Interesting find for emergency repairs ...

[Buchholz, Steven]

I had a leak in the molded 'T' built into the upper radiator hose for the V8
over the weekend.  The one local dealer that was open on Saturday didn't
have any in stock, so I had to try to track down alternatives.  I'm not
*that* worried about the integrity of the rest of the hose, so I figured I'd
see if I could fashion a fix.  I was ready to try to build a copper 'T' from
parts from the plumbing store ... but I found something at a local Kragen
that seems to do a pretty good job and so I thought I'd pass it along.  The
stuff is a roll of black rubber tape labeled from Edelbrock, and is claimed
to be useful for emergency belt repairs as well as emergency hose repairs.
The stuff was slightly expensive ... something like $9 for a reasonable
sized roll of the stuff.  It is very stretchy material, and what you are
supposed to do is to stretch the material as you apply it.  The label says
that once applied it takes about an hour to cure, and when it does it forms
a solid piece of rubber that can handle water, and pressure up to 100PSI.  I
wrapped a few feet of the stuff around the area that was leaking and left it
sitting for a while.  The stuff sealed the leak well.  I still plan to
replace the hose, but this stuff will keep the car on the road for the
couple days it will take for the replacement to arrive ... 

I left the remained of the roll in the trunk ... good stuff in my book!

IUD!
Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)