bumperette care

[nineball]

i noticed that my bumperettes are starting to have lots of pinholes, some made by really big needles. my first thought was to soak them in armorall overnight but then i remembered reading something about armorall drying out rubber and aborted.

can anyone suggest a quality product to breathe some life back into them and help close up some of the holes?

[JJ 911SC]

... a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

[jorian]

Meguiars (can't remember the product name at the moment) makes some very good products that 'condition' rubber. I used it on my 87 with good results. Seemed to close the smallest of pores but only minimized the bigger ones.

[nineball]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

... a picture is worth a thousand words!!!

it is, but your picture does not have anything to do with my question. am i missing something?

[Mountainman]

Nineball, I ran into the same issue on my 76 912E. I used a product that Eastwood sells ( SEM product ) for rubber bumper restoration. It is a special paint that greatly improves the appearance of rubber bumpers and in our cases bumperettes. It did not eliminate the holes but did shrink them and made the things look pretty fresh again. Check with SEM and Eastwood they should be able to get you started. Dennis

[WPOZZZ]

I use Black Again.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by nineball

it is, but your picture does not have anything to do with my question. am i missing something?

Nineball

You did not miss anything... I just wanted to see the "bumperette".

On my Rear Bumper Guard, I use Mothers Back To Black Trim Restorer but I would like to try Montainman product.



J.J.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/JJ_911SC

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

Nineball, I ran into the same issue on my 76 912E. I used a product that Eastwood sells ( SEM product ) for rubber bumper restoration. It is a special paint that greatly improves the appearance of rubber bumpers and in our cases bumperettes. It did not eliminate the holes but did shrink them and made the things look pretty fresh again. Check with SEM and Eastwood they should be able to get you started. Dennis

Mountaiman

Is it; 3914( ) - TRIM BLACK http://semproducts.com/Catalog.asp?prod=133
Product Description 3914( ) restores faded and peeling exterior trim parts. Offers maximum adhesion on stainless steel and chrome.

J.J.

[Mountainman]

JJ 911SC, you hit it right on the head ( I should have included this info the first time, so thanks for doing it ) SEM 39143, I purchased it from Eastwood. It comes in a 15oz spray can and worked rather well for me on the bumperettes and the black trim on the flag mirrors. In fact the mirrors were horrible but are now very good. I sprayed them in 2008 , the car has seen only minimal sun so I cannot vouch for longevity but SEM makes good quality products so I am confident it will last. It appears that you could re-spray them again if needed with moderate preparation.
thanks Dennis

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

JJ 911SC, you hit it right on the head ( I should have included this info the first time, so thanks for doing it ) SEM 39143, I purchased it from Eastwood. It comes in a 15oz spray can and worked rather well for me on the bumperettes and the black trim on the flag mirrors. In fact the mirrors were horrible but are now very good. I sprayed them in 2008 , the car has seen only minimal sun so I cannot vouch for longevity but SEM makes good quality products so I am confident it will last. It appears that you could re-spray them again if needed with moderate preparation.
thanks Dennis

Hi Dennis

Amazingly, a supplier in Ottawa (Ontario) got it in stock. I'll be picking up a can on my way home.

Cheers

J.J.

[ROW911SC]

Zaino rubber and vinyl dressing.

[island911]

Unfortunately what the pads are made of is (referred to as) a self-skinning foam. As such, the 'skin' on these is not super durable and the 'skin' will break down and the underlying foam bubble will show thru. ...the same problem for the SC horn pad.

If some one can show the results of a product that fixes that porosity issue, I'm all ears.

[Jgordon]

What about that vinyl tear stuff from the infomercials? Mix it up, dab it on the affected area, and cover with a textured "patch" piece to give it a more natural appearance, let dry and it should be good.

[nineball]

thanks for all the suggestions. i am not looking to repaint them as they are in great shape i just want to find something that will cause it to swell and close up the holes as much as possible - if that even exists.

here are the shots.

[nineball]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

Mountaiman

Is it; 3914( ) - TRIM BLACK http://semproducts.com/Catalog.asp?prod=133
Product Description 3914( ) restores faded and peeling exterior trim parts. Offers maximum adhesion on stainless steel and chrome.

J.J.

I called SEM and that is basically a heavy duty paint. The rep actually told me not to use it for my needs. He half-heartedly suggested a flexible ployester glaze they sell that is similar to a bondo-type product but that would require a skim coat on the entire bumperette, sanding, primer and paint and may not actually fill in the holes completely.

i am a fan of meguiars products so i will look into them next.


-edit-

just got off the phone with meguiars and while they don't specifically have a rubber (or foam) restoring product they suggested their Natural Shine vinyl & rubber protectant. it has some conditioning chemicals in it that may help with sealing/swelling the holes as well as uv blockers. they told me it may not do anything for the holes at all but it will help prevent more.

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.asp?T1=MEG+G4116

[island911]

The holes are not going to be chemically swollen shut via some magic conditioner.

Originally Posted by Jgordon

What about that vinyl tear stuff from the infomercials? Mix it up, dab it on the affected area, and cover with a textured "patch" piece to give it a more natural appearance, let dry and it should be good.

That's the best idea I've heard yet.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by nineball

thanks for all the suggestions. i am not looking to repaint them as they are in great shape i just want to find something that will cause it to swell and close up the holes as much as possible - if that even exists.

here are the shots.

Nineball

That was my reason about my comment for a picture being worth, a few dollars...

From your pictures now I know the my Rear Bumper Guard are not showing the problem you have, actually I did not know what "bumperettes" were except wild guessing it's the French version of mini bumper...

I did get a can of SEM 39143 and will do a test run on the ashtray before I try it on the Bumpers. My main problem is that a previous owner proudly display an... Italian Flag on the right Rear Bumper Guard (Kann er in Frieden ruhen) for about 8 years. While the sticker flew away before I got the Babe, the glue residual still shows and nothing can seem to help. So I'll do macro shots of before & after.

I'll put the result on this thread for the benefit of whoever may come across this threat in the future.

Cheers

J.J.

P.S. 1 The Oil leak is 3 months worth of it, mainly in the first 2 weeks of the Oil change, once it got a bit dirty, it stop to leak.

P.S. 2 Before paying big $ for Meguiars stuff at a car shop, check Lowe's... Just about half price.


J.J.

[Mountainman]

I gave the wrong part # on the SEM paint, the correct # is 39103 it is called
" bumper coater ". Sorry for any trouble that might have caused. - Dennis

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

I gave the wrong part # on the SEM paint, the correct # is 39103 it is called
" bumper coater ". Sorry for any trouble that might have caused. - Dennis

Dennis

Not a big thing ($15) and it will work on other place.

When I got to the store, I did see some can of (you guess it) Bumper Coater... on the self.

I'll pick one up tomorrow.

It start to get cold up here, so to top is going up at night.


Cheers

J.J.

[Aron in Toronto]

You might try one of these product for rubber weather stripping and seals


http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/CARE/POR_CARE_einszt_pg10.htm

or


http://www.zymol.com/softseals.aspx