pmathews

Hey guys, has anyone installed a trailer hitch on their A-body? I plan to haul a couple of Kayaks using a really small trailer, so I don't need anything heavy-duty. I've searched the interweb and can't find anything with photos, I guess I'm committing a huge sin by doing this, but it's my daily dirver, so any help would be much appreciated (thanks!).

joe_padavano

Model-specific trailer hitches for these cars went out of production decades ago. Unless you happen to stumble over a used one for sale, you are stuck building one. This isn't difficult, as I had one made to fit my 1970 Supreme years ago. I will suggest that you have the hitch bolted on (preferably using the bumper bracket bolts) rather than welded on, as if you ever need to drop the gas tank, the welded-on hitch will be a problem (as I later found out ).

Even if you only plan to tow a lightweight trailer, I'd suggest a Class III style hitch with a 2" receiver. This gives you flexibility later.

garys 68&72

You can buy universal ones. They bolt to the frame and are pretty heavy duty. As Joe pointed out, bolt on has advantages. And these cars have a pretty strong frame back there to bolt it up.
I'm looking to add one to my 72 as well.

pmathews

Haha, so I'm not alone Gary

I have to admit that I was a little embarrassed to post this, but now I have good company

oldcutlass

These cars used to tow everything from travel trailers to race cars back in the day. No one used a pickup to haul the family on camping trips.

White_Knuckles

Might be a bonus to add a passenger side mirror if you (like me) don't have one? Man I love the "vintage" thing but I miss that mirror sometimes!

joe_padavano

The stock side mirrors will be worthless with a trailer. Back before everyone had an SUV, they sold towing mirrors that clipped onto the front fenders. I have a pair that I used when I towed with my 70 Supreme. They fit between the hood and front fender with a bungee that hooked to the wheel opening. Here's an example that I found on the web:

pmathews

Found this class I hitch on eBay, according to the seller, it was a dealer option for Chevelles, so I'm hoping that I can make this work.

joe_padavano

That's a very wimpy hitch - Class I. It bolts to the bumper and requires you to drill holes in the bumper. I would not use this. Get a real hitch that bolts to the frame rails.

joe_padavano

By the way, unless it says GM on the box (which I do not see), the "dealer option" story is crap. This is a cheesy aftermarket hitch that was quite common in the 1960s. Probably only good for a 1,500 lb trailer, tops.

pmathews

Yep, it's pretty weak, but hopefully strong enough to haul two kayaks

I'll post pictures when I'm done, and hopefully it won't tear off my back bumper.

It uses the same holes that are used by the license plate door for the gas cap, so hopefully, I won't need to drill anything in the bumper.

If I was hauling anything heavy, I would definitely go with a larger hitch.

ROBZ442

Here's the hitch I made for my 66 442. I started with 2" x 2" angle and I was able to use the factory holes, its bolted on in six places. I used mine to haul my camper and my bike rack.

It's a little overkill but that's fine with me.

Oldsmaniac

Back in the 60's and 70's there were hitches available aftermarket for most model cars (bolt on). Then you had shops that made and installed custom welded on hitches for any car depending on your towing needs. In my area those shops are gone. I guess its because most cars are too crappy to handle a hitch... and SUV's (stupid useless vehicles) are so popular.

White_Knuckles

Nice Joe, I forgot those extend-o mirrors. Being a bad back-her-up-er, mirrors are a must especially with a light twitchy trailer.

garys 68&72

Good find on the class I hitch. That would be fine for a light trailer and a couple kayaks.
Just don't be tempted to try to haul anything too heavy. Nobody ever had issues with too strong of a hitch.

Olds442redberet

I've got a hitch on my 1968 Cutlass. It's a parts car. I have cut two hitches off other parts cars and scrapped them.

I'll check the Cutlass out Monday and see what the hitch looks like and get back with you.

72xw30

Hi guys,

I have a trailer hitch installed on a car I own. I am having the hitch removed in the next little while.
According to the original owner, the trailer hitch has been on the car since the early 70's.
You can have the trailer hitch if you don't find one. Send me your email and I can send you some pictures.

Cheers,

Sam

cjsdad

Back in the '90s I bolted a "universal fit" hitch on my '67 Cutlass and towed a U-Haul trailer from Bay Area, Cali to Phoenix, Az. It was surprisingly solid and sturdy. It isn't a receiver hitch and I wouldn't pull an Airstream with it, but a U-Haul was no problem at all. The hitch I installed had an adjustable bar that bolted between the rear frame rails, another that bolted across the bottom of the rear bumper, and the main beam that the hitch ball bolted to ran fore and aft between them. A kayak trailer would be no problem at all.

pmathews

The hitch has been installed, and I wanted to share some insights about the project.


Items included in the kit (minus bolts, etc...)


Mounting location -> using the license plate holder bolts (didn't work in my application)


The plate didn't align with my existing bolt holese, so I had to drill bolt holes in my bumper. It was behind the license plate, so not really visible.

pmathews

The rear mounting point connects to the rear frame support. In my opinion, it's a weak setup, but hopefully good enough to haul kayaks.


Another angle.

pmathews

After I installed, I hooked up my trailer, and it drove around just fine, but I wouldn't recommend this hitch. It will probably warp my bumper if I try to haul anything heavy, so it's only good for light service.

I saw a decent class III hitch at Advance Auto Parts for $125. The width of the frame was adjustable and would have gone nicely between my frame rails, but alas, I had already completed the above work. In hindsight, I should have bought the class III hitch. I might swap it out later, but for now, I'll use this class I hitch for kayaking.

pmathews

The good news is that, in the process of installing the hitch, I swapped out my fuel tank. Needless to say, it was time to replace it

oldcutlass

Imho, I would ditch that for a real hitch, it's a problem waiting to happen.

lemoldsnut

The 67 442 My folks had brand new dad built a hitch for that was very similar to robz442 it was made out of 2" box steel with 1/4" wall. it towed lots of stuff over the years. As Joe P pointed out there were not nice SUV's back then (they didn't have all the comforts the new ones have). I remember many a big Buick and Olds Pulling huge travel trailers. With the clamp on tow mirrors. I am planning a hitch for the 67 442 we are doing now. Don't have much plans to tow with it. But want the option. How nice would it be to cruise to the lake with the boat in your classic muscle car or what ever else you deside. If you go to Supercarsunlimited.com Greg Rollin Tows his 67 442 race car to the track with a Vista Cruiser. Makes an awesome tow rig.

I agree with Joe P. Mke it a good quality hitch not a cheap one. many of the universal hitches required drilling holes in the bumper to attach to as well. A good 2" reciever hitch should not rely on the bumper for strength.

joe_padavano

Yeah, go back and read Post #9 again.

pmathews

Yeah Joe, I heard you the first time, but since it was already purchased, I thought I'd give it a shot. If it warps my bumper, I'll be sure to post photos (haha).

Thanks... Paul

White_Knuckles

I've seen some cool installs where guys tuck the receiver up under the car and use long ball mount sections when needed. They are stealth when not in use. No "Wally the Camper" look. Hide the lighting connector too. Doesn't look tricky just a little fab planning.

pmathews

Cutlass hauling a piano

joe_padavano

I hope that's an in-process photo during loading and not ready to hit the road. The load is definitely too far back on the trailer at this point.

pmathews

Actually, I took the piano on the interstate, and while it bounced around a lot, it seemed 'OK', so I kept driving.

At about 80mph, it started oscillating pretty bad and I lost a wheel. I guess these trailers aren't designed to haul things on the interstate.

The piano did a few cartwheels then it seemed to implode, then explode, raining down wood pieces all over the interstate, luckily no one was hurt. I guess there's a lot of pent up potential energy in a piano, all those strings pulled really tight, it went off like a bomb of ivory keys and wood splinters.

When the cops arrived, I had some explaining to do, but they smelled the alcohol on my breath, and they wouldn't listen to me. I said, 'this guy Joe on ClassicOlds.com told me it was okay...". They just slapped the cuffs on me and threw me into the drunk tank. When I got bailed out, my wife divorced me, my truck was stolen, and my dog died. All I had left was a shotgun and a bottle of whiskey..

Just kidding... it hauled fine. I only had to drive a few blocks. If you're ever in Nashville, I'll take you out for beers

Oldsmaniac

I want to see some video, thats awesome!

bob p

Back in the 60s and 70s the station wagon was the ultimate SUV for most families. Station wagons had all the creature comforts that new SUVs have. Suburbans have been around since the 1930s, so I'm not understanding the claim that there were not SUVs back in the 60s. There sure weren't as popular then as they are today, and there sure were a lot fewer choices available, but Chevrolet started making the Suburban "car on a truck chassis" in 1934 for the 1935 model year. Of course, Olds didn't start until a lot later, and now everybody makes them.

bob p

That was a really funny story.

There are a couple things in that photo that could be done differently in order to set up a "textbook" tow rig.

First, I agree with Joe that the load balance isn't right on that piano. It needs to sit farther forward so that the load is better balanced and there is more weight on the hitch.

Second, the car's suspension is too high in the back for that trailer/hitch setup, which makes the trailer neck angled too far upwards, and accentuates the tongue weight problem. I'm thinking that if you have a box receiver then it might be worth inserting a tongue that adds at least 2" more drop for the ball, maybe more. If you just have a fixed tongue hitch that mounts a ball and not a receiver hitch, then the back end of the car is high enough that you need to make some other changes for safe towing. As others have said, getting a box-type receiver allows much more flexibility when it comes to tuning the hitch/trailer geometry.

My K2500 Suburban sits very high. The first time I tried to tow with it, I tried using a typical 2" drop tongue that I had used on previous vehicles. The setup was so bad that it just wasn't safe to tow anything. I ended up having to buy a 6" drop tongue just to accommodate a standard U-haul trailer.

I'm glad to hear that everything worked out OK. Love the color on that Cutlass.

Koda

My old man and I bought an 8 inch drop hitch for his Z71 Tahoe to tow his tractor supply brand yard trailer, which he puts his little 4 wheeler in.

bob p

Yes, some of those 4x4 GM trucks sit pretty high. I think my Suburban may sit a little lower because it already has a lot of weight on the rear end. I can't remember exactly how much drop I have (been a long time since I bought the tow gear) but I know that it was at least 6", could have been more. I remember being surprised by how much drop was required.

This image is a little deceiving because the parking lot isn't level. The good news is that the U-Haul 7000 lb car trailer is well designed. Weight distribution on the trailer is very good, with no special load balancing hitch required. You can see that there's a lot of drop between the receiver and the tongue.