familyman
I'm really loathe to remove or destroy the dress strip across the back of my car. I've seen many cars with the dress strip simply removed entirely. But have also seen cars where they tried to cut a hole for the ball stem to poke through. I've gone through it in my head many times the last few years, but cannot think of a way to cut the hole in the exact right position. You really need both in place to get the hole spot-on - which is impossible of course. I was considering cutting the dress strip right up the middle - but then I saw one that had it done that way - and it looked terrible. The best effort I saw in a Bunnings carpark a few months ago - but they were still out by a fair bit, and it also looked like a dog's breakfast, tight against the tow bar on one side - and a huge gap on the other.
Anyway... Has anyone ever found a way to cut a hole in that rear dress panel, in just the right spot, for a towbar?
pauljloz
I did it on an 82 but that was a long time ago. ill take a pic but recall it was metal and not a big deal.
Slowbrick
Measure dead centre of the towball assembly and that gives you the centre of the tongue. Then measure how wide the tongue is and cut from the centre of the first hole accordingly. Done!
Vee_Que
Black dynamitea method is right. It's not rocket science.
familyman
Metal:
Oh - you mean it's metal inside? Ok, I always assumed it was all plastic - thanks.
Measure dead centre:
Yep, I think that's probably how the one in Bunnings was done, due to how close to correct it was, but the poor guy must have got his measurements wrong. (Off too far to one side.) You've given me several ideas I'd not come up with before - thanks. One is - find, and do, a test-cut on a spare dress strip first. I might try and find if there's a place that makes towbars from scratch too... Because the problem is, all the ones I've seen stick out beyond the dress strip. i.e. The tongue is part of the towbar, making it impossible to just hold the dress strip up in place and against the towbar to trace a hole. But if they could make one that stops just before the dress strip, I could just trace around the socket from the back with a pencil. Might even be able to make up a 'plug' that way - and have a removable tongue. (I believe in NSW the tongue must be removed when not towing.)
familyman
Sorry - yes, a picture of a successful attempt would be great - LOL. It's probably going to be the first one I've ever seen, because as I said, the towbars I've seen, the stem/tongue was welded to the towbar. Seems most people just threw their dress strip away. Maybe because there was no way to align each towbar in the same spot each time!? (Making each hole in a different location.)
pauljloz
82 was metal panel. Factory accessory instructions say to remove the panel.
Later ones may be plastic.
AshDVS
Later ('86 onwards) have the dress panel that goes under the rear bumper, covers the opening between the 'cheeks' and covers the lower section of the 1/4 panel and blends into the mudflaps.
It's a bit harder to get a cut-out for the exhuast looking neat, but the old saying of 'measure twice, cut once' applies.
As @Slowbrick mentions, you could use the centre for the towbar and then cut from there.
Vee_Que
You also need the hole for the wiring plug.which would be why its offset.
You could always just do it and not think so hard about it, its a simple operation and is it really that important? After all, a tow bar is ugly anyway.
familyman
All the ones I've seen have had a bracket for the socket either welded or screwed onto the towbar itself. I'd always try to plug it in, realise I couldn't see with the boot lid right in my face, so had to get down on my knees to plug it in because it was under so far. :-\
I'm hoping to have one made that's like modern ones - where the socket is flush with the rear of the dress strip - and there's a clip-in plastic cover. That way it's not seen. If I can't get that I may not do it at all. There are often times I need to haul something around - and simply don't - because I have no tow bar on this car, and got rid of the others. So I find myself thinking about getting a ute just to do that. But a trailer is much cheaper rego. Ah well, we shall see.
Slowbrick
You can put the plug inside the car and just pull it out when you tow. The 245 has that. I think its more annoying than having it on the outside of the car but from an appearance point of view its pleasing.
pauljloz
Old aluminium trim could be retained with two small cuts with tin snips.
Can maybe still save this one! Daughter rear ended by a guy in hilux (luckily) would've prefer he'd been in something softer :)
familyman
Thanks - so that's what the older metal style looks like. I have the later plastic version that wraps around the guards.
