re: Milano towing/roof racking questions

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

In AD8-0089 Alex Csank asks:

1.    I would like to use an '87 Milano Gold to tow a small camper (pop-top)
trailer...and maybe a sometime track Alfetta GT (on a dolly or maybe a
lightweight open trailer).  Has anybody got any experience doing that sort of
thing?

 2.    Where would I go to find a good trailer hitch for a Milano?  Do I need
an oil cooler, a better radiator, etc.?  Who might I trust to install the
hitch?

 3.    Are there any special roof racks specifically designed for a Milano?
Anybody ever use the Yakima racks?

 I have told my story on the digest a few times, should be in the archives-
but briefly my wife and I spent two years 1969-1971 traveling Europe living in
an English camping trailer (16' Faireholme) kitted out with reference library,
darkroom, electric typewriter (Olivetti, of course) etc behind a Giulia Super
with a home-made compensating hitch but no other special car prep. No
problems- the car had roughly 50,000 miles when we started, near 100,000 when
we finished. Only maintenance besides routine consumables (tires, plugs, etc)
was a precautionary set of dfferential bearings at Rob Walker's garage (nice
place!) when we heard suspicious sounds midway through the trip. I was
probably pushing loading safety factors (and laws) but the car had no
complaints. The Alfa factory (or more likely ARI) hitch should be fine for a
poptop camper or a dolly tow, but the tongue loads on a car trailer would make
me nervous unless I had something closer to my Super's compensating hitch.

 The Alfa hitch was listed in the Milano accessories catalog as
10000.95.012.09.00, "Specially designed, heavy duty, class 2 tow hitch, 2,500
lbs maximum capacity, 2" ball."

 On his other roof rack question, the ARI accessories catalog lists
10000.95.000.01.18 Mounting Bars, 10000.95.000.96.00 Milano Base Adapter,
10000.95.000.98.00 GTV-6 Base Adapter, 10000.95.000.03.00  Surfboard Rack for
two surfboards or one windsurfer, 10000.95.000.04.00 Bicycle Rack,
10000.95.000.05.00 Ski Rack (maximum eight pairs), 10000.95.000.01.19 Luggage
Carrier, and 10000.95.000.02.00 Boat Rack accessory kit. I am not conversant
with the various proprietary brands of roof racks, but someone who is could
probably visually identify Yakima or Thule or some other main brand as ARI's
source.

 The "10000" part numbers sound to me more like an ARI Englewood Cliffs
marketing thing than an Alfa Romeo SpA option.

 My only roofrack experience has been with a light and inexpensive Italian
portatutti I bought for the Super from a Pep-Boys type place in Milan; it
handled a large slant-arm Stickley morris chair on the GT Veloce from DC to
Raleigh, and a large Stickley settle on a short in-town trip on the Berlina.
The light rack was marginal for the settle, but the cars were comfortable with
the load (and with the wind-resistance on the big chair down I-95). It also
handled lumber, plywood, sheetrock etc on the Berlina until I got a van.

 John H.

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