• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Towing an MG

Share this page

vping

vping

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Do you need to do anything to an MG Midget or MGB before you tow it using one of those u-haul car dollies? The front wheels will be off the ground. For some reason I remember someone saying you need to disconnect something.
Driveshaft
 
Disconnect the driveshaft...you don't want to melt the rear end & you'll do that to the pinion gear if its tipped up so gear oil can't get to it.
 
Isn't the ring still engaged with the pinion though?
 
Yep, but without the driveshaft its turning with no torque...& the tranny isn't turning!

I've replaced a rear end because the owner did just what you're planning - & it was new when he left Oregon - but shot when he got to Alabama
 
Aahhh torque!!
 
Well, I'm not the expert - but I think having the driveshaft hooked up does put some torque onto the pinion gear which isn't getting oiled because its tipped up - anybody else, or is it just me?
 
That and by dragging the car tony, the gears are meshing backwords.
 
Four bolts, on drive shaft, do not remove it from transmission. Wire it up so rear transmission oil seal is still sealed. Tow away, any speed almost.
 
Front wheels off ground, Kenny....rear thinks its still moving forward
 
Yeah, but the engine isn't pushing it... The ring gear is, so the mesh is backwords... (the parts of the gear teeth that are touching would be the same as if you were going in reverse).
 
I towed mine from Air Force Base to Base and never had a rear end prob in 20 years or so.

It works.
 
That's even worse!

All I know is I bought an MG that had been towed from Oregon to B'ham in the exact same manner - ruined the pinion...& when I called the shop that did the maintenance/restoration on the car, they sent me lots of receipts where they had rebuilt rear end just a few miles before owner towed it on a dolly with driveshaft hooked up...when I replaced the rear end, I almost doubled my $$$'s because the rest of the car was in such great shape

...& the old rear end - rear end oil would run out the pinion if you pointed it downward! I threw the entire thing in the junk!

For 4 easy to remove bolts, I wouldn't take the chance!
 
And a peice of coat hanger, don't forget the coat hanger.
 
Hmmmm... That reminds me, I need a middle exhaust hanger. I have a coathanger in there right now.
 
The GT has a driveshaft 'ring' so no coat hanger needed once its released from the rear end - the 'ring' holds it up....
 
Always keep a bit of galv wire in your parts bag, hehe.
 
Wire coat hangers are a fast disappearing valuable resource! Time was they could be found everywhere, used (in emergency) as safety wire, exhaust hangers or welding rod... the newer ones are thinner, and not nearly as good a material! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
That's even worse!
...

For 4 easy to remove bolts, I wouldn't take the chance!

[/ QUOTE ]

And for $60 you could rent a trailer and not worry about any of this /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Back
Top