<VV> Towing With a Vair

[Smitty]

Smitty says;  As one who owned nothing but Corvairs for over 30 years I have run up a pretty good pile of thousands of miles towing with them and having no misshaps.  Naturally I was not going to tow a car trailer, (open or closed) with a Corvair.  I have always been storage limited, so a tow dolly was out of the question.  So I settled on a tow bar.  I have been warned a few times that a blow out on the towed vehicle can get you in deep doodoo in a hurry.  Probably right.  But I;ll bet the ones with the horror stories did nothing more than check the prssures on the tires that blew.  I won't tow with any but "good" tires on the fronts of the towed vehicle.
My tow bar is home made.  It utilizes the two "chain down" lugs under the bumper to absorb pulling loads and keep the fixture in place.  The fixture has a flat plate padded with heavy card stock against the front of the bumper to absorb rearward thrust.  I have towed many thousands of miles and many cars with it and never left a mark on a bumper or come loose once properly tightened.
One primary complaint against tow bars is that they deform or even pull out the body work of the towed vehicle if it is mounted to the bumper bolt holes.  Surely not the only answer, but be aware that the tow bar must be horrizontal between the vehicles unless you want to damage something.  If there is an angle then the up and down motion of one vehicle or the other will be converted to fore and aft thrust.  I saw and repaired one Late that had the front torn right out of it in less than 50 miles while being strapped to the back of a big motor home with the bar at about 45 degrees.
Corvairs are easy to tow at 70 mph if you want, but they are aerodynamicaly slick behind the tow car and it is easy to forget you might have to stop some time.  Quite often a problem when towing with an Early.  I have never towed with adequate brakes.  I have towed up and down 10% grades often and never had a problem.  Just keep the "Long Eyes" turned on.  
One last thought.  When flat towing, never forget to do ALL your braking before going into a corner.  Then accelerate gently through the turn.  Just think Corvair Oversteer and multiply by ten