One good technique I've used to grip parts that I don't want to scratch up (such as the piston on strut) is to wrap it with a thick piece of rubber such as a rubber bungee cord, and then grip the outside of the rubber with the channel locks. If the rubber and the part are sticky enough you should get enough grip to hold it in place without ruining your finish. Well I haven't actually tried it on powder coating but it worked great on the strut piston which is maybe chrome or some kind of polished metal. Good luck

MIchael

Good idea, I'll defintley give that a try over tape.

Aren't you in the Indy area MPerdue? I hope to make a meeting soon; I've had the car on stands and going through each system trying to get her road worthy.

Nope Dallas TX. Good luck with your project. Post pics if you have some!

michael