From the what can’t it fix division of Tool of the Week comes the ongoing miracle of duct tape. This sturdy and versatile tape is indispensable weapon in the Clunkbucket Arsenal of Tools, rivaling even bailing wire in its utility. The water repelling adhesive tape was originally made of cotton duck in green for the military. Duck tape was used to help keep ammo cases waterproof, and was also found effective for holding jeeps together. A post-war heating and ventilation construction boom had tape factories making lots of duck tape to hold metal duct work together. Green became silver. Duck became duct. Duct tape is now available in many colors.
Black duct tape has in fact held together the seven pieces of the original three-piece front air dam of the Starion for many years now. Not the same duct tape. Research has proven that a well placed strip of duct tape lined up with the painted black stripe on the lower part of the air dam is good for about three to six months of stock appearing durability. A roll of black duct tape now rides with the Starion at all times. Be advised. Going up on two wheels to get to the drive-in window before they run out of Shamrock Shakes may markedly decrease the effectiveness of duct tape on low-mounted front air dams.
All this time, I thought people who called it “duck” tape were like people who fill out the “FASFA” for their financial aid or consulted with a “real-uh-ter” when house hunting. Given the original weatherproof qualities, I can totally see how DUCK is somewhat interchangeable.
It doesn’t take too well to extended periods of time in the trunk of Arizona-based Mitsubishi Galants, but it does get the job done, and yes, more often than bailing wire.
If you are using duct tape on a car project, you are almost certainly doing it wrong. No offense, but one afternoon of plastic repair using the proper materials to reinforce the back and this air dam would never need to be repaired again, instead it is getting repaired every six months! Do some research, For example, Duramix is one option.
Love the site!
Hey, I can live with the “duck” tape, but it’s definitely “baling” wire and not “bailing” wire. You know, for making hay bales.
Robai – Could you have missed the point by any wider of a margin? Do yourself a favor, stop the meds and let your mind run free…
Making the hay bales would in fact require baling wire. We stand corrected! That two-part material that Robai is talking about is pretty amazing stuff. Stay tuned for a how-to. And even though there will be no Shamrock Shakes until March, now is the time to be more careful of parking lot entrance ramp angles.
I can’t wait for Shamrock shakes!
Duct tape really has it’s uses (radiator hose repair for one), but once one has graduated to gaffer’s tape, one never will look back.
Knowing the story of how this waterproof adhesive tape was invented always made it difficult for me to refer to it in text. I can’t call it duck tape, even though the rolls made by the original manufacturer Johnson and Johnson still have a picture of a duck on them, because people will think I was uneducated. Honestly I wish people would give me more credit. Certainly if I’m making such a simple mistake I must have a good reason. But I digress.
The only thing that is held together with duck tape on my car is the hose that connects the airbox to the manifold, it has a hole in it that confuses the mass air meter and stalls the car when it takes a right turn or goes backwards. Unforunately duck tape has a tendency to melt at temperatures above ninety degrees, so it melts off after a while.
There is another product that works better on ducting that goes by the name duct tape as well, it’s made of aluminum rather than plastic and cloth though, and whereas the glue doesn’t melt at low temperatures like duck tape it is not waterproof.
A section of the speedometer cable on my ’67 Ford is wrapped in duct tape to prevent it from leaking tranny fluid onto the exhaust, causing lots of smoke and further exacerbating the “WTF is that POS?” impression it makes in certain situations.
I did it as a quick kludge until I could find a correct, reasonably priced replacement speedo cable. It’s been 18 months with no issues.
That said, I’ve recently become a big fan of foil tape when it comes to sealing/patching. If something needs to be held in place, I go for zip ties or baling wire.
The shop at the terminal used to use this aluminum repair tape on our trailers. Incredible stuff.
QuickPlas (the same guys make QuickSteel) is another good plastic repair product, even though you have to paint it. The air dam on my wagon is currently held together by duct tape. It will get the QuickPlas treatment if I can’t find one at Pull-A-Part.
100 mile an hour tape! While my 71 toyota PU never went 100mph, duck(t) tape did get me home once. While out hooning it up in a gravel pit she pooped out. After a few backfires I noticed that the rotor under the distributer cap was not turning when the engine was cranked. The little notch that holds it in place on the shaft was broken. A strategicaly placed piece of tape got it to stay in place long enough to get back to the pavement.