Quiet Here

[GENECARP]

Since things have been quiet here figured i would show off our new setup, G

 

[GENECARP]

 

[GENECARP]

 

[brokenup]

Very nice! Does the Smart fit in the garage or you towing it?

 

[GENECARP]

Yes it fits in the garage, G

 

[BUonM22?]

Sweet set-up... love the paint job.

We're off tomorrow heading downstate Mich looking at a few... so ready to get something, but buried in "free" work up north.

Love your overall look... gonna have fun tooling around the campgrounds.

Lar

 

[BlizzND]

I like it!! Gotta love posts with pictures to wake everyone up!!
-blizz

 

[JG1199]

Outstanding rig! MORE PICTURES! MORE PICTURES!

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Ya, I love that setup too. Very cool having the matching Smart. And with that pet door you put in you can easily have a passenger take a glance in there while motoring to make sure she's still cinched down tight. I pull a enclosed car trailer quite often. Standard procedure is to tie down the Vette inside, then drive a few/several miles and stop and ratchet everything tight again. Had the Vette get loose on me once and start rolling back and forth. Scratched up the back bumper and pushed my bicycle into the wall making a small hole in the plywood. At least it didn't go far enough to dent out the aluminum siding. It was my son's '87 track car so the scratches aren't that big a deal.

How do you strap down that Smart? Here's how I do our Vettes:

I like strapping it down this way for a couple of reasons. One is you don't have to crawl around under the car hooking into the frame. The other is it allows the car to ride on the suspension. Rather than tightening the frame/chassis down tight onto the springs. The C4 vintage Vettes ('84-96) don't have easy frame hook points either. My son also has a '99 that is easy to hook into the frame on. I use both ways to strap that car down, just extra insurance.

Anyway, love your truck Gene. Gotta get a picture of it at night with those huge flood lights on top. And a day shot showing both awnings out would be cool.

 

[GENECARP]

Bob, Silver Crown installed E track in my garage, i guess some ratchet straps should do the job, its kind of tight in the garage, we will see how it goes, maiden voyage this weekend

, G

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

So the e-track is directly under each tire? That's another way to strap it down. Run the strap up over each tire as if wrapping it around the circumference of the tire. But you've got to make sure the tires are directly on top of the e-track. The straps I showed are called "California roll back" type according to the tow truck supply place I bought mine. The main strap just makes a loop around the top portion of the tire. It's pretty easy to do in cramped quarters. If you wanted to do something like that you can get hooks that lock into e-track and provide a metal loop for you to attach the roll back straps to. Or, are you using some sort of frame hook? Don't forget to stop after a few/several miles and check the tension. Also, make sure the car is in neutral and no parking brake.

 

[geofkaye]

.....IF THE TRUCK STOPS RATHER SUDDENLY....THE CAR WILL MOVE FORWARD AS FAR AS THE STRAPS WILL ALLOW.....NOW! should the ties break or the e-track move off the screws.....the car moves forward into the passenger lounge.....this is called a CLUSTER F**K cuz all that are riding up front will feel the total weight of the car and all the contents form the back of the coach.....I'd suggest a class 80 safety chain around the rear axle to an anchor like the back bumper...just because I like reading your adventures on the TruckConversion Forum.....and I own a roll off tow truck and have lost a vehicle off the right side into a ditch.....with a lot of luck I survived the accident and I now have that safety chain in place.... if anything is on the truck bed including the lawnmower and anything else that I don't want to hit me in the back from sliding down the bed like a rocket.......geofkaye and the Rivercity Girlz....

 

[GENECARP]

Originally posted by Bob86ZZ4:
So the e-track is directly under each tire? That's another way to strap it down. Run the strap up over each tire as if wrapping it around the circumference of the tire. But you've got to make sure the tires are directly on top of the e-track. The straps I showed are called "California roll back" type according to the tow truck supply place I bought mine. The main strap just makes a loop around the top portion of the tire. It's pretty easy to do in cramped quarters. If you wanted to do something like that you can get hooks that lock into e-track and provide a metal loop for you to attach the roll back straps to. Or, are you using some sort of frame hook? Don't forget to stop after a few/several miles and check the tension. Also, make sure the car is in neutral and no parking brake.

Thanks Geo and Bob, Bob please explain the neutral and no parking brake, i would have thought keep the car from rolling, Thanks G

 

[GENECARP]

One more thing, when the Smart car is in the garage, there is only 3 to 4" left in the front and back, It is a real tight fit, not sure if this makes a difference regarding the strategy, G

 

[GENECARP]

Here are a couple of shots sent to me by Silver Crown, this is not my smart and it is before the E track was installed, it shows the size relation between the car and the garage, G

 

[GENECARP]

 

[mmmc101]

WOW....that gives new meaning to the phrase "Snug as a bug in a rug". Great looking rig!Let us know how the maiden voyage turns out.
MMM

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Wow, that is close. Neutral and no parking brake. If you keep it in Park that will put lots of wear and tear on the parking pin in the transmission (I'm guessing the Smart is a auto trans). The rocking back and forth will be hard on that. The parking brake will also be terrorized by the constant to and fro causing the parts to wear out or bend. Geof, the chain around the axle won't help much in such tight quarters. The car has to get through the bathroom anyways before making it to the living room. Wouldn't worry about that too much. What about can you get some diamond plate wheel chocks made for the front tires to rest against? That would give you a good stopping point to pull the car up to. Then strap it down tight to the chocks?

 

[GENECARP]

Originally posted by Bob86ZZ4:
Wow, that is close. Neutral and no parking brake. If you keep it in Park that will put lots of wear and tear on the parking pin in the transmission (I'm guessing the Smart is a auto trans). The rocking back and forth will be hard on that. The parking brake will also be terrorized by the constant to and fro causing the parts to wear out or bend. Geof, the chain around the axle won't help much in such tight quarters. The car has to get through the bathroom anyways before making it to the living room. Wouldn't worry about that too much. What about can you get some diamond plate wheel chocks made for the front tires to rest against? That would give you a good stopping point to pull the car up to. Then strap it down tight to the chocks?

Bob, it seems like with that little room i have front and back , if the brakes are off and the car is in Neutral, just the process of the straps stretching will run the car into my wall. I fully understand what you are concerned about. Maybe i could block the front wheels, with stops like you suggested, even wood blocks against the rear wall, and another set of blocks agains the rear tires and ramp door. Do i have to be concerned about side to side movement or just front and back? thanks to all G

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Good question about side to side. I think it would take a awful huge swerve or slam to get the thing to go sideways there. I like the diamond plate wheel chocks either bolted down solid to the floor, or sized to jam up against the front wall of the garage? But I still think you would want to strap it down to the floor like I do. Unless the chocks were very steep to prevent the tires from rolling up during a hard brake. Same for the rears I would think. Chocks/blocks at both ends would certainly give you good protection to from fore/aft movement.