[Half-Inch Stud]

I had a LeMans with a tow hitch that bolted to the trunk floor; tossed it in the 1980s and would rather consider it now for Towing this;

[Sirrotica]

Mark, you'll be fine towing that with your GTO.

The problem is going to be finding a hitch for your car, no one that I've been able to find still manufactures a pre made hitch. I'm able to weld, so I can fab what I need. Just need to weld one up for your car, if you can't find a used one.

You'll get a lot of strange looks towing a trailer with a classic GTO. When we used to sell our T shirts at the Pontiac events, I used the 05 to tow the 6X10 enclosed trailer to and from the shows. I got a lot of raised eyebrows while we were going to, and from the shows. In Charleston WV at the POCI show, someone took a video of the GTO towing the trailer down the boulevard.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Mark, you'll be fine towing that with your GTO.

The problem is going to be finding a hitch for your car, no one that I've been able to find still manufactures a pre made hitch. I'm able to weld, so I can fab what I need. Just need to weld one up for your car, if you can't find a used one.

You'll get a lot of strange looks towing a trailer with a classic GTO. When we used to sell our T shirts at the Pontiac events, I used the 05 to tow the 6X10 enclosed trailer to and from the shows. I got a lot of raised eyebrows while we were going to, and from the shows. In Charleston WV at the POCI show, someone took a video of the GTO towing the trailer down the boulevard.

That's kind of odd to me getting strange looks at a car show towing something with a classic car, since you're at a car show it would seem to me that most anyone there should be old enough to remember there were thousands of people that towed their campers and drag cars with what was back then a new car, today a classic. It's not like it was uncommon.

I still see it at the drag strip today, especially the nostalgia events. Still many at the Goodguys events that tow in their campers with a classic car. Sometimes the campers are part of the show.

[Keith Seymore]

It’s how we rolled -

[Formulajones]

There ya go Keith,

Anyone that looks at that strange isn't a real car guy.

[SRR]

Back in the 70's I towed my figure 8 race car with a 68 GTO ragtop and then a 66 396 Caprice.

[Sirrotica]

To further clarify, the strange looks are mostly from John Q Public, when passing cars, or being passed on the thruway. Same goes for stopping at traffic lights.

Back in the day, I've seen fifth wheels mounted on the roofs of sedans hauling trailers. A kid I hung around with father, towed a tandem axle travel trailer that slept 8 with his 64 Cadillac.

The main problem when hauling heavy loads back then was the rather fragile automatic transmissions in stock form that just didn't withstand the abuse. Many manufactures denied warranty claims if they found a trailer hitch on a car that was still within warranty.

I had a 91 Z24 cavalier I fabbed a hitch for, with a 3.1 that I pulled a 76 T/A on a tow dolly with. Other than inadequate brakes it did just fine. The T/A outweighs the cavalier by 50%. Had I used my current tow dolly with surge disc brakes, it would have been easier stopping. Tractor trailer units haul 53 foot trailers weighing over 60,000# with a 12-15,000# tractor, ya see it everyday, I drove one for years. Given the choice I would choose a fifth wheel hitch over a bumper hitch every time, but hauling with a car mostly eliminates using a fifth wheel.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by SRR

Back in the 70's I towed my figure 8 race car with a 68 GTO ragtop and then a 66 396 Caprice.

Yah - I didn't include this one since it was a Kingswood wagon.

K

[OG68]

Here are a few photos from the Airstream archives. The AS trailers then were about 3/4 the weight they are now.
My 25' Flying Cloud weighs in at 5900#.

The early Falcon is pulling a 16' Bambi. It would have about a 300# tongue weight.
The Torino looks to be pulling a 22 footer. About a 400-500# tongue weight
It seems that Airstream preferred Fords for their advertising

[Half-Inch Stud]

Probably liking the trunk floor botled hitch, not going to use a calss III Square Receiver.

Towed Airstreams before: aero allows decent MPG. Old Airstream brochures show plenty of GM classic cars towing. our Canned ham is a parachute.

Certainly towing for vacations, not race track.

[Stuart]

I'd check with Steve Barcak for advice, he's done a ton of towing with his GTO. In this thread he posted some details on the hitch he uses: https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=535522

[Formulajones]

Yep, he shows up every year at Pontiac Heaven towing with his GTO, usually pulling his front engine rail or a speed boat with a Pontiac engine in it. Neither of which would be overly heavy but still cool.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by mrennie

Ughhh...the rear frame looks sooo thin and weak compared to any truck sold today. I know lots of cars pulled trailers "back in the day", but I would be concerned about ripping the frame apart for anything more than a light trailer.

Trailer brakes would improve things, but light tongue weight to minimize frame stress may cause other problems (sway).

Agree, it can be done and has been done but I prefer a 3/4 ton or up pickup with more stout suspension as they’ll be much more steady on the road.

[BMS1]

My 1969 GTO judge was once owned by Bruce Bethel of Bethel's goat Farm used to tow a Willy's race truck with this car, most likely in the 80's when he owned it. I still have the hitch marks on the frame. He was supposed to send me a picture a while back but never did, that would have been neat to see. Try to ignore the trophy that is my first trophy I ever got at a car show after 22 yrs of ownership, I am not into trophies but that was hand made.

[Drag Star Le Mans]

Wish I hadn't cut the hitch off my 69. It was built very well and welded to the frame. There were also some heavy duty air bags in the rear coils.

[lust4speed]

When I got out of the military in January 1970 I had a local welding shop make a custom hitch for my '67 GTO so I could load up the family household in a 6x14 U-Hall box trailer and head home. Hitch stayed on the car and was used until I started racing the car in the mid 80's and wanted to lighten things up.

Our '65 2+2 still has a class III hitch welded in place and the original owner hauled his 34' Airstream all over the country. The hitch and his Johnson 23 channel CB radio came with the car. Hitch is cool, but the antenna mounted dead center in the roof not so much.

The one thing both hitches had in common were an added cross bar at the rear frame cross member at the bumper, and the front of the hitches were about 30" forward from the bumper which really spread out the load. My 2500 HD truck has a Class V hitch and the fore/aft width of the hitch that bolts to the frame is only about 10" long, and depends on the truck frame itself for strength. Our wimpy frames couldn't handle anything like that, but worked great with the long load radius.

[Mister Pontiac]

Last summer, HIS. Branson, MO to Phoenix. If I had to guess, I'd say about 1000 lbs in the trailer, so 1500-1800 lbs total? Roughly 1200 miles. 70-75 mph. Good times!

Bolts to the frame rails.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Well, i am convinced that a Hitch mounted to the Trunk floorpan is the best approach for the little Camper.

Whereas the Class III deal is soo in need of reaching the rear suspension points due to frame flex.

[Sirrotica]

Mark, many of the older hitches for GM A/G bodies were tied to the floorpan in the trunk, as well as the rear frame, or bumper. Your using the rear sheetmetal structure as well as the rear frame member in their design. Using both structures spreads the load over both, not stressing either one unduly. Using both is probably going to be the strongest configuration over using one, or the other.

Having owned a few 69/70 GPs, the factory did bolt the rear bumper to the sheetmetal, and not to the rear frame section. One of the cars (69 GP race car in my signature picture) came with a hitch that was bolted to the bumper only, so it was using only the body section for strength. Just expressing how engineers designed them back in the day, it's totally your choice how you proceed.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Yea, I recall that the floor pan mount included a bumper center bolt for tongue weight.