Will a Beetle/dune buggy tow bar work with a speedster or will it hit the front pan? I'm referring to the tow bars that hook up on the front bottom torsion bar.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
They will fit a pan-based Speedster - most likely. On a FF/CMC they will often interfere with the front bumper mounts (fix - remove bumper brackets or narrow mount). You may need an adjustable (height) hitch receiver to get the tow bar parallel to ground so it doesn't bump up and hit the front roll panel. There are several threads here (use spy glass) that cover making mods to the tow bar - some add length and others narrow.
Here's one link on SOC -
I narrowed mine which made it a couple inches longer. Towed Speedster over 1k miles from Northern VA to Florida with a 4 cylinder AT Toyota Camry. No mountains just rolling NC/SC hills. I used an adjustable heigh receiver from HF - about $25.
I narrowed mine about <2" by cutting the welds and bring mounting plates in. I added bolts/threaded rod to keep shape (see bare metal arears) and then had a friend weld it up. I did not lengthen the bars.
Attachments
Images (3)
Thanks for the help. I read through the links, bought an EMPI tow bar, and will duplicate your modifications this week.
FWIW, I found that there was no room at the inn on my torsion tube. So, I got a very good metal butcher to weld up a surrogate tube to the existing frame parts that would accept the VW tow bar. This tube is located at the height of the lower torsion tube and sits forward of it several inches. Being fwd some, makes lashing it up a bit easier than otherwise. And he had to cut a reweld the tow bar (made narrower) to get the right alignment. The system works well. Have towed the car a few thousand miles this way with my 4 dr sedans, a Mazda 6 and a Honda Accord, fitted with after market Class 1 hitches. Only down side to all this flat towing is the extra road rash you might pick up, Hopefully adding a clear plastic film over the front end will take care of that.
Look for my PM, Kelly.