Repairing rubber mouldings

[cardiffrob]

I'm restoring a Morris and the rubber items on it are all nearly 70 years old. I could maybe replace them with less knackered ones but I wondered if there is a material that can be applied that would act like a flexible filler and colour restorer to counter the cracking and splitting going on. Would the stuff used on flat roofs be any good?

Thanks

Rob
(Battling the king of darkness....LUCAS)

 

[Stueeee]

I have used this stuff in the past for casting in "rubber" it could probably be used for repairing too. http://www.itw-devcon.co.uk/index.p...e_and_repair_systems/devcon_flexane_60_80_94/
Like anything made by Devcon, it's not cheap though.

 

[cardiffrob]

Ouch! 80 quid for a half kilo!

 

[500e]

Rob we use these for a lot of moldings
Bains of Tunbridge Wells Kent
They will supply samples (about 50mm)

http://www.coh-baines.co.uk/pdfs/catalogue_compressed.pdf

 

[cardiffrob]

Thanks, 500e.

I've emailed them to see what they can do.

Cheers

Rob

 

[steveo3002]

frosts sell a tin of brush on rubber paint , claimed to fill cracks and improve worn out old toot

http://www.frost.co.uk/black-rubber-paint-250ml.html


surely theres repo stuff available tho?

 

[bigegg]

I seem to remember anthony hopkins [1]using boot polish on tyres to fill cracks-cosmetically only.
Might be a hollywoodism, and i doubt it would last long.

At work we used a product called "sikaflex" (sicaflex?) which would work.

[1] "worlds fastest indian" - good film

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I seem to remember anthony hopkins [1]using boot polish on tyres to fill cracks-cosmetically only.
Might be a hollywoodism, and i doubt it would last long.

At work we used a product called "sikaflex" (sicaflex?) which would work.

[1] "worlds fastest indian" - good film

Sikaflex is good gear, for gods sake if you use it don't get it on anything you don't want permanently wedged shut !! You could glue the car to the ceiling with the stuff

 

[anjum]

There's a product called Sugru which may be useful.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

There's a product called Sugru which may be useful.

Used Sugru to make a replacement when I lost one of the rubber eyecups from my binoculars last month, and couldn’t find a replacement.

Took an internal former of the right diameter, wrapped it in cling-film because I had no suitable releasing agent on hand, applied Sugru in a layer about 3.5mm thick and left if to set for 24 hours.

Works perfectly, seems durable but quite soft, therefore ideal for an eyecup. Possibly too soft for car components?

 

[Rocketman]

The air has attacked the rubber seems a pointless task bodging it to be sorted out in another 2 years time if you are restoring it. They are basic seals on old cars it won't be a problem getting replacements.

Now if you talk about cars from the late 90's onwards boy is there a nasty surprise waiting for the restorers in years to come

 

[cardiffrob]

The moulding on this one is quite intricate and the closest similar item is not really up to it. I'll have a look at this Sugru stuff. Thanks, guys.

 

[Barking Mat]

Bath Morris Minor center. What do you need?

 

[cardiffrob]

Bath show this item on their website, including a photo, but the ones they delivered had only a passing resemblance. I've got some of that Sugru on order from Ebay and will give it a try next week.
Makes me wonder why they spend all that effort producing a replacement component but don't get the shape or dimensions right.

 

[Barking Mat]

Go on, what are they?

 

[cardiffrob]

Ah, they fit between the rear wing and the plinths that the rear lamps sit upon. Amazing that they survived so well since 1949. Wife 'REQUIRES' me to make it as nice as possible since it is her 40th birthday present and she will be 45 next week. Slightly protracted rebuild after breaking my spine a while ago.

 

[zx9]

Wife 'REQUIRES' me to make it as nice as possible since it is her 40th birthday present and she will be 45 next week. Slightly protracted rebuild after breaking my spine a while ago.

Looks to me like you are complying with her instructions, that engine bay is fabulous.

 

[cardiffrob]

Thanks! That is what it looks like covered in dust. Nice shine on it when clean.
Spent the morning with my new Dremel (OOOOOoooooh!) polishing the heads on the brass screws that hold down the gearbox cover and pickling the cup washers in Citric Acid.
Livin' the dream, baby!.

 

[the snooper]

after looking at those photos it would be a shame to bodge the rubber fittings with anything, get new replacemets, as the saying goes, dont spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar

 

[Cobbler]

Thanks! That is what it looks like covered in dust. Nice shine on it when clean.
Spent the morning with my new Dremel (OOOOOoooooh!) polishing the heads on the brass screws that hold down the gearbox cover and pickling the cup washers in Citric Acid.
Livin' the dream, baby!.

When I worked on Minors & 1000's those brass screws were always chewed up, broken off or had the heads drilled off, never to be replaced. I worked on quite a few Minors over the years & they all had about a 1/4 of the screws unusable. Some were reasonably new cars.