c4cruiser

After doing some careful measuring for ratchet strap lengths and the type of ends, I am now having some difficulty finding a suitable place on the rear of my 87 for attaching the rear straps to the car.

The front is no problem as the factory shipping tie-downs will work fine. But there is nothing at the back of the car that looks like a good location. The rear portion of the frame is aluminum and I don't know if welding on an anchor point is acceptable or not. Or is it???

Is the differential carrier (batwing) suitable for attaching straps? It looks strong but I think its purpose is to locate the differential and the rear suspension, not for holding the weight of the car.

I don't have the spare tire carrrier on the car so there is a lot of open room and the rear of the car sits close enough to the beavertail that the angle of the straps will not interfere with the bumper cover or the exhaust.

The 87 rear should be very similar to any year C4 in terms of the frame and crossmembers. Ideas? Pics??

MistressMotorsports

How about through the wheels? I used to tie my C4's down through the wheel openings. If you have saw blades, it might be tough, but if you have GS wheels or something open, it works great. I used a cotton rag between the tie downs and the wheel to keep from scratching.

c4cruiser

I thought about those but the rear straps will be crossed (left side of car to right side of trailer, etc.). My Hoosier's are mounted on the factory 16" sawblades so that is probably not an option.

Some strap assemblies come with Cordura wear pads so that would help with frayed edges but I already have the front straps figured out.

Anyway for the idea.

Bill Dearborn

You can reach the factory tie downs in the rear by reaching in through the rear wheel well just in front of the tire. They are the same type of attachment as the front tie downs (I assume you are using the front tie downs that are located near the bellhousing--flat piece of steel with a slot in it that is welded to the uniframe). Crossing the straps provides no advantage so just go straight back from the tie downs. When I set up (1993) my trailer for my 86 I used chains fastened to the trailer with hooks on the end that went into the tie down. I would pull onto the trailer hook up the chains and use ratchet straps tied to the front tie downs to tighten the car against the chains. Still use the same chains for my C5s. The car is always in the same place on the trailer unless I move the chains forward and backward a length at a time to move the car to help with trailer balance if required. Quite simple and I do not need to play all the games the other people do with their 4 ratchet straps.
Bill

c4cruiser

I had looked at the rear factory rings and I thought they were too far ahead of the wheels and appered to be slightly above the control arms.

Most of the people I know cross a pair of tie downs and I was under the impression that that kept one end of the car from moving sideways on the trailer.

But your idea of hooks and chain sounds like it could work. I have seen some hooks on websites and there are ratchet straps with chain ends.

WNDOPDLR

I use the same locations that Bill Dearborn mentions on my 88. I use 4 ratchet straps, crossed and have towed many miles without a probelm. Bill may have a good suggestion with the chains, all depends on the roads and how rough they are. I can see where, on real rough roads the rear of the car might work itself a little sideways on the trailer. Labor savings might make it worth a try.

Bill Dearborn

I have been towing my C4 and C5s for 13 years on the same trailer. The cars never move sideways. On my Z with Grand Sport rims there is no more than an inch on each side of the tire to the edge of the trailer if I get the car exactly on center. I can tow for several hours at high speeds across rough highway and the car is always in the same place on the trailer. I even forgot to lock down my front ratchet straps one time and they came loose on the trip. The car with just the chains and parking brake holding it in place had not moved (Wheww).
Bill

94coupe_craig

Just to add, the front and rear factory tie downs are what I use on my 1994 coupe when I put it on the trailer. I haven't had a problem for the 3 or so years I have been doing racing/trailering. Crossing them also gave me a better tie down point on the side of the trailer since I don't have D rings mounted in the floor of my trailer. It may not be anything to worry about, I just make sure I don't pull any of the brake lines when putting the hooks into the factory tie downs. There is probably enough slack in the brake lines but I do make sure not to bother those. And a friend who does this showed me his hooks with about 12 inches of chain on the hook. This works well to just hook the ratchet strap end into the chain and that is what I use.

Craig

c4cruiser

What hook style is he using on the straps with the chain ends?? Are they the snap hook design or just an open J-hook? I would prefer to have the straps attached so that if a strap came loose, it would not disconnect from the car or the trailer.

Bill-
The D-rings at the rear of my trailer are at the outside corners of the bed (83" wide bed) so crossing the rear straps and coupled with the drop of the dovetail may allow the straps to clear everything under the car. Running straps straight back at the rear could cause the straps to hit the rear spindles or control arms and rub up against the inside of the rear tires. But I agree that the car will most likely not move around on the trailer if the road surface is decent.

Most all of my towing will be freeway use with some routes on city streets. I have 6" of room on either side of the tires to the edge of the bed, so if the car does move any, there should be lots of room.