Simple question about towing a Chevi Nova '85 or '88

Hi everyone,
I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not damage
the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4 wheels on
the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either on the
newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu

Thanks

ALEX

Alejandro Castillo wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
> transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
> owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
> miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not damage
> the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4 wheels on
> the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either on the
> newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu

No. Rent a dolly (pretty cheap) and tow it with the front wheels off the
ground.

U-Haul quoted me a dolly for 180 dollars. A tow bar costs 50 on Ebay. That
is why I am inquiring about how safe is it for the car to tow it rolling the
4 wheels.

"mike gray" > wrote in message
...
> Alejandro Castillo wrote:
>> Hi everyone,
>> I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
>> transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
>> owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
>> miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not
>> damage the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4
>> wheels on the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either
>> on the newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu
>
> No. Rent a dolly (pretty cheap) and tow it with the front wheels off the
> ground.
>

(note, I removed the groups that were totally irrelevant)

Alejandro Castillo wrote:
>
> U-Haul quoted me a dolly for 180 dollars. A tow bar costs 50 on Ebay. That
> is why I am inquiring about how safe is it for the car to tow it rolling the
> 4 wheels.
>

If it's an auto you have to tow it with the drive wheels off
the ground or you'll likely damage the transmission severely.
If it's a stick you can tow it all four down, but you'll
need a robust tow vehicle. My recommendation is to rent the
dolly.

JazzMan
--
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"Alejandro Castillo" > wrote in message
...
> U-Haul quoted me a dolly for 180 dollars. A tow bar costs 50 on Ebay. That
> is why I am inquiring about how safe is it for the car to tow it rolling
the
> 4 wheels.

The transmission will overheat and destroy itself and cost more than $130 to
fix.

--
Michael Culley

On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 19:46:20 -0500, "Alejandro Castillo"
> wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
>transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
>owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
>miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not damage
>the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4 wheels on
>the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either on the
>newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu
>
>Thanks
>
>ALEX
>

If you don't want to rent a dolly then just pull the drive shaft off
while you are towing it.
--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789

AZGuy > writes:

<snip>

> If you don't want to rent a dolly then just pull the drive shaft off
> while you are towing it.

Both driveshafts? I believe the Nova he's talking about is
based on the Toyota Corolla, and has front wheel drive.

--
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not
represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.

AZGuy > wrote in message >. ..
> On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 19:46:20 -0500, "Alejandro Castillo"
> > wrote:
>
> >Hi everyone,
> >I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
> >transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
> >owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
> >miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not damage
> >the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4 wheels on
> >the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either on the
> >newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu
> >
> >Thanks
> >
> >ALEX
> >
>
> If you don't want to rent a dolly then just pull the drive shaft off
> while you are towing it.
>

Not as easy on an 80s Nova as on the one you're thinking of, I believe
that the Nova that the OP owns is actually a Toyota Corolla clone, not
the small Chevy RWD chassis that you're imagining.

nate

Alejandro Castillo wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> I need to tow a Chevy Nova, not sure whether ikt is '85 or '88. The
> transmission is automatic and it is front wheel drive. I do not have the
> owner's manual and since I plan to use a tow bar for towiong it for 600
> miles I would much appreciate if someone would tell me if I would not damage
> the car if I would just put it in neutral and towed it with all 4 wheels on
> the ground. Your responses will be greatly appreciated either on the
> newsgroup or by e-mail to a-castillo at tamu dot edu
>
> Thanks
>
> ALEX
>
>

Here is a easy simple response for you.

YOU WILL DAMAGE THE CAR. Get a proper trailer, or even rent a tow dolly
from U-haul. If you are too cheap, remove the CV axles, making sure to
insert the end of an old one into the transmission so the diff gears
don't fall out.

On 15 Sep 2004 11:17:09 -0400,
(Stephen H. Westin) wrote:

>AZGuy > writes:
>
><snip>
>
>> If you don't want to rent a dolly then just pull the drive shaft off
>> while you are towing it.
>
>Both driveshafts? I believe the Nova he's talking about is
>based on the Toyota Corolla, and has front wheel drive.


Ouch, that does change the equation. Rent a dolly now looks like a
WHOLE lot better option.
--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789