73 & Later 'Hidden-Hitch'

[SCOTI]

To read further discussion on this topic go here- LINK


Recently, I needed to set up my 74 to ‘shuttle’ my trailer back & forth. I wanted a hitch that could not be seen (similar to the ECE set-up I have on my 68). The problem I encountered was the availability of ‘hidden-hitches’ for 73 & later trucks.

Sir-Michaels advertise a ‘hidden-hitch’ that works w/their roll pans, but my measurements indicated it would most likely position the ‘ball-mount’ too high in relation to the license plate & LP box. It also appeared that the mounting points of the SM hitch were on the side of the frame which would directly interfere w/my factory sport bumper brackets.

I called ECE & spoke w/Mark about the possibility of using the 67-72 Hidden-Hitch on my 74. Mark indicated they wanted to try their hitch on a later model truck but had done no evaluations @ this time so he couldn’t give me a definitive answer. I knew the frame widths were the same so I yanked the ECE hitch off of my 68 to see if it would work.

What I found was that 67-72 leaf spring trucks are different vs. 73 & later trucks because the 73 & later trucks use a support bracket that triangulates the rear leaf hanger w/the frame. This bracket is right in the way of the mounting flange of the ECE hitch. After some measuring, I came up w/the solution to simply notch the hitch flange to clear the support bracket. This required relocating the center mounting hole of the hitch toward the front of the truck 2” vs. where ECE had intended. I felt this was close enough to not compromise the quality/safety of the hitch so I ordered one of their kits for a 67-72 ‘truck’ & got started.

The cuts & clearance grinding took about 2hrs total; about 1.5hrs for the first side & less than 30mins for the second. That should be the ‘worst-case’ scenario to make the cuts & clean-up the edges. Most of the time was spent trimming as little as possible on the first side so I had to repeat the process a couple of times. Once I had the first side done, the second side was just a measure, drill, cut & grind deal.

Here’s the kit from ECE. It was $209 (+ $46 to ship) & included everything required for installation (the bolts supplied w/the kit didn't appear to be GRADE-8 so I went to the hardware store & purchased some just for piece-of-mind). It comes powder coated in semi-gloss black. Drilling, cutting, & grinding are going to mess that up so you'll need to either get it re-coated or touch-up the areas effected w/some satin black paint. I did the rattle-can thing for now but might get it PC'd again in the future.

[SCOTI]

Here are the drivers-side cut lines laid out. I used the large hole already in the hitch flange to determine the edges of my cut lines. I drilled holes to prevent sharp corners where stress related cracks can develop. The pass side was done the same way. . ….

[SCOTI]

The drivers side w/the cuts made. Notice between the edge of the cut line & the farthest hole back, I've drilled the new mounting hole (.500" dia.). I placed them there because there is a hole in the frame from the factory that I used to scribe where to drill on the hitch flange.

[SCOTI]

Drivers side w/the cut material removed. . ….

[SCOTI]

Close-up of the drivers side cut measurements. . ….

[SCOTI]

Pass side material removed & measurements. . ….

[SCOTI]

Pass side completed. . …

[SCOTI]

Safety hook loops just below the license plate box . . ....

[SCOTI]

Extended ball mount installed. . ....

[SCOTI]

Plate & flip-down bracket installed. Flipped down & up. . ....

[SCOTI]

Installation complete. Plate flipped-up & ball mount installed (this is my extended ball mount that I've had for 8yrs). The new one is nice & shiny black powder-coat. . ....

[SCOTI]

I used existing holes @ the very rear of the frame as the starting point to locate everything. I installed bolts in these holes & clamped the opposite ends of the hitch in place w/vise-grips to make sure everything was square & cleared.

Using the holes @ the end of the frame rails, the 'edge' of the hitch flange was .500" from the edge of the frame. I made sure both sides were equal before drilling any holes.

The holes in the frame that I used to determine where to locate & drill the 'new' holes in the hitch flange were just under .500" diameter. So I drilled the flange first; squared & bolted in the hitch (end of frame rails), clamped the opposite ends of the hitch in place, then drilled the hole out in the frame using the flange hole as the guide. One side was exact, the other had to be filed just a bit. It's definitely close enough for GOV work.