[Keith Seymore]

For the GTO the tow bar brackets (tow tabs) go through the opening in the middle of the bumper to access the frame. Perhaps you could go through the park/turn opening and do something similar.

The Chevelle had structure behind the bumper that gloved inside the chrome. I made similar tow bar brackets that attached to that structure and dropped down below the bumper (collapsible energy absorbing shocks were replaced with steel tube).

You might also notice we put the tab on the car, providing the corresponding double shear on the tow bar. Some people do it the other way around but I think this keeps the front of the car looking a little cleaner.

If you remove the driveshaft completely then you'll need to plug the tailshaft of the trans to keep from losing your fluid. You might have enough room underneath to leave the slip yoke in place and secure the loose end of the shaft under the vehicle somewhere; I never had enough space under the car to do that.

One other condition I should mention is that if you happen to hit sand or loose gravel while making a turn sometimes the steering wheel of the towed vehicle will kick the wrong way, bringing everything to a sudden stop. You have to get out, walk (or run) back to the vehicle and turn the steering wheel in the correct direction before completing the turn. If this happens in an intersection (a likely spot) or turning into a venue like a racetrack, campground or fair ground (also likely) it's a bit uncomfortable to do this with traffic waiting. You can add ballast to the trunk of a passenger car, which drops the rear down and increases the caster, helping the car to track better (photos 2 and 3). I suspect a pickup truck would not respond well to this technique.

You also have to design the tow bar to be horizontal, or (better yet) with the trailer hitch ball higher than the towbar, so that braking forces the front of the towed vehicle down. If the hitch ball is low then the towed vehicle can "climb", rotating the tow bar up (counterclockwise when viewed from the left), and will end up on top of the towed vehicle bending all kinds of stuff up in the process. In the pictures in the previous post photos the set up is good in all the pictures except the second one. That set up is not preferred.

Combined with having to switch tires at the track from street to drag slicks, and then back again before heading home, "Flat towing" with a tow bar is the reason I have two trailers.

K