Tow bar

Mr Berry....You'll need to fabricate a custom tow bar starting from a VW tow bar extending the forward section 

If it were my car, nerf bars and all,I would use a bar and connection points like MUSBJIM did - His is about the best I've seen for a VW pan:

https://www.speedsterowners.com...my-vintage-speedster

I have an old draw-tite in my barn.  The issue with it is that it needs something on the front of the car to connect too.  I made a flat bar that could connect to bumper brackets that extend from the car. If yours doesn't have the bumper brackets sticking out there isn't anything to connect it to.  Just hooking it directly to bumper brackets would wallow out the fiberglass either side of the brackets (plus the bumper brackets aren't very strong - being held on only by four 1/2" exhaust U clamps.

I narrowed my VW tow bar (about 2" to clear the front bumper brackets) but did NOT lengthen it.  I towed with both a Yota 4WD 4Runner and a 4cyl auto Camry with no issues.  I used a $20 HF adjustable height receiver on the 4 Runner to get the tow bar level with ground.  On the Camry it was just a slightly lifted receiver that stuck out maybe 6-8" from rear bumper. I was cautious on not making 90 degree sharp turn, not backing up and traversing drainage gulleys/speed bumps at an angle.

I towed My Speedie 1k miles VA-FL with Camry (17 hrs).  From condo to my barn (1.5 hrs) with 4 Runner.  Towed Dale's TD replica to Carlisle and back (in rain) couple times and rescued Ed's TD one year at Manassas bugout.  

You are welcome to borrow any of mine.  I have the slightly narrowed one, a stock VW one, and the draw-tite one.  The VW ones are big and bulky to ship (maybe GreyHound?) and the Drawtite with extra plate is just heavy. One of my VW ones takes a 1 7/8".

My Speedie is lowered with 2 Avis adjusters (not dropped spindles) and has 185/65 tires.  Do you have 2 taller tires (80 series) vs whats on it now.  That could raise it 1".

This is generic draw-tite --- not the older one I have.  Mine is very heavy but can be folded for transport/storage.

Been a lot of talk about this here.  My experience with my JPS:

https://www.speedsterowners.com...4#519362583505206804

Basically had a welder dude rig up atube that the VW tow bar would hook to, using bracketry and such installed on the car by builder to hold the bumper. Yes, I spent a few bucks for the welder, who was/is excellent.  He also narrowed the VW tow bar so all would hook up properly.  Tow bar can be R&R by just reaching under and doing it.

Jim's rig is way overbuilt, imho.

I think I read here years ago someone took a stock Beetle bar, cut the welds and the cross bar and narrowed it a couple inches (maybe to clear beam stiffeners?) This pushed the ball end up just a bit, so when it was re-welded it reached nicely under the lowered beam and up to the 1 7/8 hitch. Done.

Looked like maybe two hour's work for the pro-welder or a Saturday's work for someone like me. 

Bottom line: those $100 VW towbars are made to be hacked for your application.

Ed - That was mine.  I reduced width to clear the CMC bumper brackets at either end of the front H beam.  Like you said - I used a $10 4" HF angle grinder to cut the weak spot weld.  That made the ball hitch raise up a few inches.  I ground a slot on either end of bracket that hooks to lower beam bar so I could bend them back to perpendicular.  I cut the cross bar off and drilled either arm of tow bar and put a threaded rod thru it with bolts either side.  I also put bolts thru the ball receiver.  This was mainly to ensure it retained the shape I wanted.  You can see shinny marks where I cleaned in prep for welding.  A neighbor was a union plumber and he took it work and had a gas line welder weld it for me.  If you look at my photos behind the Camry, it clears the Speedie front bumper where hitch raises up by a good 3".  If I ever did another mod to it - it would have added maybe 6" to increase that distance but it isn't necessary - especially if there is no front bumper on the towed Speedie. I towed Ed's TD with same hitch.

Threaded rod. Nice!

Thanks, Greg. I've got some Beam stiffeners to put on Bridget but may need to do your tow-bar mod first, just in case. I think I even have the threaded rod handy—my home's previous owner left some in the garage.

edsnova posted:

Jim's rig is way overbuilt, imho.

I think I read here years ago someone took a stock Beetle bar, cut the welds and the cross bar and narrowed it a couple inches (maybe to clear beam stiffeners?) This pushed the ball end up just a bit, so when it was re-welded it reached nicely under the lowered beam and up to the 1 7/8 hitch. Done.

Looked like maybe two hour's work for the pro-welder or a Saturday's work for someone like me. 

Bottom line: those $100 VW towbars are made to be hacked for your application.

Better over-built than under-built. I had my tow bar modified and while towing my Speedster one side broke because the metal was too thin. I'm going to have one built from scratch with heavier gauge steel.

Details, please. Where did it break? What was too thin? 

edsnova posted:

Details, please. Where did it break? What was too thin? 

I'll try to get a picture of it this afternoon and post it.

My Beck is pretty low to the ground and am not so sure that I could safely pull it with a modified VW tow bar.

Some have to jack front up of Speedie to get the brackets and keepers on the H beam.  Probably 4 inches are needed below the beam (I'll have to measure my clearance).  Keeping the bar level by using an adjustable receiver hitch will prevent the front roll pan from being bruised.

Seems most of the hitches are made by EMPI.  There were just spot welds on one I modified - si could see those spot welds perhaps as a failure point.  I had it rewelded on the entire visible area.  The bolts thru ball receiver and the threaded rod added a little BU security against cracking but there shouldn't be much torsional or side ways stress - it's all pull.

Carl is looking to tow a newly purchased unseen Speedster lowered with 2 1/2" dropped spindles plus he's not sure if it has beam adjusters (a CMC so whatever the builder decided).  I offered my rig but it is costly to ship due to odd size and weight.  I suggested to him that he a stock tall tire - but believe it has 911 bolt pattern.  I'd surely pump tires up to sidewall maximum.  To make tow even less flexible - it doesn't have a bumper or even nerf bars so there is no quick way to easily mount any other place.  Wish I were on his route (Conn to SC) as I pitch in to help get it home.

Here's another hitch I have that works great for non-VW or cars with strong bumper brackets.  I think it is Drawtite.  I added the flat bar for more mounting versatility.  It's heavy.  It would tow a Mack truck - not with a Camry though! Can't remember last time I used it.

On my Dune Buggy (Long ago, in a Galaxy far, far away) I had a pair of brackets bolted to the front beam and those hung down under the beam.  The tow bar attached to those as the pull and up/down pivot point.  After a couple of towing seasons I replaced the brackets because they had worn the attach holes to ovals.  

So I'm wondering, with a beam attachment like Greg's - how much wear does it cause on the front/back of the torsion tube when it's used a lot?

The beam attachment on mine is bent flat around the radius. And most of the contact is the through-bolt. So it's not like there's a sharp metal edge sawing into the beam. You'd have to tow a lot, and on a lot of undulating road, to start to get wear. And you could always dab a little grease on the thing.

The welds on mine are all long beads too. Looks like it's made out of 1.5-inch .12 wall DOM.