Flat towing with no e-brake

[Kris Kristofferson]

Hey guys,
I tracked down a set of free wheeling tow hubs. I will buy a tow bar etc soon as well,,

The only problem so far I am encountering is that I cannot use my emergency brakes. My c-clip eliminator block prevents me from using my parking brake. The "block" portion is too large to allow the brace to pass through the wheel cylinder - c-clip block opening. I tried to weld together a thinner piece for the brace but it does not seem to work..
So, I was wondering instead of putting it in neutral and applying the parking brake, can I just leave the trans in park when using the hubs? OR is it hard on the drive line??
Thanks,
Kris

[Adger Smith]

Put a line lock on the rear brakes. Some trucks use a brake lock system called Micro Brake, or Mico. It's nothing but a manual line lock.

http://www.awdirect.com/lever-lock-m...ake-locks-pto/

[Kris Kristofferson]

Thanks Adger, that is a good option.
I went to the u-pull it yard today and got a few extra emergency brake strut rods..I will try to grind them down to get some more clearance to try to get the e-brake system to work.. The problem is clearance between the c-clip eliminator block and wheel cylinder does not allow the strut rod brace to fit..

Does anyone have tips on flat towing?? Yes, I know it is not the best form of towing but I figure some of you guys did back in the day...
KP

[Adger Smith]

Yep, went all over the place with a home built tow bar and home built hubs. Seems like I have a picture of my Vette with the tow bar on the ground in front of it.
I learned to pull the driveshaft before using the hubs. I also found out the 4.56 gear lasted longer than 5.13's and 5.38's when towing without hubs. I think those small pinions just whipped the oil away at highway speeds. Stopped breaking the rear gears when I built the hubs. We were "up town" when we got our first homebuilt trailer. Tip for flat towing: Slow down....

[Kris Kristofferson]

Thanks again! KP

[Tom keedle]

if i understand correctly, you have some hubs that bolt on to your axles and then the wheels bolt to them, correct?

your e-brake will not have any effect on stopping UNLESS you have them attached to the outer hub/drum assy....think about it... and then go buy a trailer.

with brakes on BOTH axles (93 and up is manditory)

[Adger Smith]

Tom,
The idea behind towing hubs/spindles is to stop the movement in the drive line of what you are towing. He has to have an emergency brake or some way to keep the original driveline from turning. That is what stops all the wear and tear on a good set of race gears and driveshaft. What you are flat towing doesn't have brakes to help stop. It relies only on the brakes of the vehicle doing the pulling. That is one of the reasons I gave him the tip... Slow Down. Around here some local dirt trackers still flat tow to the local tracks . If you go in-frequently or live where trailer storage is a problem or are just having to spend your bucks on other things, flat tow may be the only option besides drive to the track.

[Rory McNeil]

Back in the 70`s I bought a pair of the Lakewood free wheeling tow hubs for my 66 Fairlane after the first time we tow bar hauled the car with the driveshaft unhooked. After a 1 hour tow, the rearend was almost hot enough to burn my arm when I went to hook the driveshaft back up. The tow hubs cured that problem, although I did have to run skinny VW tires with the hubs, as the hubs were about 3-4" thick. I always just put the trans in Park with the tow hubs on, never had a problem. Even if the trans was in neutral, I doubt that the driveshaft would turn anyhow, I would have to think that the friction of the hub bearings would be much less drag than trying to spin the trans internals. My Lakewood hubs had a multi pattern flange that bolted to the cars wheel studs, and then what appeared to be a GM spindle and hub assembly, they turned very easily, just like the front drum brakes of a car. Of course you would want a fair sized tow vehicle with good brakes, as the tow vehicles brakes do all the work. A small SUV or pickup would NOT be a good choice for flat towing a 3000+ lb car in my opinion.

[Tom keedle]

Originally Posted by Adger Smith

Tom,
The idea behind towing hubs/spindles is to stop the movement in the drive line of what you are towing. He has to have an emergency brake or some way to keep the original driveline from turning. That is what stops all the wear and tear on a good set of race gears and driveshaft. What you are flat towing doesn't have brakes to help stop. It relies only on the brakes of the vehicle doing the pulling. That is one of the reasons I gave him the tip... Slow Down. Around here some local dirt trackers still flat tow to the local tracks . If you go in-frequently or live where trailer storage is a problem or are just having to spend your bucks on other things, flat tow may be the only option besides drive to the track.

i doubt the rear end would turn enough to wear anything out with the hubs...
yeah, way back when i DID flat-tow to the track...
also had a tow bar attachment break and THAT was entertaining.

[Kris Kristofferson]

Thanks guys,
I thought that putting the trans in park would be OK. Trying to fit a e-brake strut rod assembly between the c-clip eliminator block and wheel cylinder is difficult. I think as stated that most of the friction would be taken up by the hubs..

I will hopefully be towing with a 1 ton truck. (depending if my friend would be able to lend it to me or not) I have a 27 mile trip to my local track. I will go slowly for sure..I am just trying to get some kind of racing in this year, as we all know this sport is expensive and I am not a wealthy man....