Hi,
I got the Haynes ‘do it up’ manual for crimbo (very good book BTW). It mentions removing the tie-down hooks on the fron of the car, the “baby teeth”.
Has anyone done this, what are the +/- of doing this?
Removal is purely for cosmetic reasons. Most people say they should never be used for towing but my Japanese handbook shows them being used for exactly this. I think the problem is they are a bit low and you could damage the bodywork but there is no real advantage in removing them.
Ive read they are tie down’s for securing the car. However other than suspension legs there are not many place to rope a 5 and pull it off of a raised grass verge or deep muddy patch etc.
Ive also read you should not use them for towing as the chassis leg will bend if pulled at that point as it doesnt form a box but rather two legs.
However, for practical purposes id keep them and if you dont liek the look, take them off and paint them up 
into a feature. Many look tired and corroded you see around.
Cheers
Jonathan
If you take them off keep at least one in the boot with it’s bolts, just in case you ever need dragging out of a ditch. Mine didn’t show any ill effects after being dragged sideways out of a tyre wall by a hook in the standard eye position (I checked the alignment afterwards).
Bought myself a towing bracket (for trackdays) with the intention of fitting to the tiedown fixing points, but my machine has had the tiedowns removed, and I’m beggared if I can see where they used to be. Can anyone post a close-up picture of the tiedown still in situ (or the holes where it used to be)?
Thanks.
Dave (Mk I import)