Now here’s a towing rig worthy of CPOTW (Cohort Picture Of The Week): a Canadian Pontiac Acadian (Chevette – Pontiac T1000), and being pulled by a Geo Metro, no less. This was shot by Bowen/Flat-Black66, in Quebec. How perfect indeed. Our northern neighbors are a creative bunch. And here’s another one from Canada:
Our Canadian Correspondent Dave Saunders spotted this well-loved Chevette that hasn’t yet been turned into a trailer. Ground-effects skirts, no less. Maybe there’s something other than the stock engine under the hood?
By chopping 50%(ish) of the car off they increased it’s utility and reliability 100%!
A guy I used to work with bought a diesel-engined Chevette in Quebec, of all things. He took it to a Chevy dealer once to get it serviced and they’d never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen one. Buddy figured it was one of a few test-run models or some such thing. He took it in to the shop for a diesel mech to check out (we were working for the railroad) and the guy told him, ‘don’t touch it and it will run forever.’ He did eventually get rid of it because, well, it was a Chevette…
They made them, but they were very rare. it used an Isuzu engine. They also made an Isuzu diesel powered Chevy S-10 pickup. I’ve seen one of those before.
Ford made a diesel version of the Tempo too, using a Mazda diesel. I remember seeing one of those running around locally. The owner had added a big “Diesel Fuel Only” sticker around the filler door.
Neat! Thanks for the info.
I’m waiting for a post on the Omni to tell about the guy I knew who had one with a big straight-6 in it, stock!
The first picture reminds me of a rig that I used to drive when I was doing AC service work. Had an 81 Datsun pickup and a pickup trailer that tagged along behind it. Datsun and son of datsun both had overload springs and would take a beating. Trailers are overlooked. If you have a place to park them they can turn an early japanese truck into a one ton.
Preach On Brother!
A correctly sized trailer turns automotive mortals into stuff moving titans. Most RWD vehicles can easily tow 1.5 times their own weight equipped with a transmission cooler and driven conservatively.
My Mazda trailer is carrying about a ton, but the overload “springs” are the redneck variety–brackets hold chunks of 4 x 6 between the axle and the frame. It’s a fire trailer, with a 210 gallon tank and pump. With the tank empty, the springs work a bit, but it settles in with little water.
I tow it with my tractor (ball hitch on the drawbar) and loaded speed is about 5 MPH, at least that’s all I’m willing to try. The tractor redlines at 11 MPH, but with that rig, I wouldn’t be the driver. The battery box in the Mazda is the right size for a gallon fuel can. The regular tank is long gone, and I haven’t bothered with electrics. Best $100 I ever spent on a trailer.
The trailer is either a vette or a T500.
Saw a Chevette at a small car show up here in Northern Ontario last summer. I started to walk by thinking “Chevette, bah…wrong wheels on it, too”. The hood was up and I looked.
Said “VOLVO” on the valve cover.
?????!
I talked to the guy a bit. An turbo four engine from a 740(? can’t remember), a 240 rear axle (fits right in!) and Volvo wheels all around. The front wheels attached through adaptors to the Fiero bits on the front end.
The heater box had to come off when he dropped the engine in and he hadn’t got around to fabbing something to replace it. But otherwise, it sure made me smile. 🙂
I’m sorry, but aerodynamically speaking, that trailer is a dealbreaker (esp. if the Metro has the 3-pot in the front, and God forbid the slushbox).
A friend of mine actually built a stretched Metro using two cars along with some honeycomb aluminum board (courtesy of the now-closed Boeing Surplus Store) and fiberglass. He uses it to transport his electrathon vehicle around. It actually still gets excellent fuel economy (the guy has built countless EVs and EV conversions)
There is a picture of it at the beginning of this website:
http://pushertruck.com/2011/06/greenwood-thoughts-morning-after.html
And here is info on electrathon racing vehicles:
http://www.electrathonamerica.org/Welcome_to_Electrathon_America.html
One way to increase the value of a Chevette is to simply fill the tank with gas.
As to trailers, my strategy is to be sure my BFF always has a pickup and a trailer. This has been working for the past 20 years.
I’m at a point in my life where I buy new cars for both my wife and myself. She leases, I buy. These things are appliances. I want just one thing. Start in the morning and night, and pass the annual sniff and safety tests.