Towing your car

[Ryan.C]

I am planning to move this summer and tow the Charger behind the U-Haul. Should I be worried about rock chips and such on the fresh paint? If so how do I mitigate the risk?

[red72chrgr]

I assume it will be on a trailer. Maybe buy some cheap plywood and build a chip guard on the trailer that you can remove when you get where you're going.

[alfaitalia]

That thick protective clear film over the vulnerable panels works well too.

[Troy]

Be careful! A solid air dam in front would be nicer - but that car is going to hang well over the front end of the trailer. Any flexible covering attached to the car may get caught in the wind and hammer your paint. I'd say really good mud flaps - even a temporary sheet of thick rubber hanging off the back bumper - would stop most of the worst of it. You can also get that vinyl wrap material in clear and just cover the front end. Some of the Bullrun guys use it to cover their exotics when planning 3,000 mile road trips and it's popular with Hellcat and other more expensive car owners. I wish I had read about it when I got my Scat Pack because I'm going to need to repaint the entire front air dam already.

If you're going both ways you may want to see if a local trailer store will rent you an enclosed hauler. There are some places near me that rent longer, better flat car haulers for about the same as U-Haul and also have enclosed trailers but I didn't check the price.

Troy

[Ryan.C]

Be careful! A solid air dam in front would be nicer - but that car is going to hang well over the front end of the trailer. Any flexible covering attached to the car may get caught in the wind and hammer your paint. I'd say really good mud flaps - even a temporary sheet of thick rubber hanging off the back bumper - would stop most of the worst of it. You can also get that vinyl wrap material in clear and just cover the front end. Some of the Bullrun guys use it to cover their exotics when planning 3,000 mile road trips and it's popular with Hellcat and other more expensive car owners. I wish I had read about it when I got my Scat Pack because I'm going to need to repaint the entire front air dam already.

If you're going both ways you may want to see if a local trailer store will rent you an enclosed hauler. There are some places near me that rent longer, better flat car haulers for about the same as U-Haul and also have enclosed trailers but I didn't check the price.

Clear vinyl wrap, sounds like an option. I will look that up. I was initially thinking a combination of bubble wrap and cellophane around the front clip and mud flaps.

Troy

[white]

I hauled my 68 450 miles with a uhaul box truck with trailer and it was fine. The box truck protected the car. If using your own vehicle I think the protected film is probably the best way to go.

[Moparpoolman]

maybe look into getting a quote from an enclosed automobile shipping company like "Reliable" or "Intercity Lines" and ship it.  After costs of a trailer, protective films, mud flaps, maybe a flat tire on trailer, and the added fuel from towing, it might be around the same costs 

[birdsandbees]

Check our "resident" car hauler here on DC.com. Maybe when the time comes he'll be in the area and take the worry out of it for you Ryan!

[Trulyvintage]

Check our "resident" car hauler here on DC.com. Maybe when the time comes he'll be in the area and take the worry out of it for you Ryan!

If you mean me - thanks ....  

I keep an updated thread here to show what I am currently hauling & where I am available to transport from next:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,81160.0.html

The first few pages show my custom open trailer - I used to do open transport - then I switched to enclosed several years ago.

Any vehicle will ride a lot safer in an enclosed trailer if you have to transport it a long distance.
Besides the normal debris coming up off the road - there is ongoing construction on some interstates.
Add the possibility of hail which can happen even in the summer months.

If you don't own or can't borrow an enclosed trailer - hire someone you can actually talk to up front first
who will be hauling your car - not an auto transport broker.

Go direct from pick up to drop off in the same trailer - don't have transfers & outside lot storage involved.

I winch all vehicles on & off my enclosed trailer - I never drive a car ....  


Jim

[charger chris]

That's a nice bee. 

[Trulyvintage]

Indeed ...  

One of three moparts that Lonnie had me haul for him from California to Oregon when he moved last year ....  

He built two of them .... 

Here are the other two ...  



Jim

[1970Moparmann]

With how nice your car looks, I would only tow it in a enclosed trailer.   

I "used to" tow with open trailers until I scrabbled when there was a hail storm.   Right before the hail storm I had a trailer tire blow out and it hit the side of the car.   Luckily it did not put a dent in the car, but it did leave a lot of rubber on the car that I was able to remove off carefully.

That purple 70 looks like the one my friend restored and it was shipped to CA.  Wonder if that is it!

[Trulyvintage]

Enclosed direct from pick up to drop off is the only way to haul a car you care about.

A car can get destroyed in a matter of minutes by hail.

Regarding the purple car - I don't think it was the same one.

Lonnie built a few over the years ....  

If I remember correctly - the black one he didn't do much to - I think it was a Roadrunner.

But the other two he built - both are factory six pack four speed 440 cars if I remember correctly.

I think he retired from Pacific Gas & Electric.

He moved to Bandon, OR.


Jim

[darbgnik]

When I sent my car off for paint, I sent it open transport, because, well, who cares.

In a month or so when it's shipped back, it will be in an enclosed trailer, not to be moved out till delivery, even though that costs more, it's worth it.