<VV> new car for me - adventure

[Thesuperscribe at cs.com]

Our club (San Diego CC) owns a car trailer trailer and I've hauled Corvair 
cars and trucks facing forward with no handling problems. Like the fella below 
says, you've got to get the car forward enough to put some weight on the 
trailer's tongue.

However, duct-taping a convertible's rear-window flap(s) seems a logical 
solution to the oft-given admonition against hauling a convert backwards. Good 
thinking!

Enjoy your filling station conversations, especially when you're gassing the 
Corvair itself. You may already have found that almost everyone says "I had 
one of those once" or "my uncle/dad/brother had one and..." and then brings up 
Ralph Nader. Then you can explain that even though Nader really didn't kill the 
Corvair, he didn't do their resale value any good and you now have a 
steel-clad reason not to vote for him the next time he runs for President.

--Tom Berg
Bonsall, Calif.

***

In a message dated 4/17/2005 1:13:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
jimster1 at earthlink.net writes: 
> 
> Sounds like there wasn't 10% of the trailer weight on the hitch.  If you tow
> with the hitch too light, the tail will try to wag the dog.  Good luck
> getting your new little beauty patched up and lookin' fine.
> Jim b.
> '66 turbovert
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
> [mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of mhicks130 at cox.net
> Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 10:59 PM
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Subject: <VV> new car for me - adventure
> 
> Well we went out with our tow rig to pick up the convertible I bought today
> and we almost didn't make it back.  To everyone who said tow with the engine
> forward - you're right!!!  To anyone who said but not convertibles - you're
> wrong.  We loaded the car on the trailer nose first and everything seemed
> fine.  It would wiggle a little on downhill slopes but my driver (who has
> towed before) thought it was fine.  Well we got going down one slope on I40
> (North Carolina) and he said "we're gonna lose it!", I said "no, no" and it
> started fishtailing back and forth getting worse and worse everytime it
> swapped direction.  Finally the Suburban swung violently to the left across
> 3 lanes of traffic.  All the tires were screaching and smoking.  Just before
> we rolled over (I mean JUST before) the trailer slid around and pulled the
> truck back flat.  We ended up stopped on the freeway facing backwards!  Even
> though we were in North Carolina where everyone thinks they're Tony frickin'
> Stewar!
> t, the cars behind us had all slowed down and stopped to watch the show and
> we hit and got hit by noone.  Luckiest day of my life I think.
> 
> The poor Corvair did OK but the right rear corner hit the side rails of the
> trailer and got a pretty good dent under the bumper.  The bumper hit the
> rail too and it actually tore the metal of the bumper - guess I gotta find a
> replacement.  3 out of 4 of the 1965 big wheel well trim pieces got little
> creases in them.  The two rear hubcaps got a little squished.  Other than
> the rear lower though, the body didn't seem to hit anything.  Whew.
> 
> We pulled of at the next exit, switched the car around, regained our
> composure and continued on our way.  I looked back at the top and the flap
> around the rear window was flapping in the breeze.  We pulled over again,
> put some duct tape around the top/window gap and we were fine all the rest
> of the way.  
> 
> Moral: TOW YOUR CORVAIR BACKWARDS!!!  
> 
> Luckily mine is a nice driver and not a concours queen.  She's still
> driveable and I can't wait to get her on the road!  I saw several people
> looking sideways at her on the trailer as they drove by and people came up
> to us at gas stations (Suburbans drink a lot when they're towing) to ask
> about the car - even with the adventure damage.  I'm telling you you hardly
> see it.
> 
> Thanks to all for your advice.  I'm a Corvair (with a story) owner now!!
> YAYYYYY!!!
> 
> mike (still a little shaky)