Robb:
I tie my ' 67 Midget vintage race car to my open trailer with the following
arrangement:
I use the two stock tie down brackets on the front. These are vertical
plates mounted to the frame horns near the bumper bracket. They have a 2"
hole that I hook a ratcheted tie down strap to. I cross the straps from the
left side of the car to the tie down ring on the right side of the trailer
and the right side of the car to the left side of the trailer. This
prevents the car from moving sideways. At the rear, I took two of the same
kind of brackets and mounted them horizontally to the rear axle u-bolts,
under the leaf springs, facing to the inside of the car. You will probably
have to enlarge one of the bolt holes by about a 1/16 ". They are easy to
get to and mount securely. Again, I cross the two ratchet straps. I also
use a chain on the rear so the car can't move forward. I feel that if I do
have an accident, it is more likely that the car will want to move forward
rather than backward. The chain on the rear will prevent this, especially
if the straps break or stretch.
I don't like the over-the-wheel tie downs as they can slip if not applied
correctly. Attaching the D-rings to the frame is an excellent idea. If you
can't, healthy backing plates would be a necessity. I also leave the car
out of gear so that any movement of the car won't cause transmission or
engine activity. Since you have an enclosed trailer, make sure every thing
is robust. It will be harder to check during a trip than if you had an open
trailer. I check the tie downs and trailer tires at every rest stop.
The best way to make your decisions on what to do is to think of what would
happen under normal and extraordinary acceleration and deceleration and
normal over-the-road jiggling.
At 07:06 AM 08/10/2000 -0400, Robb Cutler wrote:
>I recently picked up an enclosed double-axle trailer that will very nicely
>fit my '62 Sprite. (And I think at a very good price...)
>
>Before I get flamed by all of you who think I should be driving rather than
>trailering the Sprite, I completely agree. However, when we travel as a
>family (in our 1971 school bus -> camper conversion), we'd like to be able
>to bring the Sprite as well. Hence the trailer.
>
>Anyhow, my question is how best to secure the Sprite inside the trailer.
>The trailer has a couple of big blocks which I can put the front tires up
>against and a floor mounted tie-down in the back. I've got a racheted
>tie-down strap to use, but where is the best place to hook it on the Sprite?
>
>Thanks,
>Robb
>'62 Sprite
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