Moving a Pantera on flat bed tow truck

Yes.  Mine was transported that way.  Lance List, from his days doing this, instructed my driver to use the A-Arms to secure the car with the hooks the truck had Front and rear.  Came up from beneath and around.    Went fine.  Car rode over 100 miles problem free.

Wilkinson once had a Pantera arrive at his place with damaged a-arms.  It was a concourse car and the tow company's insurance had to pay several thousand to fix it.

I think Wilkinson said there are openings on the square tubes that comprise the main support for the chassis,  and those openings are intended for use when towing.

The photo below shows an opening that could be the one for towing.  This is at the front car, in front of the a-arm and steering rack support.

My hunch is that the front a-arms are less susceptible to damage than the rears.  I have seen a number of bent rear a-arms that may have been damaged when towed.

Steve, I it were me I would be there to supervise the entire operation.  Loading and unloading.

In the UK tow companies tend to use a ratchet strap that splits over the tyre like an upturned hammock, and only holds the wheels. Seems to work well. Also I seem to remember years ago about warnings not to tow in reverse. Does anyone recall?

You don’t want to tow in reverse because the deck lid can (and has) flown up, because it’s only held by a light-duty catch.

That was certainly a topic of discussion in the old PI News and POCA Newsletters.

I've transported my car on car carriers with the over-the-tire straps described above. Works well - that’s what I would use if all options were available.

Also agree with being there for both loading and unloading!

Rocky

They may secure tires with straps but you can't pull the car onto the flatbed that way.  Hooking onto the a-arms is the safest way to pull the car onto the bed.  You also have to have wood to ramp the car onto the truck bed as otherwise the front will scrape.  Do not attempt to pull the car by the two small hooks welded to the front lower panel.  I have also had my car towed using a low-boy trailer in which you can almost push the car onto the trailer.

@Phil Uk posted:

In the UK tow companies tend to use a ratchet strap that splits over the tyre like an upturned hammock, and only holds the wheels. Seems to work well. Also I seem to remember years ago about warnings not to tow in reverse. Does anyone recall?

Phil, I recall the same but can't find a post to substantiate.  Besides the latch concerns Rocky mentions, I THOUGHT somebody's rear (or possibly) front glass blew out while towing b/c the seal is not designed to withstand much pressure in a 'reversed' direction.

Might be a myth/hogwash but I won't tow my car backwards, at least not at highway speeds!

Tire straps are the best way to accomplish this without any damage.

Why would anyone purposely tow backwards?

Can you ask around for a tow company that has experience towing exotic cars before you take the risk?

Thank you everyone.  This is has been good input.  Here are my take aways from this:

1.  Make sure the tow truck has webbing that goes over the wheels.  This ensures that no a-arms get bent.

2.  Do not put the car on the truck (or trailer) backwards.  If either of the deck lid latches were to release due to wind catching the deck lid there would be significant damage.

I plan to check with Wilkinson about placement of the wench hook that pulls the car onto the flatbed.

@stevebuchanan posted:

wench hook

Hmmmmm.....Freudian slip?

Well, it passed spellcheck!

I think people early-on figured reverse loading was correct for proper trailer tongue wt. But the pot metal deck lid latch failed under 60-70 mph towing air blasts and flipped so far over it broke windshields on two Panteras..

There are factory tow loops under the radiator crossmember up front but as delivered, they're bent so flat you cannot get a hook in the loops. It takes quite an effort to bend them down so they're usable.

When I've trailered my car I've been able to drive it on. The tires are biased towards the rear. I leave the window down so I can get out. Otherwise I would use a winch. I use those yellow ratchet stapes that are 2+". Go over the A frame and through the middle. Under the center and then back through the A-frame from below and over the top towards the tie down on the trailer. I also use tire chalks on front and back. I tie each tire together with a small rope so they don't bounce out. Here in my state it is "secure your load" and if you don't you are liable for the results. I've never had to use a ramp truck but I would go with Rocky on being there. 

I always tow a Pantera backwards , otherwise the pressure on my towhook is not good.

I use a rope for secure the decklid inside the trunk, sometimes on the outside with a strap .

For sure I do this when there is a wing mounted.

Into the EU we have not such big trailers as into the USA.

Simon

Today Wilkinson showed me the cutout on the chassis that was engineered for towing.  It is an oval slot (on a diagonal) that is designed to accept a "T" hook.  The metal in that area of the car has double thickness.  This slot should be used as the anchor point for the winch on the flat bed truck.

Once the car is on the flat bed, I think webbing over the wheels is the least likely way to damage the car when securing it to the truck.

Here are photos of the slot and an example of a "T" hook.

Also, he said just about every tow truck has "T" hooks in their bag of tricks.

Well done, Steve.  I love it when I learn something new! Nice post

I didnt know this , and looks a good idea , but dont will work in the practice .

The pulling rope/cable/chain  will damage the front valance .

In Europe they dont use the ,,T"hooks  and wonder if the early Pantera's also have those holes .

Maybe it was a Idea from Ford  ?

Simon

It looks like it was a DeTomaso design since Pushbutton #1313 has it as well.

I was also wondering about the front valance but Wilkinson says this is the proper way to pull the car onto a flat bed.

I took Steve's advice and got a set of these hooks.  $20 (delivered on eBay).

They fit great, and by having them in the car, it means I will never again need to be towed.

The chain allows a standard tow hook to grab onto the hook assembly.

You can feel the doublers in the chassis if you poke your finger in there.

The holes also SEEM LIKE they are set back far enough that the cable doesn't appear like it will hang up on the front valence or my spoiler, but I would be watching that very carefully on the first pull, especially if you are pulling "up".

Certainly they will work well if you have to tie down the car.

Rocky

Agreed with a few here, have towed my car quite a few times different ways.  this is a pre-l btw with the small front valence.

uhaul auto transport - backward - winched just above the hitch for low angle from single a-arm - put long strap on a-arm with forward point for cable attachment.

uhaul tow dolly - backwards (locked steering wheel after wadot approved securing method) - pushed onto dolly with dolly wheels low into driveway apron for low incline up ramps. (towed over 270 miles this way) with a box truck in front of the dolly for wind break.

flatbed towtruck - backwards - the incline of a flatbed is very high on most trucks and the rear is really the best bet for no rubbing against the body with a strap.  I've had flatbed drivers put their rear wheels in driveway apron gutters to lower the incline.

i never found the decklid popping to be an issue, but i also wasn't towing at world speed records either. i like the idea of additional securing the decklid if towing backwards though. a lot of common sense, watch the cable as its pulling, if you see it getting close to touching the body, its a bad tow point or rigging, factory or not.  The factory cars sat higher with taller tires than where many cars probably sit now, so keep that in mind.

I ended up moving the car on a Uhaul trailer.  I have done this several times before and it is a safe and practical way to transport a Pantera.  The flatbed would have been more convenient but I did not want to risk any damage to the car.