<VV> towing

[Harry Yarnell]

I too am a member of the Flat Tow club.

As Herr Marlow points out, in my younger years, being young and full of
testosterone, I first towed dead Corvairs with a chain and a 'helper', with
a '72 VW bus.

My very first Corvair was bought for $50 back in '74. It was a '62 Monza
with A/C... and semi stuck wheel cylinders.

This was in Towson, MD, and we were going to Joppa, a distance of about 20
miles. Back roads; the beltway and I-95 were out of the question. I at least
had that much sense.

Me at the helm of the Bus and my friend at the wheel of the '62, off we
went, he instructed to do the braking for the two vehicles to keep tension
on the chain.

Well we proceed to an intersection with a light turning red, we both hit the
brakes, the '62's, they lock up , screaming. The chain goes slack, and we
both stop. The light changes, I pull away, and the chain snaps; the '62's
brakes are now locked up from the stuck wheel cylinders.

Now we've blocked a lane at a major intersection (those who know Baltimore,
we're talking Joppa and Harford road). We quickly decide this is a bad idea,
and decide to bail before the cops come. The '62 is left at the
intersection. After getting home and a couple cold ones, I decide I really
want that car, so this time I borrow a tow bar from another friend and go
back the next day to see if that Monza is still there. Sure enough, it's on
the side of the road (with a summons). We hook up the towbar and away we go.
The stuck wheel cylinders had unstuck themselves and all was well.

 

My Other misadventure I remember was years later, when I bought a '65 Monza
down in Anne Arundel county, about 50 miles away. This time I had BOUGHT an
bumper tow bar from U-Haul. Unfortunatly the owner had removed the dash and
it was an automatic. The shift cable was just sticking out of the hole where
the IPC should have been. OMG, this has a rear pump: how do I know it's in
neutral? Doing some quick mental calculations, I moved the shift cable where
I THOUGHT neutral was. I didn't get more than a block before the Corvair
acted as a brake. Now I'm on another major road. Stop and recalibrate the
shift cable. This time I got it right, and the trip home was uneventfull.

 

My last tow adventure was with my mother-in-law's Ford F150 pickup truck.
Can't remember the year, but it was awhile ago. She had broken down IN the
Baltimore Harbor tunnel. The tunnel authorities had pulled her and truck out
to the administration office where I was called. I went down with the
aformentioned '72 VW bus and tow bar, and towed (pulled) her back to Joppa
and replaced a bum fuel pump. After that, I could do no wrong in her eyes.
I'm a lucky pup.

 

The towbar was sold not too long ago, as I have grown older and calling a
rollback is SO much easier and safer.

 

 

 

Harry Yarnell

Perryman Garage and Orphanage

hyarnell1 at earthlink.net