Having spent much time at car races, the company’s founder, Constant A. Benoit Sr., noticed that blown cylinder head gaskets were forcing many of the racing vehicles into frequent pit stops. Mr Benoit took to his laboratory in Brooklyn, New York, and worked on a shellac product he’d originally designed to bond bicycle tyres to their rims.

By 1915, Mr Benoit had developed an experimental gasket cement. At a 24-hour endurance race on the Sheepshead Bay track, he was called to help driver Ralph DePalma, whose car had blown four head gaskets during the race. After applying the gasket cement creation, DePalma’s vehicle went on to complete the event without any further issues. On that day, Permatex® officially entered the automotive maintenance chemicals business. 

Taking the opportunity for real-world testing, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. assembled a racing car engine without gaskets; using only Permatex® Form-A-Gasket® products. The #23 roadster test car, driven by Milt Marion, went on to win the first race at the Daytona Beach Road Course.

In an effort to prove product effectiveness, a Ford Galaxie 500 was created with an engine assembled using only Permatex® sealants, in place of head, carburettor and water-pump gaskets. Driven by stock car racer Fonty Flock, the car was known as the ‘Permatex® Sealant Special’ and it ran at the Daytona Beach Road Course. The car reached 101.17mph for 300 miles, without experiencing a single leak or drop in compression.

Having moved from Daytona Beach Road Course to the Daytona International Speedway in 1959, the modified series was renamed the Permatex® 300 in 1966. It was only the second race on the NASCAR schedule to have been named after a corporate sponsor and it became the premier racing event in the American speedway calendar.

Following purchase of The Permatex Company by Locite Corporation, a merge with Woodhill Chemical Company saw the business become Woodhill Permatex in 1972. One of the early products to be launched was the Permatex® Blue Silicone – a reliable gasket maker coating. In the late 1970s, this item went on to become the largest selling chemical item in the American auto parts industry.

Continuing to test the field of automotive racing, NASCAR superstar Bobby Allison helped build a late model Chevrolet sportsman engine without a single cut gasket or lock washer, for use on the track. Using only Permatex® brand threadlockers, the car ran an average 157mph for 300 miles at the Talladega Motor Speedway. 

One of America’s oldest manufacturers of waterless hand cleaners became part of the Permatex® business, bringing with them an established product line, including Blue Label™ and Trounce®. Later the same year, the first Permatex® citrus hand cleaner, Fast Orange®, was launched. This product is now a staple of the Permatex® product line and seen as the standard in citrus hand cleaning products.

Permatex® becamepart of the Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) in 2005. Founded in 1912, ITW is adiversified manufacturing company, renowned for creating value-added productsand innovative customer solutions. With a decentralised business spanning 49countries and employing over 50,000 people globally, the acquisition saw Permatex®become a subsidiary of this global performance polymers business.   

Permatex® proudly joined forces with Jay Blake and his non-profit organisation Follow a Dream, supporting the foundation’s aspirations to motivate and educate people. As racing’s only blind race Crew Chief, Jay Blake would draw upon his own experiences to inspire others. With high speeds and big engines, the Follow a Dream race team used Permatex® products to keep their 3000 horsepower NHRA car moving on the track. 

Permatex® celebrated 100 years in the chemical tool business, marking a significant milestone in the company history. This centenary celebration offered an opportunity to reflect on the virtues that Permatex® was founded on and cement a continued dedication to work with automakers, parts suppliers, service parts groups, and other aftermarket companies to develop the next generation of service technology.

Over the last 5 years, we have continued our tradition of innovation by launching fast setting gasket makers (90 min set times) for high temperature applications, new & improved Threadlockers in a professional sized gel tube and a new range of Fast Orange anti-bacterial hand cleaners for a post Covid world. Permatex continues to grow and innovate new products by placing ourselves in our users’ shoes, we continuously look for new ways to make tough jobs easier with innovative and high performing products.