Quick Repair!

We had a 1984 F-250 on the farm once. We used it to haul hogs to the market back in the days when you could still do that. It was way overloaded a few times.

Eventually it became my truck. One day while driving down the road after dark I heard a noise and saw sparks as something slid along the pavement. I went back and found a chunk of broken leaf spring that had fallen off of the truck. The main spring that held the axle on was still good though. I threw the broken spring part into the truck and drove it for years that way.

Whenever I had to haul something heavy I would use a hammer to tap the broken part of the spring back into place and then I would use some electric fence wire to hold it there temporarily. After getting back home I would pop the spring back out and throw it back into the truck so that I didn't lose it.

I wouldn't want all the glue residue the tape would leave behind on my vice grips, that's why I carry all those plastic zip ties, s'all that needs.

You should install a set of traction bars to get the power to the ground! :W :B

Years ago, down in Moore Haven, FL (Lake Okeechobee) I put a boat trailer tire on using 5 Roosevelt dimes... If you get down that way, ask an old timer about it as it truly amazed the old fellow that saw it and had me follow him to his house for a washer... (Bearing and washer that held it on was melted, I had a set of bearings but no washer)
He wouldn't take any money, all he wanted was the 5 dimes... No doubt that he told everyone about it.

Works for me

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What were you repairing?

Trying to stiffen the springs or trying to stop the springs from squeaking? :B

A buddy's front CV shaft broke on his Chevy 4X4 and was beating all hell out of the truck flailing around. He used a leather belt to suspend the shaft for the last 100 miles home.
Ya do what ya gotta do sometimes.

turbojimmy wrote:
Coming from a guy that put 30,000 miles on a nylon ratcheting tie-down to hold my gas tank in, I'd say that might not hold up. I'd have put the bigger Vise-grips farther out where the smaller on is. As someone else mentioned, C-clamps would be good, too. Also, need to introduce some wood to the repair - maybe 2x4 or plywood. Last, as others have said, there's a waste of extremely valuable duct tape there. One wrap around the handles would suffice. Everything else is window dressing.

I can also tell you from experience that no amount of duct tape and vise-grips will hold together a broken tie-rod end on a Cadillac for any sort of distance.

Lots of great suggestions. I think I'll use the C-clamp idea, that way I can use the vise grips to hold the trailer to the hitch, somewhere along the line I must have lost that ball thingy!:B

Only use the Gorilla tape if you are doing a permanent fix.

If you would have just used Gorilla tape around the springs, approx. 10 wraps, it would have been a permanent fix. Maybe add 1 wrap per 6 months just to help with water logging.

That way you can free up the vise grips for taking lug nuts off when you get flat tires....




BTW, the brakes appear to be working fine to me.....

Looks like the Gorilla tape eliminates the need for baling wire. Well done!

Coming from a guy that put 30,000 miles on a nylon ratcheting tie-down to hold my gas tank in, I'd say that might not hold up. I'd have put the bigger Vise-grips farther out where the smaller on is. As someone else mentioned, C-clamps would be good, too. Also, need to introduce some wood to the repair - maybe 2x4 or plywood. Last, as others have said, there's a waste of extremely valuable duct tape there. One wrap around the handles would suffice. Everything else is window dressing.

I can also tell you from experience that no amount of duct tape and vise-grips will hold together a broken tie-rod end on a Cadillac for any sort of distance.