Tow Hubs
 

Hey Old timers remember these? Ha I know I did a lot of towing with them.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

I got a set somewhere out in the garage!

Re: Tow Hubs
 

You know I still have my set, stopped using them about 5 years ago.
Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock

Re: Tow Hubs
 

I still have mine under the bench, complete with tow bar.

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Those that had tow hubs were really something!!! Definately an upgrade!! I remember being slid under my uncles car to remove/install the driveshaft! Of course that was after we got a tow vehicle!

Good stuff!!! Thanks!

Re: Tow Hubs
 

40 years ago this spring I turned my 67 Camaro in to my first all out racecar.Had a set of the MNW tow hubs,and bar i towed it with. Used a 68 Buick Sportwagon with a 400 big block Buick for power.Had to stop every 50 miles or so to filler up with water(cracked head).The local track had gravel right at the turn in.Had to get out and crank the steering wheel of the Camaro to get her to follow the tow vehicle into the pits.Sure could have used a power impact in those days.That was a lot of cranking lug nuts off and on!!!!

Re: Tow Hubs
 

NMW free wheeling hubs , tow bars and bumper attachments were made in Hackensack, N.J. NMW stood for New Milford Welding and if I remember the hubs were about $70.00. Probably at that time ( around 70-71 ) you could pick up the whole package for about $ 125.00.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

O'Connell, Hill & Busshart the F/G national record holders towed all over the southeast & to Indy with them in the late 60s, early 70s before finally building a trailer. A lot of race cars & tow cars or both ended up on the roof because of them too {and a momentary nod off}

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I still have my original set !

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Still have my NMW set and the tow bar my dad made for my 70 1/2 Camaro RS. Wish I still had the car !

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Finally sold my NMWs a few years ago at the Englishtown swap meet.I got $80 for them.I used them for 13 years.Had regrets of selling them for about an hour or so.







79 more to go.

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We used to make our own tow bars. A friend machined our two hub spindals from '55/'57 Chevy axles we had broken. My '56 nine passenger wagon provided most of them. LOL. He knocked out the studs, faced off the out side and machined the stub like a spindle. '55/'57 hubs, lug nuts turned around held them on. Original 6.70X15 tires on original '55/'57 wheels fit under the fenders of the cars we ran just fine. First trip to Pomona & Indy on those things. A 5' tow bar and 10 degrees of positive castor and it would not only follow you anywhere, it would also back up like a trailer. Had to back mine 90 deg and between two trees into my one car driveway. Long tow bars are much smoother. Could hardly tell the race car was back there.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

I had a set for my 64 falcon that we towed to ATCO and Plesentville Speedway. Flipped the car on a back road to ATCO in the rain, also smashed up the quarter panel on the Skylark. Boy those were the days.

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i remember i had a set and so did all the guys i raced with,had tie steering wheel so it would'nt jerk right or left then my buddy's stepped up to EZ tow trailers man was that nice!!

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NMW Welding was about a mile from my house. Mike Brusher was a great Welder and invented the towing hub and Marketed it. He is in California building Helecopters today. Really brought back some memories. Thanks Joe Fasano.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Hey Fitty,I bet you sold the first ones.:>):>):>)

Ed




64 more to go.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Tow Hubs were to "high end" for me and my buddy with out first car. We removed the driveshaft.

We blew a rear once and borrowed a set from Frank Iaconio. On the way home we had a front wheel come loose and fall off. I could not find the wheel/tire. Put the slick on to get home. The upper control arm cut the slick and ruined it and the fender was ruined when the tire came off.....

Not a real good weekend for us........LOL

Re: Tow Hubs
 

I had a set with the NMW bar that I bought from Skip Nordenberg @ Suffolk Speed on Long Island back in the late 1960's. Used them to tow my Nova to E'town and New York National behind a 1956 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon. I lost a front wheel-bearing on the Nova one Sunday in Shirley, NY on the way home from NYNS and destroyed a brand new Stahl front-runner tire. I built my ramp truck after that!:D

Lew

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Still have mine too..But need Grease Seals.

BTW how do I rebuild them?

Dan

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Those were just on E-Bay and went for $150.00+$20.00 shipping. 4 1/2" pattern; if they were 4 3/4" pattern they'd probably gone for more. And, I still have my tow bars (2), towing hubs, AND my towing light bar setup that just hung on the rear bumper, and connected to the tow car. NOT FOR SALE!

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Also sold my home made hubs a few years ago. Don't like to sell stuff but have to whittle down so the kids don't have to throw JUNK out when??.

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Got stopped by a policeman as I pulled out of a gas station heading to the track. The slope of the driveway and the sharp turn we made flopped the towed cars wheels opposite of the direction we were heading in....A common problem with flat towing....I dragged the car across the highway and told the cop this happened sometimes. He didn't write me a ticket but was convinced something was wrong and I needed to fix it. I assured him I would and thanked him and off we went.

Flat towing was not a good way to get to the track......Many stories and adventures occured during that era from flat towing mishaps....

We built a ramp truck for our next car and that was a lot better but still far from what everyone enjoys today.

Basically being on the road, period, can be an adventure......

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Rich, a long tow bar and ten degrees or more positive caster will fix that.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Ed....Tow bar mounting point heights on the 2 cars was an issue as I recall.
Getting 10 degrees positve caster in most cars would require some serious metal working......Mostly cutting the uppper control arms and welding them back together to get that positive caster.

Stopping was another issue when flat towing......We sometimes had someone ride in the racecar and work the brakes when issues popped up with the tow car brakes......

Re: Tow Hubs
 

Rich, the tow bar needs to be level. The way I got that much caster was the off-set upper-inner shafts Moog sold for the old Chevys to correct camber when the frames started to sag. Gave a lot more adjustment. (Had to start eating more salad to make up for all the new shins. LOL) I have cut & welded upper control arms too. Not usually needed on the '55-'57 Chevys. Those upper shaft kits normally were all that was needed.

Re: Tow Hubs
 

We sold a bunch of tow hubs and kits when I worked at a speed shop in the 70s. The kit also came with a sticker that said "Race Car in Tow". It was WAY cool to have one of those stickers on the back window of your hopped up street car!