Most HPDE, Time Trial, and other road course groups are requiring front and rear tow hooks for all cars, to speed up "extractions" when someone has an off track excursion, or has a breakdown. For most cars there are some simple "screw in" tow hook options, but many chassis do not have an easy to install tow hook from the factory. There are countless "bolt on" tow hooks for these cars, but many of those require permanent holes be cut into painted sections of the bodywork. Others require the removal and replacement of well engineered crash beam structures - often replaced with little tubing with a hook on there. Scary stuff.
For the road course groups that don't yet require tow hooks, when/if you have an off or some other breakdown that necessitates your car being "brought in on the hook", the wrecker driver will find a way to drag your car out of the swamp, onto the flat bed, or flat tow you on a strap into the pits. If whatever they hook onto damages your car's costly paint or bodywork, that's on you - nothing should slow down an event because you brought an under-prepared car.
We looked at the variety of options for front and rear tow hooks for the C5 Corvette chassis, scratched our heads, and came up with some new options. This entry is for our "bolt on" rear tow hook for the 1997-2004 C5 Corvette.
This hook is made from plate steel, CNC plasma cut and bent on a fixture - all here at Vorshlag. The bolt plate is CNC cut and the longer bolts are welded in. We then add a powder coat finish in gloss red. If you want a set in another color, call us - we will make you a "raw steel" set you can have painted or coated in whatever color you want.
The rear tow hook comes through an open section of the rear bumper. There is no trimming required. This tow hook can be removed without having to do any bodywork or repainting the bumper if you want to put the car "back to stock" later.
Instructions
This C5 Corvette rear tow hook requires removing rear bumper cover during the install, and removing the short exhaust hanger bolts from inside the right side of the bumper. Then sliding the provided new bolt plate into those exhaust hanger bolt holes, and slipping the tow hook between the factory exhaust hanger and the bumper beam. Add the additional bolt to the tab that wraps around the other side of the bumper beam to prevent twisting. Tighten everything up and reinstall the bumper cover.
There is no cutting needed for the hook to pass through. Again, this is made to fit the C5 Corvette models.
