Tow Hooks

[TomoHawk]

Higuys,

You are required to have a tow hooks or straps if you go racing, or possibly even hot-lapping, so I was thinking of how you would install them on the Zed.  I think on the front you could attach a short strap to the bottom of the center radiator support (in stead of the tiedown points, to center the tow-point and avoid damage to the lower valence panel) and feed it under or through the grill.  You'd have to put on a zip-tie or something to keep it in place or keep some tension on the strap so it doesn't hang down or even fall on the ground and drag.  But on the back, you don't have that much of the frame exposed to put on a strap or even an metal bar.  If you have the rear bumper off, then you can make use of the bumper mounting points. 

What other creative ways are there to add a bracket or strap to the back of the car?

[Mike]

Hmm, interesting post.  I never really thought about tow hooks on a classic Z..  I always towed by the front or rear cross member.  Did the Z originally have a tow hook of some kind?

[TomoHawk]

AFAIK, it only had the tie-down eyes:  two on the underside of the front frame rails behind the radiator support, and two on the back next to the bumper shocks.  These were put in at the factory for shipping to the dealer, and the dealer was supposed to take them off before the consumer drives away.

Mind you, the "tow hooks" of this topic aren't for long-distance towing, such as towing to a racetrack or a car show 100 miles away.  They are more  like "rescue hooks" so the car can be towed out of a sand pit or some scrub if you go off course when racing.

Edited April 12, 2016 by TomoHawk

[TomoHawk]

The more I think of hacking or welding to the car, the more I think I will get some straps that can be attached to the car.  You only need to attach the bolt on the one end to the chassis and have the strap hanging out a slot or hole somewhere in the body.

                   

[cbuczesk]

Based on my experience of being pulled at the track I think attaching it to the center of the radiator support would be a bad spot without some bracing. I expect that it would be pulled forward and could end up damaging your radiator. My front hook is attached to the bumper mount on the left side. In the rear it's attached to the right bumper mount. I was pulled out of the gravel using the rear hook and it tweaked the rear panel. In my pictures you can see the red read hook just below the bumper on the right side. In the front pic you can see a big loop under the bumper on the left. That was a home made hook from back when I bought the car. I replaced it with a stronger one but kept it in the same location.

 

Chuck

 

[TomoHawk]

There is just to much nicely-formed sheet metal on the front & back to be able to easily attach a bracket.

[gnosez]

I can't remember who I got my front and rear tow hooks from as it's been a good 5-7 years ago but the front mounts to the inside of the headlight bucket and like Chuck's car it can be used with a bumper. The rear is mounted on the passenger side bumper mount and that can also be used with a bumper (I have one on my street car as well with a bumper). My street car has a gnose nose so I use the strap approach which I can reach in to connect should I need to put the car on a trailer or Triple A flat bed if so required by circumstances that hopefully will not occur (yeah right).

I had to get a tow off the track at Memphis last year and the tow driver was pretty well uneducated. As a result it bent the front sheet metal that frames the headlight bucket and the tow hook itself. you can see a slight bend in the picture I attached. I have had another front one made (in being powder coated) that has the same circle opening but this one will lie flat and attach to the lower right side of the radiator support with two bolts. I will be welding in to new plates to go from the cross support and over to the frame rail. The bolts will go all the way through the support piece.

[TomoHawk]

When I saw the hook coming out from the headlamp, I immediately though that if the tow guy is off a few degrees or more, then the fender/headlamp will get pulled off, or the front will get "banana-fied."

IMO, you need to put the bracket down low, near the bumper arm mounts.

Is there any requirement for accessibility?  Suppose you go off into a shallow pond or mud bog,.  You could get in deep enough so the bumper is covered, in which case, you'd need a tow point that's accessible to the average tow truck.

[beermanpete]

I made a front tow hook that attached to the factory tie down point and clears the valance. The rear is not as easy and I have not attempted anything there yet.

Edited April 13, 2016 by beermanpete

[TomoHawk]

That's a good job.  Can you bend the loop down, for more clearance, or maybe add a 1inch spacer.  Clearance to the loop, so you don't scratch things trying to put a metal hook in the loop.

In the back , I can only suggest building a triangulated structure to locate the loop low enough to clear the valence.  Something low like a muffler hanger.

Edited April 13, 2016 by TomoHawk

[cbuczesk]

9 hours ago, TomoHawk said:

IMO, you need to put the bracket down low, near the bumper arm mounts.

Is there any requirement for accessibility?  Suppose you go off into a shallow pond or mud bog,.  You could get in deep enough so the bumper is covered, in which case, you'd need a tow point that's accessible to the average tow truck.

It attaches to the bumper arm mounts. They share the same bolts. IIRC the tow hook arm zig-zags upward to clear the valance/air dam.

It has to be easily accessible, labeled and have at least a 2" diameter hole. No tracks in the US should have ponds or mud bogs that a car could ever get into. The tracks do a good job of building walls to keep us contained. If the tow hooks can't be used then they'll find a way to pull us out. They have better than average tow trucks.

Here's what the SCCA rules say:

All cars without an exposed roll bar shall have a towing eye or strap, front and rear that does not dangerously protrude from the bodywork when the car is racing, to be used for flat towing or hauling the vehicle. A removable towing eye carried inside the car is not acceptable, except in formula cars and Sports Racing cars. These towing eyes or straps shall be easily accessible without removal or manipulation of bodywork or other panels. Towing eye minimum ID 2 inches.

The required tow eyes must be strong enough to tow the car from a hazard such as a gravel trap. Front tow eye may be mounted in the driver/passenger side window openings, or any location forward of the windshield. If mounted in the driver/passenger side window openings, it must be attached to the forward roll cage down tube as close to the base of the windshield as possible. If the front tow eye is located in the side window openings there shall be one on each side of the car. Rear tow eyes must be accessible rearward of the rear axle centerline.

Chuck

 

[beermanpete]

On 4/13/2016 at 9:52 PM, TomoHawk said:

That's a good job.  Can you bend the loop down, for more clearance, or maybe add a 1inch spacer.  Clearance to the loop, so you don't scratch things trying to put a metal hook in the loop.

In the back , I can only suggest building a triangulated structure to locate the loop low enough to clear the valence.  Something low like a muffler hanger.

Thanks. I suppose the loop in the front could be lower. The further off center from the attachment point it gets the more likely it will bend during use. Perhaps making it a bit longer would provide the same gain in scratch prevention without increasing the tendency to bend too much. Of course, this depends on where the tow strap attaches to the tow vehicle.

Edited April 14, 2016 by beermanpete