I'm looking to buy an open car trailer to haul my '67 442 to far away shows like the Nats in Des Moines. I'm thinking an 18 or 20 foot tilt bed. Is there a best way to tie it down? Straps or chains? How heavy? I'll still drive it if shows are within 100 miles.

 

I've got a 16 foot trailer with ramps and it works well with the 1964-72 A-body cars. It has D rings built onto the sides and I'll use a chain around the lower control arms on each side. Then I'll use two come-a-longs on the front, one to each corner of the trailer. The early years have a loop in the front of the crossmember that I attach the hooks to. The later years I'll look for openings in the frame that the hook will fit into. I've also used the sway bar if its not a long trip. After I've driven a few miles I'll stop and check everything to see if it's worked loose. Then on long trips I'll check it every once in a while. John

 

I've got a cheap twenty foot, drop tail open. D rings front and back. I use ratchet straps, axle straps and SHACKLES ever since I lost the car off the trailer on the way to the paint shop

 

I've got an 18 ft flatbed equipment trailer (10,000 lb gross weight). I use chains and load binders, since I also use the trailer for my tractor and other equipment. I prefer chaining to the axles as opposed to the frame since movement of the car on the springs can loosen the tiedowns. The best tiedown in my opinion is the basket straps that go over the tires. No scratching of paint and no loosening when the car bounces. Unfortunately you'll need to install specific tiedown points on the trailer to use these.

Also, if you do use regular ratchet straps or chains, DO NOT cross them from side to side. I see this a lot and all it does is make the tiedowns more susceptible to loosening. The straighter (front to back) the tiedowns are, the better. There isn't a real need to restrain the car side to side, just front to back.

 

This is a subject you will get lots of opinions on, everyone has their own way and products they like to use.
I started to tow before I owned a computer, so I couldn't ask like you have done. I bought straps from a company, http://mrproducts.com/ , for no particular reason. The straps and axle straps were/are nice, I still use them. But when they originally arrived they had a small, short instruction sheet with them. It said to always tie the car below the suspension, so I always do that. They said the strap must be wrapped around the ratchet at least twice for the strap to be locked, I have found this to be true from experience, mine and other people I know. So on the "A" body cars I slide the flat hooks on the straps into the hole on the bottom of the lower control arm, where the shock bolts on, below the suspension. On the rear I slide the hook onto the bracket which is for the lower control arm to mount in, below the suspension. It works for me. Sometimes I have to smack the hook with a hammer of whatever to get it loose, never been a big deal, never did any damage, I am still using the same straps at least 20 years old and haven't torn one up yet doing it this way. On other stuff I always find a way to tie using axle straps, chains, even tie through wheels with large openings, or around tires with a lasso strap, whatever works best.
Good luck,