AH Insulating tape !!!
All the cars I ever owned as a Staff Cadet contained a 'shock absorber' and a couple of rolls of that gooy tape.
They served several purposes.
A They were always 'on hand' for instant on field repairs
B The shock absorber made a great spare tow rope.
C It was not unknown for my Beetle to do the odd retrieve when the pressure was on
D When several 'Lasham' gliders 'landed out' at Redhill during a national comp
guess who was able to tow them to the hangar and also 'remind the wing man' to keep it straight.
E The shock absorber's greatest test was when it towed a 'dead Beetle' down the A1 through London and back to Kenley for urgent attention. It had to be retired after that. It had only failed twice (due ground contact) but was repaired with a reef knot and a good layer of TAPE INSULATING !!!!
The CO was not quite so happy to find a beetle in the Hangar on Sunday being attended to by all the staff cadets plus course members (luckily it was too windy for flying)