3M VHB Tape Uses?

[VanFan]

I had never heard of VHB tape until Maki mentioned it on another thread.  Has anyone used these products with good results?

The front grill on my van has been held on with (matching ) duct tape since a neighbor's ride ran into it around Christmas.  The tape tends to melt in the current heat (Texas).  The plastic post that connects the grill to the body is apparently broken, but taping it on from the outside has worked reasonably well until now.  I wonder if a VHB product might work better.  It would be especially nice if a double-sided option could be used from the underside.

I've looked for a replacement grill, but my days of tramping around junk yards and pulling parts are over.  It seems finding the right one online is pretty hit or miss, too.  The body shop my husband checked with doesn't want to source the part, probably because there's not enough money in it for the trouble.

 

[Jeffroe]

My son used it to put his 4 Renogy 100 watt solar panels on the roof of his van about 4 year’s ago and swears by it. I know he cleaned the surfaces of the roof and z-brackets with a diluted alcohol mixture (alcohol and water) He has been in several different parts of the country in different types of climate.


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[VanFan]

My son used it to put his 4 Renogy 100 watt solar panels on the roof of his van about 4 year’s ago and swears by it.

Thanks.  That's pretty impressive!  It looks like there are lots of different kinds.  Definitely something to look into.

 

[maki2]

3M VHB tape is highly unlikely to be a strong enough fix for holding your grill together. There just is not enough surface area to withstand the force of a vehicle heading into the wind along with the road vibrations and jolts.

But because your grill has open areas the old farmer trick of holding things together with baling wire comes to mind.

Some wire and a self tapping screw or two into a convenient location on the body should work.

Perhaps even putting in a few small brackets on the inside attached to structure and an external little backer plate or fender washers to hold the grill where it belongs.

There are many ways to solve such problems with reasonably simple and barely noticeable fasteners to hold it in place.

 

[barleyguy]

My son used it to put his 4 Renogy 100 watt solar panels on the roof of his van about 4 year’s ago and swears by it. I know he cleaned the surfaces of the roof and z-brackets with a diluted alcohol mixture (alcohol and water) He has been in several different parts of the country in different types of climate.

I've also got solar panels attached with VHB tape. What I did is attached two 7 foot solar rails to the fiberglass roof of my fifth wheel with VHB tape, and then screwed 3x 200 watt panels down to the rails. My RV dealer also added an air dam in front of the panels to keep road wind from getting underneath them.

It's been on my roof for about 2 years and probably a couple of thousand miles, and I haven't had any issue at all. It's extremely strong as far as I can tell. Actually my particular installation is probably overkill. I used a 7-foot strip of VHB tape on each rail, so the surface area is pretty extreme.

One thing though: In my experience, VHB tape doesn't work very well on certain types of plastic. Actually it's packaged with plastic on each side of it that peels off, so it definitely doesn't stick to that particular plastic. But I also tried to use it to attach a plastic back-up camera, and it didn't hold. So based on those two things, I believe there are certain plastics it just doesn't work on.

Metal and fiberglass it seems to work incredibly well on though.

 

[maki2]

3M makes a wide variety of VHB tapes. A lot more than the types you find in Hardware, automotive and craft stores. However obtaining special formula VHB tape that along with a coat of special primer makes it suitable for use on plastics is simply not available in small quantity from retail sources. Pretty much limited to purchasing in quantity by companies that do manufacturing.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yep, in this situation, I'd opt for the bailing wire!

For VHB tape, the small amount of surface area that you would be working with will not provide enough 'grip'.

I feel pretty certain that the replacement grill can be ordered, but it probably wont be cheap.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes 3M makes hundreds of different types of VHB tape. know your tape. 3M is also pretty good about answering technical questions about their products. I would never attach a solar panel with just VHB on those little feet.

original question,
got a picture of the grill?
what year and model van?
have you looked at an aftermarket grill?

highdesertranger

 

[Jeffroe]

I didn’t either, just added my solar and even bought the tape and alcohol to clean but ended up screwing my brackets in. However he has put on over ten thousand miles and never had a problem. He did add an extra pair of z brackets to each panel.


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[barleyguy]

I also wouldn't trust just tape and z-brackets. That seems like not enough contact area to me, though I know it's been done many times.

I'm using XR10 solar rails, which are intended for houses and buildings. But IMO they are perfect for a fiberglass or metal RV/van roof as well.

https://www.ironridge.com/components/xr-rails/

The primary reason I chose rails and tape is because I don't want any holes drilled in my roof. Also, the rails are permanent, but the panels unscrew from the rails. So if I want to change to different panels sometime in the future I can.

 

[abnorm]

^^^^^^^^I see....no holes........Where/What's the attachment point of the "solar rail" to YOUR vehicle ?

 

[VanFan]

3M VHB...  There just is not enough surface area...

But because your grill has open areas the old farmer trick of holding things together with baling wire comes to mind.

Some wire and a self tapping screw or two into a convenient location on the body should work.

Perhaps even putting in a few small brackets on the inside attached to structure and an external little backer plate or fender washers to hold the grill where it belongs.

I think you are right about the amount of surface area, and I really need to look at it more carefully to see what else could work.  Frankly, I've been a little hesitate to mess with it too much since the tape had basically been doing the job before it got so hot.  Taking anything loose is risky, as Moby is a '96 getting a little brittle.

 

[VanFan]

Drill some small holes and use the regular clips that hold things up more securely.
See if these will do the job:

Or, you can use a riveter with a metal strip underneath. That will be much stronger. Riveters are not expensive, and some include the rivets. (about $20)

Thanks for the link.  The 200 pack could be pretty useful for things like door panel clips, etc. that break when you look at them!  I've never used a riveter, but as  you and Maki suggest, mending plates have been my friend.  As in sewing, the attachment is only as strong as the weakest material (buckram and illusion come to mind).

 

[VanFan]

...special formula VHB tape... is simply not available in small quantity from retail sources.

You're not kidding about there being a lot of different kinds.  As HDR said, you really need to know your tape!  This one in particular caught my eye just because it lookshttps://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-VHB-Commercial-Vehicle-Tape-CV62F/?N=5002385+8713604+3291242840&rt=rud but I think it's a no-go for this job.

 

[VanFan]

original question,
got a picture of the grill?  Just found the resolution setting on my phone camera so hopefully I can snap a few and post them soon.
what year and model van?  1996 Chevy Express 1500
have you looked at an aftermarket grill?  Dooh! (smacks self on the forehead)

Tx and HDR:  OMG!  I had not even thought to look for a new grille!  A very limited search turned up some options at TruParts, none of which are currently in stock.  https://www.carid.com/1996-chevy-ex...ilter=1&sub-model[ourBaseSubModelName][]=1500

I'm in no real hurry and will look into this more.  Thanks!

 

[barleyguy]

^^^^^^^^I see....no holes........Where/What's the attachment point of the "solar rail" to YOUR vehicle ?

I laid the rail flat on the roof and taped it with a 7 foot strip of VHB tape. So the attachment point is essentially the entire rail.