I picked up one for my 'bird, but I have a question for those who have installed one on a 3rd gen before.

The hitch has captive nuts for bolts to spin in to. But it appears to line up to use the rear bumper support for mounting, which sounds great until you realize that the bumper support uses captive bolts & the nuts spin onto those.

In other words...The studs cant spin into the captive nuts & the captive nuts can't spin onto the studs. WTF?

Gotta knock out the studs & use new bolts? Or know off the captive nuts & re-use the stock nuts?

 

Nobody?

I know I've seen pics of 3rd gens on TGO with small trailers, like those used for AutoX to carry their race compound tires on the "race" wheels.

 

post up some pics of what you have

I've had two different styles mounted to my car with none of those issues you mentioned.

 

The hitch has the 2 captive nuts which means using a bolt, but the bumper "bolts" are captive so they can't spin. They use a standard nut.

Is there something I'm not seeing? Does the hitch line up somewhere else & use its own bolts?

 

that is the exact same hitch I had in my IROC for race tire hauling duty. I knocked the bolts out of the bumper/frame mount and used my own bolts to bolt the hitch on.

 

Ah. So just knock out the stock bumper "bolts" (studs) & replace them with bolts?

 

How about knocking out the captive nuts from the hitch, pulling the stock nuts off, slip the hitch onto the stock studs & putting the stock nuts on?

If the captive nuts weren't there, that woulda been my thought on how it gets installed.

I bought it used, so no install instructions to go by.

 

1MeanZ, does this sound like a reasonable solution, without buying all new bolts & taking everything off to knock the stock studs out?

 

Any ideas on if that would work?

 

I bought that same Draw-Tite tow bar new many years ago when they were still in production. Did you get the plastic cover that snaps onto it when not towing? I'll see if I can find my instructions. I used to tow a PWC trailer and my HiLo travel trailer. I've long since retired my Camaro from towing duties though.

Lon

 

All I got was the hitch itself in the pics. No bolts/nuts/cover/drawbar/instructions/nothing.

 

OK, that will be a bit of a problem. It is a low-profile non-standard size. You'll need to fabricate one since it has been discontinued. Draw-tite still makes a tow receiver with the same name and model number as this, but they've cahnged the design to the standard dimension square style bar instead of this low-profile version. PM me you e-mail address and I'll take pictures of it and e-mail to you. I can also e-mail the scanned instructions. The captured nuts can be created by welding a strapping material to a nut, then drilling a hole through the strap. You just need something that you can push through the hole and hold in place while you start the bolt. Once the bolt is tightened the strap coils around inside the frame keeping the nut from spinning.

Lon

Lon

 

How much for the hitch lonsal?

 

I still have the one that I posted above. I bought a truck last week so I no longer need the 3rd gen hitch. $50+shipping & it is yours. And I do have the captured nuts Lon spoke of. Only thing "missing" is the instructions.

 

Awesome pm me some photos

 

Actually more than just the instructions are missing. The tomgue that goes into the receiver that the hitch ball attached to and the locking pin that holds it in place are also missing. Also missing the plastic cover that snaps into the hole of the receiver when you have removed the flat piece with the ball.

In one of the earlier posts about this style of trailer hitch receiver on TGO someone posted a link to site where you could purchase that part that the hitch ball mounts to. I was surprised considering it's been at least 5 or 6 years since Draw-Tite discontinued this style and switchecd to the standard square-shaped receiver version.

Lon

 

got a link to the square version?

 

The flat style draw var is stil readily available. Maybe not at your local Wal Mart, but it can easily be ordered online or bought at a trailer place/Tractor Supply/etc.

http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/p...-receiver.aspx

 

Not it. That might work with some modification. At the minimum you'd have to drill a hole for the locking pin. Then come up with the locking pin which is different than the mornal pin with a clip. I just looked in the corner of the garage and trunk of my Camaro and didn't find mine. I'll keep looking and either post a picture of mine or a link to where you can buy one.

Lon

 

I've gotta correct what I wrote. In searching for the link to the flat piece that slips into the receiver I found a post I wrote back in 2002 where I lamented that the cool flat-style Draw-Tite Sportline hitch receiver was discontinued.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/afte...ler-hitch.html

 

Actually what you need to do, as a MODERATOR, is the edit up all the junk you stirred up & posted in MY THREAD.

The hitch is now up for sale, since I got me a truck& am selling all my spare 3rd stuff & likely the GTA too before too long. PM me if anyone is interested in buying the hitch.