Reviving Old Chalky Rubber?

V

vroddad

New member
A friend of mine recently bought a 1992 Toyota Corolla wagon. It's quite a nice find (no dings at all, paint in good quality) with over 100K miles.



As an autopian, I look at the car and wonder how it's going to look when it looks new again. I did't see any hangups on the road to makining it look like it did out of the factory; then I notice the bumpers.



These bumpers were, I assume, at one point black rubber or a similar material. Over the years they have been killed by UV, Ozone, etc. Running your finger over them leaves a nice pile of blakc dust on you. Despite this I know the rubber is thick and under there is some nice new rubber protected by all this chalk.



The question is my friends, how do I get it back to normal? Just guessing off the top of my head, Griot's rubber cleaner followed by 303? Maybe a 1/4 bar of clay would do it? Sanding? Polishing?
 
So far the best thing I've tried is Black Jack Black Again. My wife's 1996 Taurus had badly sun beaten weatherstripping and windows molding. It was covered in brown spots casued by U.V. exposure and years of neglect (I'll take the blame, Autopia saved me). 303, Megs #40 Vinyl and Rubber Protectant and Mothers Back to Black all failed miserably. A few weeks ago I saw this Black Jack Black Again in a local store and remembered seeing it in a CMA catalog. Since everything I've purchased from CMA has been top shelf, I figured I'd give this stuff a try and it is awesome. It didn't get rid of the brown spots completely but they are very faint now and the rest of the trim/moulding/weathstripping is very black and well conditioned.



Apply it liberally and let it soak in. Unlike most things, this actually works best if applied and let sit in direct sunlight. I leave it on for about 30 minutes then go over the area and wipe off the excess with a dry mf towel to tone down the shine and prevent it from running.



This stuff will always have a place on my garage shelf!
 
I have some Forevery Black that I got from CMA. I'll be trying it out in the next few days after I get all the coats of Klasse SG on my truck. 1 down/ 5 to go.
 
Meguiars Endurance or Rubber Trim cleaner and conditioner have been helpful.



But if nothing else work get Back to Black vinyl paint and clear primer from your auto supply store. Clean off the other stuff, Sand, prime and paint. Will look brand new for 3-5 years, depending on weather conditions.
 
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