Bought My first Project car! 1956 Humber!
- Thread starter Mattwizz3
- Start date
westend
Audiopile
Nice old ride, I bet you can get that "parade ready". It reminds me of some older Chrysler cars I owned. They were a comfortable ride but not built for freeway speeds.
I wouldn't tow that with anything less than a bigger pickup truck. It's not just about adding up the weights and coming out to the positive. I'm doubting that a Fairlane will handle the tongue weight of the trailer. The front wheels of a car are going to be barely touching pavement. I wouldn't use a Jeep, either. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news but the price of a truck rental may be cheaper than the outcome of using a vehicle that is too small. If you have to take passengers, I'd suggest renting a crew cab pickup and making an enjoyable trip out of it.
I wouldn't tow that with anything less than a bigger pickup truck. It's not just about adding up the weights and coming out to the positive. I'm doubting that a Fairlane will handle the tongue weight of the trailer. The front wheels of a car are going to be barely touching pavement. I wouldn't use a Jeep, either. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news but the price of a truck rental may be cheaper than the outcome of using a vehicle that is too small. If you have to take passengers, I'd suggest renting a crew cab pickup and making an enjoyable trip out of it.
Sandy G
Retired Member
350 ? Nah. Full-house 454 or 455 Rat is the only way to go....Mbwahahahahaha...
petehall347
the brandy coffee man
keep it original don't spoilt it .. blimey it deserves it. 56 years old and still going ..
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
Yes, keep it original. Restore it back to her former glory. Not too many of them around these days. Rootes Group UK Classic.
petehall347
the brandy coffee man
i would think that engine if running correctly and a service new oil and filter etc will be reliable ..
Mattwizz3
Web-er-web user...
Cant seem to find any information on the fords transmission. Its a 2005 Fairlane G220. Which apparently has a 5.4l V8, and auto...
I'm currently trying to track down a better tow car, at this stage though the Fairlane is the only car I can get to, I have plenty of time to track something more suitable down though.
I'm currently trying to track down a better tow car, at this stage though the Fairlane is the only car I can get to, I have plenty of time to track something more suitable down though.
similost
Rockin and Rollin....
Had a buddy that was here from down under for a few months. Him and his wife just went back a couple weeks ago..
While he was here, he bought a 66 GTO to have shipped back... He paid over 30K for it, and then the costs to ship, and then has to do a little more resto work on it.. He said even after he has all of that done, he'll still make money on it because the more uncommon cars, like the GTO are pretty rare there, and people pay stupid money for them.
He said one thing that makes it possible to do now is, that they no longer have to convert any old cars over to right hand drive like they used to ....
For that kinda money, makes we want to get into the export cars to Australia business..
Engine wise it will handle it 300hp and 348 ft/lb torque I couldent find out the trans they call it a manumatic. towing capacity listed at 2300kg = 5020 lbs should be fine I was thinking of older Fairlanes my bad
they quit making them in US many years ago The G220 looks suspiciously
similar to the Ford panther platform that was used in the crown vic here 1979 until 2011 with updates. widely used in police /taxi fleets sturdy RWD body on frame car .
Towing capacity
Max towed mass (trailer plus load) 2300 kg
http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring/reviews/car-reviews/ford/fairlane-ghia-ba-g220-ltd.htm
petehall347
the brandy coffee man
i just towed a 1.5 tonne trailer 70 miles with my already full of heavy tools near scraping the road ford Mondeo 1.8 litre diesel ..never got in 5th gear but it did it ..i planned the flattest route no big hills as i knew if i was stopped it wouldn't set off again . this was a mercy mission though ..girl with young daughter ..some idiot tried welding tow hitch to the truck with snot .lets say she was lucky nothing else involved ..
i think your 4 litre wont have a problem ..bearing in mind my car is manual so more forgiving .
i think your 4 litre wont have a problem ..bearing in mind my car is manual so more forgiving .
thilaseen
Super Member
That's fine but Melbourne to Sydney is about 900 kms with lots of hills and if the combo is not 100% legal there is a potential big problem. The NSW cops just LOVE Victorian registered vehicles so you would run the risk of being stranded 500 kms from home which would be a bit stressful.
I imagine that Matt has already, or is in the process of determining the regs as well as the capability of the Fairlane.
I imagine that Matt has already, or is in the process of determining the regs as well as the capability of the Fairlane.
Mattwizz3
Web-er-web user...
I've been looking around for a solution for the tow car, and was going to use a Toyota Hilux or Landcruiser and very surprisingly they had lower towing capacities than the fairlane. There is just no way I can get my hands on a better car so to make it safe I've devised a plan!
Minimise the weight being towed by moving the spare tires of the Humber and trailer to the boot of the fairlane and take advantage of the Humbers "Dry weight" by spending time draining everything.
To make sure we don't ruin the car or have a MASSIVE accident I purchased a Load distribution hitch. I'm also going to be taking one less person with us. I feel a lot better about the situation now, mostly because of the new hitch which is also height adjustable to make sure the trailer is at the right level. If it all goes well we should be towing 2.2 tons rather than 2.4. I'm bringing fishing scales with me and anything that can easily be taken off I'll put in the car! Not in the boot either, in the middle in the spare seat foot well, or turfed all together.
Pretty sure I'm going to be too petrified to drive faster than 75KPH after watching this though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEkKYJEZT0 :worried:
Honestly I lost sleep over that video. But so far the plans are looking good and we now have 3 days to get the car rather than 2 and I booked the trailer for 4 days so I can get home and relax before I have to face the car again. Given that there will be 3 of us, a 9 hour trip (anticipating 12 hours back) shouldn't be too bad sharing the driving.
All up the cost of the trip, including the purchase price of the car should be about $1600. Pretty good I think, especialy since I can probably sell the load distribution hitch for at least $350 once I'm done with it, given it is rated to 4 tons and summer is coming up so everyone will be getting ready for caravan holidays while I'm getting ready for a car resto! Should be a good summer this year! I'll keep you guys updated with how the trip goes, the progress of the car and lots of photos!
Minimise the weight being towed by moving the spare tires of the Humber and trailer to the boot of the fairlane and take advantage of the Humbers "Dry weight" by spending time draining everything.
To make sure we don't ruin the car or have a MASSIVE accident I purchased a Load distribution hitch. I'm also going to be taking one less person with us. I feel a lot better about the situation now, mostly because of the new hitch which is also height adjustable to make sure the trailer is at the right level. If it all goes well we should be towing 2.2 tons rather than 2.4. I'm bringing fishing scales with me and anything that can easily be taken off I'll put in the car! Not in the boot either, in the middle in the spare seat foot well, or turfed all together.
Pretty sure I'm going to be too petrified to drive faster than 75KPH after watching this though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEkKYJEZT0 :worried:
Honestly I lost sleep over that video. But so far the plans are looking good and we now have 3 days to get the car rather than 2 and I booked the trailer for 4 days so I can get home and relax before I have to face the car again. Given that there will be 3 of us, a 9 hour trip (anticipating 12 hours back) shouldn't be too bad sharing the driving.
All up the cost of the trip, including the purchase price of the car should be about $1600. Pretty good I think, especialy since I can probably sell the load distribution hitch for at least $350 once I'm done with it, given it is rated to 4 tons and summer is coming up so everyone will be getting ready for caravan holidays while I'm getting ready for a car resto! Should be a good summer this year! I'll keep you guys updated with how the trip goes, the progress of the car and lots of photos!
Sandy G
Retired Member
Well, PLEASE take it easy & go slow. Still wish you could have got an American pickup w/AT LEAST a "Ton" rating, & preferrably dual rear wheels. An F350 would have been adequate, but an F-450 or 550 would have given a bigger margin of safety. Be SURE you have trailer brakes-I think that might have been where those Russian idiots in the video went wrong.
Mattwizz3
Web-er-web user...
I'll be using a tandem trailer with hydraulic brakes. FYI those big F trucks are pretty scarse here. Will definitely be taking it easy. The Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore are the most common cars on the roads here, and you see people towing large caravans and boats with them more often than you would see an F truck parked. I voiced my concerns to some of my friends the the consensus was that "She'll be right"
Seriously though, I'm definitely going to be taking it slow.
Seriously though, I'm definitely going to be taking it slow.
westend
Audiopile
The weight distributing hitch will serve you well, especially if it has sway control bars. Just take it slow, like you plan and all should be OK. If the Ford is equipped with overdrive, leave it off, you'll have a much better torque curve and its easier on the tranny. Don't know how warm it is down your way but watch your temps and inspect your rig eveytime you stop.
Just curious, how much wind does a road train bring in the opposite lane?
Kidding, have a good trip and congrats on the car.
Just curious, how much wind does a road train bring in the opposite lane?
Kidding, have a good trip and congrats on the car.
Mattwizz3
Web-er-web user...
Well all went very, very well! Given I bought this on e-bay and didnt see the car before I bought it, the condition of the car is pretty good. No more rust than expected, and the worst rust is in the sills, which are bolt on and apparently fiber glass replacements can be bought through various Humber clubs around.
Towing the car couldn't have gone better. The car must have been perfectly loaded, and the load distribution hitch did its job well. Driving it the car and trailer just seemed very planted and stable, and the Humber didn't move an inch.
It was a little difficult getting the car off the trailer but everything went pretty darn well I think. I spent today tinkering and managed to get the engine to run! Although, I discovered it has a blown head gasket, it was puffing smoke through the thermostat.
The guy who sold the car to us said that he had a few spare parts and even head gaskets for us, he even had contacts for a guy who can supply us with new window rubbers. I'll buy the needed gaskets and get stuck into the engine once I have the money to get the parts ball rolling.
VERY happy, I don't think the trip could have gone better! This will probably be a VERY slow process but I'll post updates as interesting things happen!
Towing the car couldn't have gone better. The car must have been perfectly loaded, and the load distribution hitch did its job well. Driving it the car and trailer just seemed very planted and stable, and the Humber didn't move an inch.
It was a little difficult getting the car off the trailer but everything went pretty darn well I think. I spent today tinkering and managed to get the engine to run! Although, I discovered it has a blown head gasket, it was puffing smoke through the thermostat.
The guy who sold the car to us said that he had a few spare parts and even head gaskets for us, he even had contacts for a guy who can supply us with new window rubbers. I'll buy the needed gaskets and get stuck into the engine once I have the money to get the parts ball rolling.
VERY happy, I don't think the trip could have gone better! This will probably be a VERY slow process but I'll post updates as interesting things happen!