bem944

I finally "graduated" to my own trailer tonight (vs. renting one from U-Haul every race weekend). Now I need to get a good tow point on rear of car. I like the Autometrics kit that bolts to the bottom of the rear suspension. But I am leaning to the KLA kit which looks easier to install. However, I am at a loss to find the 3 three bolt holes described in the install insructions:

http://www.klaindustries.net/reartow...ow-install.htm

Anyone ever installed this kit before?

Julian Allen

These hooks

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...=43572&R=43572

fit in the already present cups just in front of the bumper on our cars. You can attach ratchet straps to them and then to your trailer. And, they work for other cars as well!

Usual disclaimer--no commercial interest in Northern, YMMV, etc.

jerome951

OG Racing sells their lower shock mount adapters for less than the Autometrics ones.

http://www.ogracing.com/eshop/home.asp?categ=88

I've been using mine for a year and they work well if you don't want to tie to the chassis.

RedlineMan

Hey Guys;

The realities are:

If Julian is talking about the round jack points that are located at various points on the frame, THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. These are NOT designed for this purpose, and not reinforced in any way. The hooks that he mentions are NOT DESIGNED for any holes found in the chassis that I am aware of. They are designed for an "eye slot" hole - a round hole big enough for the "T" head to pass through, but then a slot only big enough for the neck of the "T" to pass into. If there are such holes in a Porsche frame, I am unaware of them.

There are spots just in front of the rear body panel on the frame rails where three point loops can be bolted on. However, if the loops are not quite sturdy material, they will bend when you cross strap the car. The car I have in ths hop now has these type, made of 1/4" aluminum, and they are useless for cross strapping. If they are heavy steel, then these spots work OK, even if they are a little close to most tie down points on the deck. These spots ARE quite good for a straight strapping point for those smart enough to straight & cross strap the rear of their cars.

Bolting under the shock bolt with the type OG racing sells is arguably the best spot, but again, the material needs to be fairly stout or it will bend. I made my own hooks from a leaf of a truck spring. 0.50" thick of the highest grade steel and rugged as heck!

Julian Allen

Sorry John, but I'm going to disagree.
The site in question is designed for these T-hooks. The hole isn't round, but more of a "comma" or apostrophe shape. The hooks go in with the "T" aligned with the longitudinal axis of the car, twist 90 degrees and stay there. The "cups" are multiply spot welded on. You can see a picture of these on the KLA site: they are directly in line with the mounting point for the KLA pieces.
When the cars are shipped, the truck/ship ties down to these points in the rear, and there are two brackets mounted forward of the front wheels on the longitudinal frame member used up front. Dealer or PMNA prep would remove the front brackets.
I'll stand by my original remarks. I've used these exclusively to tie down the rear of my cars.

jerome951

I can attest that the OG shock mount units are stout. They're designed (angled) for crossing straps in the rear, but I assume they would be strong enough to run straps straight back. If you don't cross straps in the rear, you could always flip them over so the angle is more rearward rather than lateral.

mitch236

When you tie down your car, you chould be using the unsprung points. Meaning the wheels or suspension mounting points distally. On my car, I use the Autometrics for the rear and the wheels for the front.

Doug Donsbach

Yes, I have the kit installed on my car. The holes are covered with a heavy layer of the body seal the factory applied to the bottom of the car. Try looking from the inside of the storage cubbys on either side of the hatch area. On the other hand, I just noticed your car is an early one and I'm not sure the holes existed on those.

Oddjob

The KLA parts must be a copy of the factory tie down points.

At least two of my cars had those rear tie downs installed on them from the factory (they are painted black, not zinc coated). Since they are in an awkward location for most trailer setups I can imagine, I actually removed them and used the lower shock mount OG type.

Bill L Seifert

I removed the dust shields on the brakes, so I can run the tie down straps through the wheels. My tie down ratchets have hooks on both ends, so I hook them to the same floor tiedown on the trailer. I put the front one on tighten it, put the car in neutral, put the rear one on and tighten it. Some people use 4, but I just use one on the right front, and one on the left rear. Never have had a problem, but of course I have never wrecked the rig either. It never moves, and I check it every time I stop for gas. So far so good. My straps came for the Air National Guard, and were used to hold C130's down. I figure if it can hold a C130 down in a thunderstorm, it can hold my car.

I'll let you know if I ever crash, and give the results.

Bill Seifert

1987 944S Race Car

jc22

When I isntalled these I found a "dummy" plate bolted there from inside the cubby. I just took the 3 nuts off and knocked it into the storage cubby with a hammer. I have used these for a while and they seem to be pretty strong with no bending from crossing the straps. I figured the dummy plate was bolted on after the car arrived and was prepped for delivery. Although I do still have the two front hooks attached to the frame rails.

Wc0001

Is there an advantage to the OG tie downs being angled as opposed to the Autometrics being straight? I would think it would be better to cross the rear straps on most trailers.