Tow bar designs

[canuck]

Hello chaps,
I remember seeing our Riley equipped with a tow bar. I will suppose these were DIY or perhaps not? Anyway I want to install a tow bar to my car. 

Would one of you be able to direct me to a design? I can fabricate so anything made of angle or flat bar will do.

The roof carrier does not always fit the task,  I have a small utility trailer that I will use.





B

[kiwimc]

This is mine Bruce, on the car when I bought it.

J

 

[canuck]

Hello John,
This is exactly the simplicity I was hoping, and appears to be nicely concealed by the bumper blade. 

Difficult to tell from your photo however I surmise the transverse square steel section, (1.5" x 1.5" ?)  has vertical tabs welded to the ends that attach to the bumper blade bolts?

I will be near my car later this coming week and will do a recce.  

Thanks

B

[kiwimc]

I'll check tonight.

[tonyhosk]

Hi Bruce

I also had a towbar on mine when I got it.

When mounting the shell onto the rotisserie, I used the towbar frame to attach to the rear of the assembly and I'm attaching two photos to show the design of the bar frame. In my case the towbar ball was bolted through the bumper blade. File size is big so a third photo to be posted separately.

tony

Attachments:

[tonyhosk]

Bruce

no idea how the last photos are on twice!!

Here iare two more - hope they help. If you need dimensions of the bar just let me know, but because it is curved it may not suit trying to duplicate.

good luck

tony

[kiwimc]

Hi Bruce,

just confirming that the square section is indeed 1.5" x 1.5", with vertical (1/4" probably) plates welded on the end.

I've never put a trailer on to test it out.

J

[canuck]

This is great chaps. 
John,
I like the hidden feature of your one, however Tony' looks much more substantial?
In any event I will use this hitch very occasionally, I have a light utility trailer that I use for short jaunts to the tip etc. No caravan vacations in my future. 


Tony,
your car look amazing.  I am mega jealous.  Interesting how without the 'chrome' side trims transforms the lines.  

Question; do you know where you procured the rear screen seal and trim ? I have a front one but the rear with the wider inner rubber bit eludes me.

Thanks again I will have a look at my car I should be near it Thursday onwards for a few days.

Bruce

[tonyhosk]

Hi Bruce

Believe it or not, this was how the car looked before I started to take it apart!!! It had been recently painted before I bought it and it hid a multitude of sins beneath when I started to really dig. However, the good bits are in remarkably good condition where the dreaded rust has not got at it.

I bought the car mainly because I needed a new project, but also because my wife Sue's father had been a chief fire officer in North Wales back in the 50s and 60s. His staff car was - you guessed it - a Riley 1.5!! However it was black and that is the colour Sue wants it when I have finished the bodywork.

She remembers as a youngster travelling around N Wales with her dad - if there was an emergency somewhere, he would tell her to get into the passenger footwell while he stuck the 'blue light' on the roof and got motoring - apparently he did the same if they were just stuck in a tourist queue! In those far-off days all the station ops rooms would have wooden coloured pieces for the various stations and appliances set out on a large map table. Sometimes ' Llanberis' or similar would go missing and be found eventually in Sue's bedroom.

Been too cold to do much to the bodywork for several weeks but will be getting back to it in a week or two.

Good luck with the towbar.

Cheers

Tony

[tonyhosk]

Me again

I forgot to answer your question about the rear seal. The one in the photo is of course the original that I subsequently removed with the rear screen. I procured a new rubber seal from Riley Club Spares and stored it with the sound chrome surround. It will be some time before I find out if there seal is the right size!

Tony

[canuck]

Mar 2, 2022 23:16:29 GMT tonyhosk said:

Hi Bruce

my wife Sue's father had been a chief fire officer in North Wales back in the 50s and 60s. His staff car was - you guessed it - a Riley 1.5!! However it was black and that is the colour Sue wants it when I have finished the bodywork.

Good luck with the towbar.

Thanks Tony, 
Yes when I had another look I see the seam missing at the front wing to sill junction.    
I still have much to do with my one as well. Not much has happened through the winter months. My MGB has taken most of my garage time. 

The change from White colour to Black colour will be quite a transformation. On my behalf let you good wife Sue know she has good taste in colour for the Riley.  Show her my one for inspiration. 


Keep well

Bruce