FullGarage

Hi all, potential new C3 owner here. I've spent the week-end browsing the forum...man, there are some really nice classics here!

I'm about to make the leap into Corvette ownership. I found a '77 about 90 minutes away. The owner has installed a built 383 Stroker (along with tranny, Spider hood, etc). It comes with all the original parts.

Right now, I am thinking of towing or trailering it home. I am trying to get my ducks in a row and did some checking on UHaul's website. Their trailer comes back as "not recommended", but the tow dolly shows as being OK. By the way, my truck is a Ford F250 SuperDuty 4X4, V10. I'm assuming the Vette wouldn't clear the trailer being that it sits so low.

Anyway, would you all "OK" the use of a tow dolly? If so, would you recommend removing the drive shaft?

Thanks in advance!

CAN-AM69

When we brought our '69 home last January we hired a towing service that had a flat bed car hauler to do a transport. It was about 105 miles one way, so 210 round trip and the charge was $300.00...we paid half and the seller agreed to pay the other half. Got home just in time too, we had a 4 hour window for the weather and shortly after we got home we got hit with 7" of snow......perfect timing!

FullGarage

Hey, good idea...and thank you for the reply. I'm pretty much a "do it yourself'er" and hadn't thought of having a pro hauler do it. In this case, I may though. The car is entirely drivable, but I just don't have anyone really that could go with me for half a day and drive one of the beasts back home.

'69? Sounds awesome

Majoho

Hop a Greyhound bus to where the car is, drive it back, done.

Hpozzuoli

I use u-haul. I bring my car from RI to CT for winter storage at my dad's shop. I drive a Lincoln mark lt (f150). Don't mess with the u haul website. Go to the u haul center and show them what you have or call and talk to a person.

FullGarage

I would, but I have to get the extra motor, tranny and hood back home as well.



Wow, that's good news! I'll do that! Hopefully, in another week, the street in front of my house looks like yours!

68L79

If you put it on a dolly....better have the rear end on the dolly.

brent319

We towed my 76 500 miles with a u haul trailer a few years back. No problems loading, and your truck will certainly handle it. I think it was a little over a hundred bucks. May be less since you are going to bring it back to them and not leave it 500 miles away.

Btw, the left fender on the trailer folds down or something so you can open the drivers door.

Zoomin

Dang - if you can't pull a trailer with an F-250, what do they recommend? Peterbilt?

Ridiculous.

jnb5101

I trailered three cars form Florida to North Carolina with a U-Haul and an F250. Whomever told you it's not possible is totally wrong. Get two pieces of 2X10 lumber about two feet long and put them at the end of the ramps where the ramps attach to the trailer. When the car moves onto the trailer(if the car sets low on the suspension) the front crossmember will hit the trailer. The extra height created by the lumber will make it clear. Discovered that the hard way. Hardest part for me was backing up with that SOB.

skeptic

Flatbed or trailer, I would never tow my car with the front wheels on the ground. Zero ground clearance, you're just asking for trouble.

Ontario73

I went through this with UHaul when I brought my car home a couple of years back. Their web site, and also the same software their Sales Associates use, calculates the towing capacity at something like 80% of the vehicle's factory rating. They rate your Corvette at something like 3,500lbs and their trailer at 1000lbs, but, it said my tow vehicle (rated at 5,500lbs) was too small! Either lie and say you are towing a Model T, or, just talk directly with the local guy as suggested. I didn't have any issues when renting, but, went through hell trying to make the reservation online or the phone!

Oh, and my fenders weren't removable making getting out of the Corvette interesting once on the trailer!

U17

Their trailers have great front tire straps/nets... tow well and the left fender does drop down... We just had to tow our '47 limo home from the Power Tour using one... Also look at Avis/Budget trailers... flat bed and full width ramp ...

FullGarage

Thank you all for the replies! I'll go with the UHaul trailer and bring some 2X10's just in case (great idea and thank you!).

I've spent the day and a lot of this week-end reading the forum and will look it over with the new knowledge I've gained here. I have some confidence in that the owner is a retired Chevy mechanic and has a few other restored classics. He's already done a lot to the motor and drivetrain with the C3, so I assume he wouldn't have gone this far if there were other problems. Besides, the price is very reasonable...I won't mind if I have to do some work on it

Thanks again to everyone!

Dustup7T2

Dang, U17. Looks like 10 lbs of potatos in a 5 lb sack.

Real happy that you were able to take the wounded limo home safely but that sure is a "almost-couldn't-make-it" fit. That rear axle almost ran out of trailer to hold it up. You did what you had to do and glad that worked out.

To the OP, if you choose to do your own tow, my suggestion is to use a trailer to carry the entire car. The single axle dolly won't be your friend and a trailer makes the entire process, much easier on the car and on you.

An F-250 will haul so many bulky objects without hesitation; Corvettes are a piece of cake on a small trailer.

Good luck.

Don 68

Went with a friend to pick up a 60 Chevy in Minnesota a few weeks back with a F-250. U-Haul said the Chevy wouldn't fit and we knew it would. We lied to them and said we was hauling a 68 Ford Galaxie 500 and then they rented it to us. Minnesota to Atlanta - no problems. The reason he didn't have it shipped is because of a ton of spare parts that filled up the back of the truck and the inside of the Chevy.

Dodosmike

Zero issues. I have boards but have yet to use them.
Air dam clears but my header flanges scrape sometimes.

18' + 2' long plus 5' ramps.

Trailer is for sale if anybody is looking for a VERY low mileage fully ALUMINUM trailer.

dodosmike

wisoutlaw

If you know anybody in the landscaping business you could maybe borrow an equipment trailer from them. That's what I did. Had room for the '69 and a spare engine.

ConnecticutJunkman

No don't use the dolly. You will mess up the transmission in the C3 or if you tow it by the rear wheels you will end up ripping the nose off on a bump. Also the dolly does not have its own breaks.

Just get the flat bed.
I used to use the uhaul trailers all the time. And I towed more car with less truck then what you have a lot more distance. My tow rig is a tired old D150 with a little 318. Your newer v10 F250 will have NO problems pulling a small block car on an open trailer.

Make sure you check the trailer out before taking it. These things are way overbuilt but they get beat on a lot. I've gotten stuck a few times with a messed up trailer.

bop

The most important part about towing is to make sure the tow truck will stop when you need to.