RE: Towing a spider, SUV's and the Movie, "The Graduate". Where's the car?

["Brian Shorey" <bshorey@domain.elided>]

>      First, on towing a spider about 600 miles. If you can take the 
> driveshaft out super. But, you can tow it just about as easily without
the 
> extra effort. One thing you do want to do is check and make sure the
fluids 
> in the rear end and  transmission are topped off . Another thing (I'm 

<snip>

>  A friend is actually towing a "beat to death by a former girlfriend"
'74  
> spider ( and a VERY sweet new lady friend  who loves Alfas )from
Virginia to 
> Washington state right as we speak (Bryan Carter, Rosso 75 if you know
him) . 
> He's flat towing  (tow hitch connected to the bumper mounts directly
)it with 
> the transmission and driveshaft out. We topped off the rear end and
he's 
> calling me nightly from the road reporting  zero problems. Flat towing
is an 
> option.
<snip>

Towing is not the problem.  The problem is what kind of damage you might
be doing to your transmission while you're towing.

If I understand the problem correctly, when you're flat or dolly towing,
the output shaft of the transmission is rotating but the input shaft is
not.  That *may* result in a situation in which the fluid is not flowing
effectively inside the box, and overheating may result.  Over 3,000
miles, you may do some damage to the internals of the box.

At a minimum, I'd change the fluid when the car arrives, it might be
toasted.

But it would be better, and safer, to disconnect the drive shaft and
eliminate the problem altogether.

bs
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