Where to Find Mechanical Parts, Springs and Duct Tape

Ordered by parts per swing, from the files' own drop counts.

6 blocks drop 8 to 12 mechanical parts when you destroy them: White Steel Garage Door 3x3 / White Steel Garage Door 4x3 / White Steel Garage Door 5x3 / Roll Up Security Gate 3x3 / Roll Up Security Gate 4x3 / Roll Up Security Gate 5x3. They drop 8 to 12 springs as well, which makes them the best single block for both parts. The Reinforced Drawbridge gives 4 to 20, the widest range in the file.

Wooden powered garage doors and roll-up doors give less (2 to 7), so skip them if a steel one is near.

11 vehicle blocks, such as White Sedan / Burnt Sedan / White Minivan / White SUV / White Pickup Truck / White Semi Truck / Police Car / White Fire Truck / School Bus / White Forklift 01 / White Forklift 02, drop 4 to 10 mechanical parts when harvested. The same cars give 3 to 6 springs and 1 to 5 electrical parts. That makes one harvested sedan the cheapest all-round stop.

Their loot containers (the trunk or cabin) are listed under containers. Forklifts and fire trucks are in the same group as cars.

The map places 130 Destroyed Workbench containers in 120 POIs. One can hold 1–5 mechanical parts, 1–4 springs, 1–4 duct tape and 1–3 electrical parts, so it is the best mapped stop for all four at once. The file lists a separate "Destroyed Workbench, Empty" block that drops 8 mechanical parts when harvested (items page).

The numbers are the 8 POIs with the most of them (ties: lowest skull rating, then nearest trader). With the "Workstations In The Wild" sandbox option on, a working workbench stands there instead, per the map's own note.

27 loot lists can hold mechanical parts, 21 springs, 24 duct tape and 24 electrical parts. Most roll 1 to 2. Bigger rolls: Destroyed Workbench (1–5), Farm Truck (1–3), Rolling Toolbox (1–3) and Toolbox (1–3). Garage storage opens at any loot stage and rolls 1–2. Toolboxes and trucks are the ones to check first.

Duct tape has no block source in the files. You craft it at the backpack: 1 glue and 7 cloth fragments make 1. 38 kinds of container can also hold it.

Electrical parts: the best blocks are Air Conditioner / Vent Fan / Vent Fan, Double (3–12), Chandelier / Street Light (POI) (4–8) and Retro Refrigerator, Open (1–8). Trader Bob lists them in his specialty stock. Mechanical parts, springs, duct tape and electrical parts are all on the general trader list (base value 32, 22, 25, 32).

Scrapping an Engine gives mechanical parts, but the files give no amount. The "engine gives 30 mechanical parts" figure that circulates is not in the V3.3 files, which list the Engine as a scrap source with no amount.