Marker light rubber refresh??

[JeffMopar]

Hello All, I am getting ready to install all the marker lights back in the car and everything is going well. The question I have is that the rubber seals are in great shape after bead blasting, nice, smooth, pliable and clean but the color is still not back to the original black like new rubber. Does anybody know of a way to restore the shiny new color that they had new? I hate to install them like they are after polishing all the lenses, stainless trim and screws. Any help is appreciated. Jeff

[Z dreams]

I don't know if it will work, but I think I would try is soaking them in Armor-all for a day or so couldn't hurt them.

[grantf]

You bead blasted the rubber? Anyhow for exterior rubber I have been using "Mothers Back-to-Black". It has worked really good so far, the old bumper rubber on my car looks great. I also used it on the side markers. Time will tell if they stay looking as good.

[grantf]

I don't know if it will work, but I think I would try is soaking them in Armor-all for a day or so couldn't hurt them.

I do not trust Armor-all anymore. I am not sure if the stories are true but I have heard that it tends to dry out rubber and cause it to crack.

[ajmcforester]

Try the back to black. if not rubber dye

[cygnusx1]

I soaked mine in silicone spray, 10 years ago, while my 76 car was in paint jail. Although they were in good shape then, I thought it would do no harm to them. Ten years later, and they still look like new. Also did the same to all the other rubber on the car.

[Z dreams]

back to black sounds like the most up-dated choice, but when I built my Harley 31 years ago. I soaked the old rubber parts in armor-all and have used it since then with no rubber drying or cracking.

[EScanlon]

Rubber is different from vinyl. It also does not have the plasticizers that vinyl has which are what the silicone oil in armor all binds to.

Armor all works... if you re-apply regularly and methodically. Quit using it for a while and that's when the problems begin. This is on vinyl.

What I know of on rubber, is that it will make it slick... too slick to grip if applied to the thread portion of a tire, a neighbor's son did it to his car and had to literally do a "burn out" in order to get them to grip. Not that the wheels would slip and slide, but they decidedly had lost a lot of the normal traction of good tires.

I've used the Mother's as well as a Turtle Wax Black Chrome with good results. I prefer the 303 Protectant or POR 15's Boss Gloss.

YMMV

E

Edited February 16, 2011 by EScanlon

[JeffMopar]

Thanks to everybody who replied. I am heading down to the local NAPA for a few things and will pick up the Mothers Back to Black and try it. I'm a little leary about the Armor All because you do have to keep up on it. May do one with Silicone as I had thought of that also just to see how it goes.

grantf, As far as bead blasting the rubber the glass beads actually bounce off rubber and just remove anything on the surface leaving a beautiful smooth surface, but you have to be careful. If the rubber is dry rotted or breaking down it will remove the bad parts also leaving pits and holes. If that happens you have to replace the part anyway. This also works with sand blasting.

Jeff

[grantf]

Good to know Jeff. I might try beadblasting in the future. My boss at work has Beadblasted alot of metal for me over the years, Might give it a shot sometime.

[ajmcforester]

Try the back to black first it removed the nasty rubber also