When not even duct tape will work

mecran01 — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 10:22:40 -0800

I'm leaving on a long road trip and my muffler is loose and rattling, because a friend installed a trailer hitch and had to remove one of the brackets. I've wired it together, but the wire came loose, and I am trying to figure out a fast and easy way to hold this in place for the trip so the rattling doesn't drive me insane. Hose clamps don't work because they are big enough or don't have enough teeth. My existing "baling" wire is so soft that when I try to tighten it, it breaks. Multiple stranded wire is too hard to tie off and can't be cinched tight enough.

What I need is a heat-proof industrial cam strap or metal duct tape or something. There has to be some easy fix for this that I can get at the local hardware store. And no, I don't have time to go to the muffler shop and we leave early tomorrow morning.

There is some obvious solution floating around the edges of my cognition pool, but I can't quite reach it.

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How much does a catalytic converter cost?

headspace — Mon, 24 May 2004 17:14:18 -0800

The catalytic converter on my 97 Ford Escort blew out today, and I suspect it ruptured part of the exhaust works in front of the muffler. I can find out how much parts cost on my own, but I'm not going to be doing the service myself, so could someone knowledgeable in the realm of automotive repair hazard a ballpark guesstimate as to how much this might cost me to fix? I just need a general idea so I can figure out how much blood to sell to pay for the repairs.

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When not even duct tape will work

How much does a catalytic converter cost?