69sklarkconv

Mark Shaw Yes, most all the LARGE pismo clams are gone. We hear that when they protected the otters, their population exploded, and as they increased, the clams "disapeared", now the otters have dwindled also as the food supply is so much less! We still find the 5" and bigger clam shells on the beach left over from the otters meals sometimes so i know their are still some around. Very few people try to get them off the beach anymore. Now that the seals, and elephant seals are also all protected, the fish population is greatly shrinking. The seals are taking over Avila Beach, and Morro Bay harbours, and even sinking some sail boats as they over crowd the decks with their fat boddies as they bask in the sun. They gang up and party down so much they over weight the boat and sink it! So the commercial fisherman have mostly left the area, but the enviornmentalists have "saved the otters and seals"! As far as the boats and docks that they are sinking, hey, we all know 'THEY" were here first, and 'what right" do WE have to kick those sweet little cute creatures off those boats and docks! Sorry, I degress.... (Darn Save the planet wacko's!). Splash Cafe still make's the BEST clam chowder around. Even better than Boston, and Maine as we were there last year and tried theirs. We liked Splash Cafe's chowder much better. But then what do we know, we are both native Californians! Mike Dutra

Great FUN! I LOVE all the side topics too! I was born, live, and drive in California and to my knowledge ther is no such GVW restrictions on your registration, (except on trucks and driving trucks). So I really doubt any CHP would pull me over and question that. Cars with trailers are not requered to go through any of the "truck" scales either. If they took one look under the car at the MONSTER fabricated reciever hitch made out of near 1/4" thick steel channel Iron, cross braced (its shaped like a V cross brace over the top of {_} with the reciever attached at the bottom line center - like under that next l). They would probably say "where did you get, and who made such a beefed up hitch?" Hopefully the "Governator" (Arnold)is not reading this or he might think up a NEW tax for classic cars, towing trailers! Any way I am feeling VERY confident now that if I continue to be very cautious driving, and towing with this car, all should be ok & fine! But I know a truck will be comming in the not too distant future to take over the tow job from the Skylark as we would like to go camping in the national forest near us, (real roughen it) and I REFUSE to drive the Skylark on a long dirt road! For that matter, we can camp right ON THE BEACH within 5 miles of our house but wont because it would mean driving 3 miles down the beach (ON the hard packed sand), with the Skylark and that will never happen either! Thank you all so much with your help everyone. It has been a fun learning experiance, and a wonderful first post on the AACA site! If anyone has any questions about the California Napa Valley (lived ther for 32 years) or the Central California coast (Pismo Beach area, live their now) feel free to ask. I would love to help those who have helped me so much. Mike D.

Hello All again Thank You all so much for your replies! <span style="font-weight: bold">DizzyDale:</span> Yes, that is my big concern. We enjoy our convertible even without towing and camping and we do not want to damage the car by towing. Yet, I am not sure if you are old enough to remember, these cars were “Built like tanks” up to the early 70’s and that is when the FIRST gas crunch happened to cause everyone to “build light” for better mileage. In the 50’s, 60’s and most of the 70’s it was totally normal to tow a full size trailer or a big boat, with what was THEN considered to be a “mid size car”, (Like the Skylark). My Dad towed an early 60’s “Rod & Reel” full size camping trailer with his Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass all over the place with only drum breaks on the car, (I think it had an aluminum V8 engine). (In fact, I just remembered, he also towed that same trailer with his NEW 1972 Skylark!) I think the trailer possibly had surge brakes but that trailer had a FULL perimeter steel frame, with 2 x 4 wall and roof construction and had to weigh like 2500 – 3500 pounds. Unlike today, where you would NEVER think of towing much of anything with just a <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">car</span></span>. <span style="font-weight: bold">Bhigdog, Mark Shaw, Oldcarfud, Windjamer, & Huptoy,Trulyvintage, West Peterson, and Dave Moon:</span> Yes this new 2005 Rockwood Tent trailer <span style="font-weight: bold">HAS</span> very good electric trailer brakes with a“Tekonsha” electronic controller that I installed and wired under the dash in the Skylark. I can easily reach the controller and actuate the elect. Trailer brakes manually from in the car if needed, (to stop trailer sway), but have never needed to, otherwise it applies the trailer brakes proportionate to the stopping force being excreted on the tow vehicle. The heavy hitch (tongue) weight makes it tow like the trailer is not even behind you! Even hard side winds do not “Push” this trailer or car around hardly at all! The Skylark tows as good as my old 1995 Ford F-150, just with a LOT more class and enjoyment along the way! The only noticeable difference is big dips, or bumps. With the Skylark it “boings” or bounces more than the truck did. When I restored this Skylark Conv. I installed springs in the front of this 350 V8 A/C driven car, that were suppose to be in a 455 V8 with A/C car. I also put the “medium duty” <span style="text-decoration: underline">station wagon </span>springs in the rear. So both front and back spring rates are much stiffer than normal for a 350 V8 Skylark. It does ride a bit rougher when not towing, but corners good, and is not jarring or uncomfortable at all. I Also put a Master Power power front disc brake kit on the car which when combined with the trailer brakes will stop the car well enough. (Not as good as with no trailer in tow, but just takes a bit longer than what the F-150 would take to stop). When I had the F-150, I had a 1982 Starcraft “Starflyer 19” It only weighed like 2000 pounds. The Rockwood Trailer is built with light weight in mind. It has a relatively thin and small steel C channel perimeter frame. It clearly states in the manual to NOT use ANY type of load leveling gear with the trailer as the frame will not support it. Other than the occasional “boing” effect over large dips or bumps on the freeway, I do not need load leveling other than what the Air shocks supply as it totally tows fine and it does not negatively impact cornering, or handling. (Other than realizing you have the weight of almost another car behind you pushing you). So it is all a mental state of mind to <span style="font-weight: bold">NOT forget </span> that the trailer is back there! This IS a tent trailer, so the top of the trailer is about upper windshield height of the Buick. So it “hides” pretty much in the wake of the Buick slip stream. (It also reflects the exhaust sound back at you so when the top is down when towing it is Kind of LOUD from engine exhaust noise!) The Bike rack attaches to the trailer frame just behind the propane tank. Uprights from the frame lead to a level bar, which holds the front forks quick release of the bikes with the front tire removed. The back tire rests on the top of the tent trailer roof. No problems with wind age, or wagging from them either as they again, add more weight to the hitch weight. When we camp, we put “everything” into the trailer and leave the trunk almost empty as I figure it already HAS enough weight on it from the hitch weight. We load the trailer to put a balanced load in it so as to insure NOT to off load the hitch weight too much, yet put as much weight over the trailer axel as possible. <span style="font-weight: bold">JFranklin:</span> I have seen that movie! I think it was one of “Lucy’s” BEST shows! Totally Hilarious and exactly what I <span style="font-weight: bold">DO NOT</span> want to do! (Yet a good example of what the older CARS could actually TOW! WOW, sorry for the BOOK! (Too much coffee!) <span style="font-weight: bold">Please keep your thoughts and input coming. Let me know if I missed something. Or if you all STILL think I will damage my frame, or car with this 3000 pound trailer?</span> Thanx all, again Mike D. I wish I could figure out how to add pictures, I would post a couple.

Oh boy, back to the Dakota Idea... I have had a "running TOO HOT" problem that I had thought was from the 30 over bore job that was done during the rebuild, and the pipe headers. I could not figure it out with having added 50% more capacity to the radiator when I recor'd it with the extra row. That is why I added the truck fan clutch. It comes on at a lower tempreture and stays on. The car does not run hot at all with it, but that fan is loud, and sucks gas! The car even ran hot just by itself (no trailer) on very hot days. It would get up between 220 and 235 degrees and have me worried sick before I added the truck clutch fan. The stock idiot dash light never came on though, and it does work. I am getting my temp readings off the intake manifold. <span style="font-weight: bold">Anyone else notice this HOT problem with the oxygenated gas?</span>

Thanx so much for the replies, keep them coming, I am feeling a bit more safe dragging that trailer weight around with my 69er. I noticed the glove box sticker on my Skylark says 1100 pounds in the car for 6 passengers, and 200 pounds in the trunk is all that is recommended. Well I have 300 – 350 pounds riding out past the rear bumper! I do pump up the Gabriel air shocks to like 130 – 150 PSI and it totally levels out the car even with the load. It does BOING a bit over big bumps! We just got back from looking at a 2005 used Dodge Dakota crew cab, V8, & camper shell. It had a bolt on receiver type trailer hitch, that someone had welded a metal block on top of the receiver so as to BOLT the receiver hitch to the bumper through the stock bumpers trailer hitch ball hole??? Go Figure??? Maybe the receiver was bending down from too much load, so they tied it into the stock bumper. Either way, it just was not nearly as classy as my FINE 69 Red & white Convertible. It always makes you wonder on a used truck with a hitch like that, what in the world were they towing. How much did it weigh, and how abused is the motor after towing it??? Well, lets hope I get some more confirmation that what I am towing will not Kill my car’s frame and body! <span style="font-weight: bold">Hey Oldcarfudd, What is a "E-M-F" and how much would you say the trailer + E-M-F weighed? What would you guess the hitch weight was of what you were towing with your LeMans Convertable?</span> Mike D.

Hello All! I have a question concerning towing a LARGE / HEAVY camping tent trailer (pop up) with my 1969 Buick Skylark Custom Convertible. <span style="font-weight: bold">DO any of you remember seeing a late 60’s to early 70’s Buick Conv. Towing any large trailers back in their day?</span> The trailer I am towing is a 2005 Rockwood Premier Model 2308 tent trailer. The trailer has a “dry” (empty trailer) hitch weight of 291 pounds with a vehicle weight of 2283 pounds “dry”. After we load all the “stuff” on it, (including 2 adult bikes on a near hitch rack) it has to weigh like 2700 - 3000 pounds with probably a 325 – 350 tongue weight. My concern got way bigger when on our last camping trip, the older (5 years old) welded on receiver / hitch that I had custom made started to “rip” off at the weld at the bottom of the frame rail that it attached to. Luckily we noticed this due to the “sagging” bumper and not from a total failure while going down the road. We had a local hitch shop custom fabricate a totally NEW welded / bolt on to the side of the Buick frame rail, receiver hitch that reaches under the car a couple feet. They rated that hitch at 400 pound hitch weight and 4000 pound trailer weight. When I rebuilt the Skylark I planed to use it to tow, so I added an extra row when I recor-ed the stock radiator, rear Gabriel air shocks, heavy duty springs all the way around, trans and oil coolers, Truck clutch fan on the water pump, water TEMP. Gage, electric trailer brakes and wiring, front power disc brakes, etc. etc.. The engine is a rebuilt stock 350 with stock auto trans. with performance improvements, (Poston headers, Dual BIG exhaust, new 4bbl Q-jet, 9.1 compression, Light cam, etc.etc..) It tows fantastically! (Good TRUCK)! Yet even with the new hitch, when I drop the load on the ball, the bumper drops 1” down from where it usually sits. I had another custom hitch shop locally check it all out. They said it was the best hitch they had seen in years and should be fine. That the bumper drop was not a problem, just load pulling it down. (They tested out the hitch by putting in a 15 foot piece of 2” stock into the receiver and pushing down on it while watching EVERYTHING from under the car. <span style="font-weight: bold">Am I going to ruin my car dragging this trailer around, or do ‘you all’ think it can do it with out damaging the car / frame? Your comments would be greatly appreciated </span>as I am looking at buying a used V8 Dodge Dakota to tow with. But we LOVE to cruise around in our classic, top down, tent trailer in tow! (Gets LOTS of strange looks! You ought to see us pull in to the campground!) Still Driving MY classic! Mike D.