I have been thinking about a tow vehicle for my Chevelle when going to the track. I have had to tow it home two times to the tune 500 and change. So with that in mind... The vehicle will be towing the Chevelle on a trailer. It will all so have to be my everyday driver so milage is a concern. I was thinking of an Astro Van, two wheel drive with a 4.3 Votec. Is the Astro too small ? I don't want a diesel duallie, my wife would throw me out for sure. She isn't going to know what it's for in the beginning.
Any suggestions would be appreciated

I have a 96 Blazer 4WD with a 4.3 Vortec. I have a class 2 hitch and pull my 37 Chevy to some long distance shows with a front wheel dolly.

It has plenty of power for that but remember this car weighs about 3100 lbs. Chevelles go to 4000 plus.

I use Drive, never OverDrive. I dont have axle brakes yet, but will install them this spring, strongly recommend them regardless.

Maximum towing capacity according to the Blazer manual is 6000 lbs. A good trailer will cause you to be pushing the max. You may need to go to a full sized truck/v-8 to be the best.

Good Luck,

--Andy--

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1970 Chevelle SS Convertible
1937 Master Business Coupe
1996 S-10 Blazer

Yup, I'm Chevy Prejudiced!!!!

I have a 96 K1500 with a 5.0L and 3.73 gears with 4L60, my wife drives an 89 K5 Blazer 5.7L, 700R4 with 3.73 gears both have towed My 64 on a trailer with no problems. My pickup is capable of towing in OD and the 700R4 isn't.

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Philip Valentine
Gold Member #42
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."
philip@chevelles.com

I went through what you're going through. I finally decided to buy a 1979 Chevy 3/4 ton P/U for $1700 w/ a 305 for towing only. Its not a daily driver, tow vehicle only. It gives me something else to tinker with. I will never forget what someone told me about towing " Speed is an option, stopping is not" Thats why I searched so long for a 3/4 ton. The chassis is made for towing. Sure my V 6 4Runner can tow my Chevelle but w/ its 5000 lb tow rating it is maxed out. Trying to stop is not fun and I shudder to think what would happen if I had to take an evasive maneuver. I'm just giving you another option of getting a beater so you can still drive a nice vehicle everyday.

I'd look for a long box 2wd pick-up (Chevy of coarse). If you plan on trailering the car, the trailer will need brakes, either electric or surge type, so the heavier brakes of a 3/4 ton in my opinion are nice, but not needed. If you plan to use a tow dolly, then you should really get a 3/4 ton truck for those bigger brakes (they make a difference).

I'd try to avoid a mid to late 80's carbeurated 305 as a power plant, but really just about any full size truck will have enough power to be capable of towing your car. Don't overlook a straight six engine either, they are great for towing, get decent gas mileage, and usually live long trouble free lives.

Wheelbase of the tow vehicle makes a big difference. The longer the WB, the more stable the ride. This is why I say to get a long-box pick-up. I used to tow a car trailer with a 78 K-Blazer. The engine had been treated to the typical dual exhaust, and carb and intake swap, so it had plenty of towing power. The short wheelbase was less than stable at times, especially when braking. The saving grace was the fact that the big blazer was heavy. More recently I used a 96 s-Blazer (vortec 4.3)that I used to have to tow my Chevelle (minus engine)on a trailer about 100 miles. The trailer was from U-haul with surge brakes. I actually thought the 96 mini blazer did a better job towing than my old 78 big blazer. The wheel base is actually a little bit longer on the newer mini-blazers, and the 4.3 has plenty of umph. I don't know that I would use the mini blazer on a regular basis, I guess it would depend on how far you have to tow it, and how often.

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Steve

72 Chevelle SS402/4sp

I used a 92 Astro (with towing package and 700R4,& 3.73 gears)to tow my 68 SS396 Chevelle for a couple of years before buying a 91 long bed extended cab C1500 pick up with a 350,700R4,3.73 rear gear.
The Chevelle, trailer and tools all weighed around 5500 LBS. The trailer has electric brakes. There were no problems with braking, in fact I think it stopped better with the Astro than the truck.
The Astro pulled the load fine, shifts down more and to a lower gear than the pick up but nothing I couldn't live with. It never had any problems overheating, even in the desert. After using the truck for a while I used the Astro again and noticed that it wandered more than the pickup if you didn't pay attentsion, but again nothing I couldn't live with. I towed in overdrive all of the time unless I was pulling a grade. Then if it shifted down, I would put it in "D" and leave it there until it leveled off.
The 92 4.3 has less HP than the Vortec engine, so the newer vehicle would work even better.I'm getting ready to sell the Astro and I'll miss having a back-up tow rig.
If you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me.
GaryR

Trailer brakes are essential to safe towing. In AZ any trailer rated over 3000 or 3500 lbs is required to have brakes. I prefer to have them on both axles as well. I put the Reese mini controller in my 96 and love it. It is fully electronic and slowly (about 3 seconds) ramps up the voltage to the trailer brakes. It can be mounted in any position and is adjustable to compensate for load and terrain. I borrowed a friends trailer with surge brakes and it did not want to back up without applying the brakes, especially up a small grade. But it was great going forward, the hydraulic brakes seem smoother and more positive.

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Philip Valentine
Gold Member #42
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."
philip@chevelles.com