Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Dave, I had a ford explorer sport 5 speed with the 4.0, that thing was stout. But I was working jobs up in Montana and Wyoming during winter it was 2 wheel drive..LOL, found a 2007 F350 4x4 with 6.0 diesel (that was already bulletproofed), cold air intake, tuner, 4 inch down pipe with a 5" straightpipe all the way back.

It saved me in the winter months,gets 22 to 24 mpg on highway depending on the wind, get 15 to 16 towing.

Beautiful car!

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Even tho I am currently pulling with a 1/2-ton, I have to agree a larger truck is always less stressful. ;)

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Yeah, I'll drink to that! I'm looking forward to lower-stress towing.

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

I guess from here updates will be less common, as the build is complete. I'll throw in information about upgrades once in a while I guess.

I'd like to thank everyone for your encouragement and suggestions! Quite a few blunders were averted by getting your input, it has been much appreciated.

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

I would defer to the 3/4 ton for towing. The frame, springs, etc, are usually larger and more adequate for towing.The equalizer hitch is a must. As you know, whether it's Vegas,Phoenix,or Bakersfield ,there's no flat easy tow to SoCal. 20 years agi, I towed my first '68 Chevelle on a small open trailer with a 71 El Camino. Never had a problem, I was just that fortunate.My Suburban handles that open trailer with a car on it like it's not even back there.

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

I'm old enough to remember a time when trailers were scarce and considered a luxury item...most race cars were flat towed. :p

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Yup, I still have my NMW tow hubs and a tow bar in storage.

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Dave,
Congratulations on the build and your successful debut. I'm sure it will inspire another guy or two in the future to take what some might call a literal "mess" of a car and make something fabulous out of it.
Always looked forward to the next installment you had to offer. Don't be a stranger, give us an update now and then on how things are progressing. Best of luck in the future!

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Not a lot has been updated on the car as yet, but I have made arrangements to get the pinion angle set and I'm soon to be swapping to a manual master cylinder. Oh, I also got the brake pressure switch adjusted to somewhere near where I'll want it and confirmed that it works.

In the meantime I pulled the trigger on the promised upgrade to the Ranger, and bought a 2016 F-150 with 27K miles. Here it is, for the first time, with the Chevelle in tow. I plan to move the wheel chocks forward a bit for some additional tongue weight, but otherwise I think it's very close. There's in the vicinity of 550 lbs right now, I'm looking to get that to around 700.

http://i.imgur.com/XYDD0Q6.jpg

I didn't neglect the car entirely over the past month, I removed most of the steel plates that were spanning the frame for ballast and built a weight box. The piece I had available for the top was a little small and I had to extend it with some 1" flat steel, but otherwise it went pretty smoothly.

http://i.imgur.com/5eIlkv5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7Kl623d.jpg

Re: '66 Malibu N/SA
 

Looks good Dave. Yes, if you begin to get some tail wag on the trailer when towing you know it needs some more tongue weight.