Custom made stealth trailer hitch

Justin00LS

Justin00LS

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I wanted to be able to tow with the LS and could not find a stealth trailer hitch, so I decided to make one. It is "attached" to the square aluminum bumper, so it is only designed to pull small loads. It took a bit of measuring, but everything turned out well. I have pulled a 900 LB jet ski with this setup without a problem, but I would not pull anything heavier without changing the bolts that hold the aluminum bumper onto the frame or adding bracing to the bumper.

These pictures show how it is made..

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I brazed a coat hanger onto 1/2" thick metal that has tapped threads. The metal has rounded corners so it fits flat inside the bumper. I slipped these pieces of metal inside the square aluminum bumper and used the coat hanger to position them in place. (There was no reason to remove the hanger's so I just left them)


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The metal pieces are in place with a small set screw holding them in while we test fit the receiver.

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This is the "receiver" that is to be mounted on the car.

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Attached

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The rear-end of the car sits less than 1/4" lower while the jet ski is on the hitch.

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It is completely stealth while removed! The LS pulls the jet-ski without a problem, even in D5. At 65mph, it does not "search" for gears or lock/unlock the torque converter.
 
Now that is slick! Great use of the space in the LS and too without having to cut the bumper.
 
I must say, very nice work. Does the LS get wet where you have to dump your ski? Some of the lakes I go to have the worst launch ramps and I have to basically be 1/4 of the way in the water with my trailblazer.
 
Very nice work. I like how you did the exhaust tips too. And are those projectors in the headlights?
 
interesting. I would never though of towing with my LS, but I do like how you have hidden the the hitch.. Sneaky Sneaky.
 
Sneaky indeed. Do you also have oil slick dispensers and smoke emitters back there? :D
 
HyeLifeLS said:
Very nice work. I like how you did the exhaust tips too. And are those projectors in the headlights?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I used a dremel and a file to cut into the bumper for the tips. They are 3" tips. I thought 3" tips would look too big but I like them.

The projectors are E46 bi-xenon
 
nickandersonLS01 said:
I must say, very nice work. Does the LS get wet where you have to dump your ski? Some of the lakes I go to have the worst launch ramps and I have to basically be 1/4 of the way in the water with my trailblazer.
Click to expand...

I usually have the exhaust tips about an 1" or so in the water. The bumper gets wet but that is about it.
 
Looks great, man! Way to go!

At first I was thinking "this guy's gonna destroy his bumper". But it looks like you've got that covered by using the metal backing for the bolts. Is there any danger of the different types of metal causing adverse corrosion?
 
What wheels are those mate? I like them.

Looks like some solid engineering done there. I'd be sure to get a very high quality pin and some good Grade 8 bolts to make sure you don't shear one off. Also don't overtorque those bolts, I'd imagine 20ftlbs would be plenty to hold that inplace.
 
CTX-SLPR said:
Also don't overtorque those bolts, I'd imagine 20ftlbs would be plenty to hold that inplace.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I just installed a Draw Tite hidden hitch type setup on my car last weekend. Two bolts in the frame and two on the under side of the bumper. The instructions said 50 ft/lbs. But this is a different setup so different forces will be at work. But just an FYI...
 
sweet...

That is genuinely ingenious thinking. Love the car. Absolutely love your home and property. You have given me a different set of goals for the future. I wondered how to go about modding the rear end for exhaust and will now use exactly what you did. I noticed you modified you headlights. Very professional looking. I just did mine and thought you may want to try what I did. I "cleared" the headlight by taking out the orange lens. What I did differently from all others was sanded the chrome reflector behind it and painted it flat black (Duplicolor bumper coating). For the bulb I used the SilverStar bulbs that look an iridescent blue but cast an orange light. I prefer the "blacked-out" look of the headlight, plus, the SilverStar bulbs do give it a "high-end" look.
Pics follow. Not the best quality and they do the lights no justice. they look much better in person.

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CTX-SLPR said:
What wheels are those mate? I like them.

Looks like some solid engineering done there. I'd be sure to get a very high quality pin and some good Grade 8 bolts to make sure you don't shear one off. Also don't overtorque those bolts, I'd imagine 20ftlbs would be plenty to hold that inplace.
Click to expand...

The wheels are the painted stock 17" wheels that came on the 2000-2002 LS's.

The position of the receiver and the weight on the pin was a big concern originally, but once I drew everything out on paper and thought about it more, the only weight on the pin will be the tongue weight. With a jet ski,fishing boat, etc...this small weight (under 100 lbs) would not be a problem for the pin. I did get a quality pin and use grade 8 bolts though!

I've towed the jet ski and a small 16ft jet boat without a problem, but have not towed anything else since this design is for light duty towing.
 
kedaigle said:
That is genuinely ingenious thinking. Love the car. Absolutely love your home and property. You have given me a different set of goals for the future. I wondered how to go about modding the rear end for exhaust and will now use exactly what you did. I noticed you modified you headlights. Very professional looking. I just did mine and thought you may want to try what I did. I "cleared" the headlight by taking out the orange lens. What I did differently from all others was sanded the chrome reflector behind it and painted it flat black (Duplicolor bumper coating). For the bulb I used the SilverStar bulbs that look an iridescent blue but cast an orange light. I prefer the "blacked-out" look of the headlight, plus, the SilverStar bulbs do give it a "high-end" look.
Pics follow. Not the best quality and they do the lights no justice. they look much better in person.
Click to expand...


Thanks for all of the compliments!

Just take your time cutting the bumper for exhaust tips and it will turn out well! (I have 3" tips on my LS for reference) I put the tips on the magnaflow exhaust system and it really helped quiet down the exhaust in the cabin, which suprised me. -in a good way!

I like what you did with your headlights as well. Do you have a daytime shot without the blinker lights on? What type of angel eyes did you use? I like the look of your headlight setup a lot!

Here is the link with a few pictures of the projectors incase you ever decide to go that route http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=27126

Let me know how the tips go
 
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