Anyone mounted a trailer hitch on a 49-54 Chevy?

1953 with a hidden trailer hitch receiver behind the license plate.
This is a dream I've had for over 20 years, since I got my first classic boat. I've had the car for a year and a half now, finally built a hitch.
Maiden drive yesterday, car pulled it very well. Couldn't be happier.
This is a 1.25".
My boats are very light, didn't see the reason for the 2".

 

I had a 48 Chev pickup and wanted a decent towbar set up (but wasnt so keen to pay retail for a new one)

I ended up at the wreckers and bought the complete towbar from a wrecked Nissan Patrol. From memory, the adjustments to make it fit were pretty minor.

 

Hello,

Today, we see plenty of square holes sticking under the rear bumper of various large SUV wagons and vans. The slide in tow hitch is simple to use when necessary. If it is ever used at all. But, a lot of newer large SUV wagons come with those pre-installed. It can be used for a multitude of uses, such as bike racks or surfboard racks for the whole family, etc. So, there is that action.

My brother bought his 58 Impala in 1957. He went to school during the week and then we both went to the local Lion’s Dragstrip a few miles away on Saturday. That was a regular event for a couple of years. Then, he got interested in the Gas Coupes and Sedan Class racing. The class was another name for a hot rod daily cruiser with some modifications to the motor.

Since we had already bought and sold a Model A Coupe before buying the Impala, he was now interested in a 40 Willys Coupe. I found a 40 Willys Coupe in a back yard a few houses down from where I found the model a coupe. It was on our walking sidewalk neighborhood to school. As we walked to school, we could see the houses and the backyards. The garage had space next to it and the old cars were usually covered with a canvas tarp. But, we could see them covered from the sidewalk as we walked by daily.

After we bought the Willys Coupe, we towed it home with a large ship dock line we got from a local shipyard supply store nearby. It worked pulling the Willys Coupe out of the back yard and then with me steering the coupe, my brother stretched the large rope and towed me home.

Then within the week, he went to the local muffler shop and the owner convinced him to get a tow hitch bracket welded to the frame crossmember. It was not the skimpy flat bar with a round ball on top. It was a 2 x 4 solid bar that was welded and braced under the Impala rear chrome bumper. Sturdy was a good name for the construction and finished product. It served its purpose well.

The red rectangle shows a ball on the 2x4 solid bar going under the license plate. It was far enough away that any CHP patrol car could see the license plate with ease.
The solid bar tow hitch permanently installed acts as a 6 inch protective bar.

So, now, the same welder help make the measured, metal tow hitch bar that fit perfectly and attached to the Impala. Back then, there were no removable hitches, except for the ones that bolted on to the bumper from the rental stores. So, this welded one was a permanent part of the Impala.

Jnaki

That tow bar worked well and within a few weeks, we began to tow the Willys Coupe all over our area to local shops for parts and measured fittings of the new components we were going to use underneath. The exact measurements were done prior, but as we towed it to a yard to look for the other parts, we had it close by for the exact measurement and fit.

Once we got everything installed, now, the tow hitch was used daily on the Impala and weekends to Lion’s Dragstrip to tow the Willys to the pits and action all day. So, all of these years later, if one finds the black 1958 Impala, look for the solid rear tow hitch, a C&O Stick Hydro, a modified 348 motor, and Buick pattern bolt pattern for the wheels. Distinct and different... YRMV

Note:

Not only did the welded in hitch work towing anything, it also served as a 6 extra inches of solid protection sticking out of the back. I was driving the Impala during a Spring Break cruise and the rear row car of a Balboa Drive-In Restaurant parking lot rolled down into the bumper hitch. It damaged the front plate of the rolling car, but not one scratch to the Impala. The bar worked as a protective barrier to any metal to metal hit. Yes!

 

That's a pretty substantial hitch, well done. Back in the day the vast number of small boats were towed using a simple bumper hitch, in retrospect it's funny there weren't more cars with bent up or missing bumpers.

 

Thank you! Much appreciated.