Hi guys. I have a stressful move coming up which will take me from Calgary, AB to the east coast next week. That's about 5,000km. I have a guy with experience moving antique cars moving my 1970 in his tractor trailer (enclosed). I don't believe he's moved a C3. I want to make sure I control the loading and tie down of the car as much as possible...is there anyone who has done this that can offer advice? The first question on my mind is, given that it is a 4 speed, should I leave it in reverse to remove the key with the parking brake on? In neutral with brake on?

Basically, I can't wait for it to be over.

 

This will be interesting to see what people say. I have always been told to leave it in first gear with the parking brake on. I would imagine some sort of wheel chocks would be a good idea too. Do you know if the trailer has any sort of E-tracks or D-Rings built into the sides or floors?

I am sure if this guy has moved "antique" cars before, he has probably moved a couple of Vettes. If you still aren't sure about the guy, best thing would be to get a list of people that he has worked with in the past and call them to get their story personally. If he isn't willing to give you a list of references, then find someone else.

 

I transported my '66 in an enclosed car trailer. I kept it in gear + emergency brake, and had 2 wheel chocks on either side of each tire. Plus, since I bought the trailer new, I had 4 D-Rings flush mounted on the floor to secure the car in 4 spots. That car didn't budge - NY to FL.

 

Make sure it isn't riding up against anything else in the trailer. Cover the car completely with movers' blankets. The car will bounce up and down on the suspension and anything against it will cause abrasions in the paint. GOT to use wheel chocks! Make sure they are NAILED to the floor! Tie it down, tie it down, tie it down! I spent 25 years in the trucking industry and you'd be amazed at how things move around inside the trailer!

 

is this an auto moving operation ? if so, you should have any problems.

neutral with the park brake on.

i would put a thing on it. sometimes the high end services will put a thin plastic baggy of the cars on the bottom but not anything heavy and def not moving blankets

 

The OP didn't say this was an auto moving operation, just a guy with an enclosed trailer and some experience moving antique cars. The "plastic baggies" only collect moisture - not good.

 

mistake number 1 ?

 

Is the guy ok with you controlling this part of things? Some shippers are not ok with someone telling them how to do things. I know nobody is tying things down to my trailer and expecting me to take responsibility for it. Is he insured to do this? If so, I would unstress this part of the move and let him do his job.

 

I think I would find a licensed, bonded and insured auto carrier. Maybe more money but less worry!

 

if your using a respected auto company... there is no need to tell them anything.

i had a car shipped via gran turismo last year(?). there was a bentley GTC, mclaren and two porsches on the same truck...... the guy needs to know how to transport a C3 corvette which is basically a chevy with a fancy body stuck on top.... ?(i own a c3 also) common....

which begs the question... if this guy isnt an auto shipper - how do you plan on getting a c3 in the back of a semi trailer ?

 

Thanks for the replies guys. This guy is an auto shipper, but also ships other things (he's taking the contents of my condo as well). He says he uses a flat bed tow truck to get the car into the trailer, by driving the car from the flat bed into the trailer after raising it to level with the trailer.

Should clarify, he isn't asking how to transport a C3, it's just me being worried about the whole thing and making sure I'm educated.

 

Arky, I'm not actually going to do any tying myself...but I'm going to watch as it goes on, etc. I do this when I take my car to licensed shops as well when I need something done that is out of my league...I don't want someone jacking my car by strut rods etc. That's all this is...I just want to be able to recognize a potential problem if / when I see it...otherwise I'm going to let the guy do his thing. Yes he is insured.

 

if you have to worry about it...your hiring the wrong people.

 

Fair enough, but I'd be worried even if I had the very best people simply because it's a first time experience.

 

If it's tied down properly, no need to do anything other than leave it in neutral.

 

I had my '79 moved from Chicago to Minneapolis and back again on the furniture truck that moved my house full of stuff. The first time it was Bekins, the second it was Mayflower. The company doesn't matter as much as the individual agency as far as reputation and experience goes.

In both cases, they used the flat bed system to get it on and off. I don't believe the car was tied down at all. They were both air ride furniture vans, and everything else on the trailer was tied down. They left a place for it all by itself at the back of the trailer. They may have had a shelf/floor above it that held more stuff, I can't remember, but they left ample space for the car, and it was blocked off from anything that else that may have come loose.

Mine was in rough driver condition for both moves, so I wasn't as concerned about it as you must be, but I still didn't want anything to happen to it. It was pretty much matter-of-fact with both companies/agents, they do it all the time. If this guy is experienced, I wouldn't worry too much about it as others have said, but I would check his record/reputation.

I would be concerned about insurance, though. He may have insurance, but what are the coverage limits? Both companies had a separate contract for the car, which I think is required by shipping regulations (in the U.S.), but I also seem to remember that the value was stated separately for the vehicle. You don't want the car's value being lumped in with value of your household goods.

Both drivers had to walk around the car with a clipboard and document any scratches or damage that was pre-existing on the car before loading. I remember wondering if he had enough room on the page to list all the scratches that my car had. It took him a while to get it all down!

 

This went down quite well actually, experience was similar to Red's...air ride trailer with the wheels chocked all the way around, cover over the car, everything else separated, etc. Car is safe on the east coast.

 

Glad it worked out well. You must be relieved that's all behind you. Now for the unpacking, right...?

Did you drive the 76 out, or do you no longer have that one?

 

Unpacking is mostly done now, but that just happened yesterday and I've been on the coast for about three weeks, ha.

I still have the 76. That car was always on the coast at my parents' place. I used to spend most of my summers in New Brunswick in a small town and so it gave me something to do while i was there. I might look at selling that one next summer when the dust settles.

 

I don't really have any expertise..but here's an opinion.

I wouldn't leave the car in gear...I'd leave it in neutral with a parking brake on and of course restraints on the wheels, etc.

In the trailer, over the long trip the car will be vibrating forward and backward and the van travels. If in gear, there's only a microscopic thin film of tranny oil between the gear teeth. Over a long period of time, I'd think the meshing gear teeth would work their way through the oil film until there was metal to metal contract. With metal to metal contract, continuing forward and back vibration would damage the gear surfaces in my opinion. ???

I'll probably be shipping my cars out of California when I retire so I'd be interested in hearing how your experience went.