nmw tow bar question

[subyman99]

I just bought a set of tow tabs for my 68 camaro, they are nmw. Im going to be looking for a tow bar for it. Im guessing that all the tow bars are the same? ( made by nmw) Figured i had to ask before i buy one, incase they have diff. ones. Thanks syc!!

Matt

[Hemicolt]

Just guessing here....but I would think the tow bars were the same and they made up the different widths with their tabs.
A NMW tow bar was sold on Ebay a few weeks ago with a 75.00 buy it now price. A day late and dollar short again..lol

[scuncio]

According to the former owner of NMW all the bars were the same.

[PxTx]

http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/Plowman7/Tow%20Tabs/NMW1977.jpg

I've never seen literature calling out anything other than a TB1 and what I've seen is they are all the same width. BUT remember that NMW was not the only game in town as Lakwood also made them, possibly others.

http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww101/Plowman7/Tow%20Tabs/Lakewood2.jpg

My Pop did have what we both agreed was an NMW bar that seemed to be unmodified and original that WAS wider than the standaard bar. Eventually we sold it to a friend who modified it down to the standard width. I don't know the story on this. We thought maybe for an Impala but who really knows? Just wanted to share the fact that we've seen variations in width.

[Fast67VelleN2O]

I have two NMW tow bars for sale. One is in nice survivor condition (hung on a garage wall for years) and the other is in good used shape. PM me if you are interested.

-Matt

[Plowman]

Any pictures will help. Are they the same size and what physical dimensions. *Paul

[whitetop]

NMW never made the tow bars. They just bought them and added their decals.
The Lakewood bars were identical.
I have a Napa trailer catalog from the mid 70's with the identical bar sold under the Napa Balkamp label.

Not sure who made the original bars.

[Hemicolt]

I was wondering if that was the fact after seeing the Lakewood ad above.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: whitetop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">NMW never made the tow bars. They just bought them and added their decals.
The Lakewood bars were identical.
I have a Napa trailer catalog from the mid 70's with the identical bar sold under the Napa Balkamp label.

Not sure who made the original bars. </div></div>

[PxTx]

I have to disagree guys. Only part that may be similar is the actual latching part. NMW used several types over the years, but made the rest. There are differences between Lakewood and NMW bars.

[Fast67VelleN2O]

Here are two NMW bars. One has the early silver finish and the other has the orange finish.

http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo175/fast67vellen2o/DSC06589.jpg

http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo175/fast67vellen2o/DSC07977.jpg

-Matt

[Plowman]

Most of the MNW two bars have a sticker on them that tell's you &quot;How not to use them&quot;,and also has N.M.W. on the same sticker. If so could we see that sticker. Thank you. *Paul

[Fast67VelleN2O]

Neither of these have stickers on them.

-Matt

[Plowman]

That is ok,all of the one's I had,had them. But the one's I had in my life time did,if only they were &quot;Ten years old&quot;at the time I got them. The one on my wall has the sticker still,older ones time could of got to them. Good luck. *Paul

[whitetop]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pxtx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have to disagree guys. Only part that may be similar is the actual latching part. NMW used several types over the years, but made the rest. There are differences between Lakewood and NMW bars. </div></div>

I have had 4-5 of the NMW bars over the years and they were identical to the ones Fastyellow67 has-which in turn are identical to the Lakewoods. Two or so had the NMW decals on them and the other ones were just NMW orange and they matched color wise a set of NMW ladders bars I had at the time.

I did have a confirmed Lakewood bar(it was bought brand new by the guy who had it along with the universal Lakewood tabs at Coultraps speed shop) and it was identical to the NMW bars in every way. 100% the exact same except it was red.

NMW may have had bars that were different at one time(as in their catalog pic) but I have never seen one in real life...not to say they were not out there at one time from a different supplier to NMW.


I've learned never say never in the old speed part equipment. I can't imagine NMW making their own bars when it was probably cheaper to buy them in bulk..but maybe they did in the begining-hence the bars in the catalog pic??

[Plowman]

There is a cross brace missing form the NMW picture in the catalog on page 1. I've not seen any without them.

Here are the differences I see from the NMW tow bars I've physically seen and the Lakewood catalog picture.

NMW tow hubs have both an early and later design. Lakewood tow hubs have the same design as the later NMW hubs. Anything is possible, but it appears Lakewood at one time offered a different type of bar than NMW.