 different roadway heights.....all the positive caster in the world does not help there....

I was towing a '63 Chevy II bracket car with a Chevelle wagon....for that episode of flat towing fun and games.....

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 06:53 PM

Rich, offset upper inner shafts, and tweaked upper control arms. Not a big deal to do. It absolutely ended the wheels flopping over leaving gas stations, etc.
I lived on a 2 lane street, had a one car garage, and one car wide driveway with a tree on each side. After fixing the front end I could pull up, and back in the driveway like you would a trailer. I fixed other guys front ends the same way. Made towing much nicer. Long tow bars also took out a lot of the lurching on uneven roads. Those two things made towing much nicer. I towed all over the country that way for about four years. I used an open trailer a time or two that a guy was trying to sell me. We preferred the hubs and tow bar for ease and comfort.

Rich Biebel · 04-19-2014, 07:03 PM

Well Ed I will defer to your experience as I never did those mods on any car I flat towed. I did not learn about cutting apart an upper a-frame until the late 70's when it was a popular deal on Camaro's to allow them to run a lot of positive caster....By then we had either a ramp truck or a trailer

Ed Wright · 04-19-2014, 07:36 PM

That was my '56 Chevy. Still had it when I built my first ramp truck in 1970 or so. Wish I could remember who put me onto that. Maybe Jere Stahl? Can't remember now. I did about four cars like that. Carroll Caudle had his '55 done that way too. First time we all went to Pomona, Carroll & Gwenda, Pete Perry & his first wife (who died in a highway accident later) and Jeanie & I all flat towed there with hubs & long tow bars. Tell kids that today, and they don't believe it. They also don't believe my family had an out house & no running water until my senior year in high school. LOL

SStockDart · 04-19-2014, 11:10 PM

Ed, some of us are old enough to remember...out houses, the only running water was with a pump in the kitchen, baths were ever Saturday (girls first). No TV....what great memories when families had to talk with each other without cell phones and video games.

Rich Biebel · 04-20-2014, 06:15 AM

Well I was lucky....never had to use an outhouse but did live in a cold water apartment. We did have hot water but it was with a manual gas heater and we used it once a week....like you mentioned...Saturday was bath day....

Heat was with a coal furnace and steam, radiators.....

04-19-2014, 06:31 PM	#1
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs See post #25. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 06:53 PM	#3
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Rich, offset upper inner shafts, and tweaked upper control arms. Not a big deal to do. It absolutely ended the wheels flopping over leaving gas stations, etc. I lived on a 2 lane street, had a one car garage, and one car wide driveway with a tree on each side. After fixing the front end I could pull up, and back in the driveway like you would a trailer. I fixed other guys front ends the same way. Made towing much nicer. Long tow bars also took out a lot of the lurching on uneven roads. Those two things made towing much nicer. I towed all over the country that way for about four years. I used an open trailer a time or two that a guy was trying to sell me. We preferred the hubs and tow bar for ease and comfort. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 07:03 PM	#4
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Well Ed I will defer to your experience as I never did those mods on any car I flat towed. I did not learn about cutting apart an upper a-frame until the late 70's when it was a popular deal on Camaro's to allow them to run a lot of positive caster....By then we had either a ramp truck or a trailer __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

04-19-2014, 07:36 PM	#5
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs That was my '56 Chevy. Still had it when I built my first ramp truck in 1970 or so. Wish I could remember who put me onto that. Maybe Jere Stahl? Can't remember now. I did about four cars like that. Carroll Caudle had his '55 done that way too. First time we all went to Pomona, Carroll & Gwenda, Pete Perry & his first wife (who died in a highway accident later) and Jeanie & I all flat towed there with hubs & long tow bars. Tell kids that today, and they don't believe it. They also don't believe my family had an out house & no running water until my senior year in high school. LOL __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

04-19-2014, 11:10 PM	#6
SStockDart VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Arizona, Texan forever Posts: 1,179 Likes: 881 Liked 601 Times in 213 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Ed, some of us are old enough to remember...out houses, the only running water was with a pump in the kitchen, baths were ever Saturday (girls first). No TV....what great memories when families had to talk with each other without cell phones and video games. __________________ Gary Hansen - SS/FA 4911, B/SA 4911

04-19-2014, 06:38 PM	#2
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Ed the only way you're going to get that much positive caster on many cars is with a hacksaw and a welder....and some surgery on the upper control arm.... And if you pull out of a gas station as I did with a steep sloped driveway you're still likely to have the same problem....tow vehicle and towed vehicle are at 2 different roadway heights.....all the positive caster in the world does not help there.... I was towing a '63 Chevy II bracket car with a Chevelle wagon....for that episode of flat towing fun and games..... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

04-20-2014, 06:15 AM	#7
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,320 Likes: 25 Liked 557 Times in 217 Posts	Re: Tow Hubs Well I was lucky....never had to use an outhouse but did live in a cold water apartment. We did have hot water but it was with a manual gas heater and we used it once a week....like you mentioned...Saturday was bath day.... Heat was with a coal furnace and steam, radiators..... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R