RB restore...

[Nunyas]

Ok, I've decided that this weekend I'll be giving my 'B a bath, and try cleaning up the bumpers while I'm at it. Ultimately I want to get one of those fiberglass bumpers with integral front spoiler, but for now I'll just settle for cleaning up the bumpers so they don't look so old anymore. The last time I tried to "shine" them up I used ArmorAll or some equivolent but the bumpers just absobed the stuff and remained the same in appearance.

I vaguely recall someone mentioning steel wool and rattle can paint. I'd rather avoid pray painting since I don't have any place to do it, and I don't want to have black over spray on the car. Are S.O.S. pads or 'green scratchies' (scotch brite green scower pads) good enough for cleaning off the 'dead' layers of rubber? Anyone have any better suggestions for cleaning up those 30y.o. rubber bumpers?

 

[Stewart]

You could try mothers back to black. I've used it on other stuff with great results but havent tried it on the rubber bumpers yet.

 

[adam90009]

What I like using on bumpers is the spray foam tire cleaner/shine. the cheep stuff doens't work.

 

[John Loftus]

Have any of you tryed Forever Black? Since it is a black dye it should give more permanent results than surface treatments.
https://www.autogeek.net/fbk04.html
Personally haven't tried it but I've heard rave reviews on a VW forum and Saab forum.
Another product to check into is Aerospace 303 protectant. I ordered some through my local Ace Hardware and should be here this weekend. Supposed to be excellent for all the rubber and vinyl bits on the car
https://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=home

Anyway, just a few suggestions.

Cheers,
John

 

[Nunyas]

These are some interesting ideas guys. I thought about the foaming tire cleaner/protectant last night on my way home. While it would more than likely "dress up" the bumpers a bit, I don't think it will achieve what I'm hoping for.

These bumpers are amoung the best looking rubber bumpers I've seen on the net. My bumpers are course and porous looking, while the bumper in the picture looks smooth and non-porous. Can something like that not be achieved without painting the bumper? Or will the products you guys have mentioned so far help me scour the years of dead rubber off?

On a side note: my 'B looks a lot like the one linked, except I have a rubber antenna, no luggage rack, and it doesn't look quite as nice.

 

[John Loftus]

[ QUOTE ]
My bumpers are course and porous looking, while the bumper in the picture looks smooth and non-porous. Can something like that not be achieved without painting the bumper?

[/ QUOTE ]

Adding dye or dressing to the bumpers will make them look a lot better from a distance and is easy. To get a smooth surface you will need to surface and paint the bumpers. Automotive paint supply shops have special primers, fillers, paints for flexible parts/bumpers.

Doesn't someone on the MG forum have a RB that they have painted bodycolor? I recall seeing a photo and it looked great. (oh yea, Aerog's MG which is the first car in the 'members rides')

Cheers,
John

 

[Joe Reed]

The bumpers in that car have probably been painted. I did my rear bumper with Duplicolor rattle can bumper paint and it looks just fine. Or at least it would if I had spent more time getting it smooth before painting....I'll be redoing it this Spring!

If you paint, you have to have it absolutely clean. Any residue from previous coatings of Armor All or other such coatings will not let the paint adhere.

 

[jaybird]

AHA! I KNEW if I waited long enough, someone would post a thread about this! I hate the way my rb's look. But I hate the price of new rb's more! Here's how my bumpers look.
bumper and bumper

I feel like they were repainted, but not surfaced before the paint job. They're pitty and the surface is uneven, as you can see in the pics. Or they just have 30 years of aging. I'll be reading this thread with great interest over the next couple days for a miracle fix!

 

[jaybird]

Found this:
https://www.british-cars.org.uk/kimber/namgbr/techtips.htm

Q): What can I use on my black rubber bumpers to make them look better?
(A): The 1975 to 1980 rubber bumpers turn a light shade of gray and lose their deep black color after years of weather. The only process that I have found that works is to paint them and you can do this with the bumpers on the vehicle if you are careful to mask properly. First clean the bumpers with a quality grease and wax remover, then sand with 600 grit, or use a scuff pad over the entire surface. Wash the bumpers again using new towels and wax remover. Krylon semi-gloss black paint is just about perfect for the correct color. Spray the first coat on dry watching for "fish eyes" (silicone contamination). lf the first coat is good then proceed with the final coats until a uniform finish is obtained. The bumpers can be waxed along with the car color once the paint has cured.


(We've had several letters on rubher bumper maintenance recently, most asking for advice. Jim's treatment is the more drastic of several methods. Let me give you a couple of secrets that the concours boys used in England, provided that the bumpers are not too far gone in the first place! First, to maintain what little shine that might still be left, you might try Vaseline, and it has also been proved that Waxoyl, judiciously applied, can bring back some of the deep gloss. You don't need a lot of either, but like in the services you have to polish and polish to get that lasting shine! If the bumpers are not too bad and have not yet gone quite gray try a little black boot polish and a little saliva! Remember "spit and polish "? Again not too much and work it into the bumper until it looks an even color all over. Then rub with a soft lint-free cloth to shine it up. If any other Register members have found an alternative to the methods we have given, maybe they'd like to tell us about it? -Ed.)

 

[Nunyas]

oy! spit shining?!? hahah ... and I thought I as getting away from that when I left the Marines....

 

[Nunyas]

well, I tackled the bumpers today. I gotta say that they turned out 'ok'. Not quite my vision of perfection, but they look a LOT better than they did. I used a 'green scratchie' on them to clean off the 'dead' rubber. Which there didn't seem to be much of, but I did notice that there's some gouges in the surface and some other damage to them that can't be hidden. After I cleaned them and dried them off, I used liberal amounts of a foaming tire cleaner and protectant (I used "No Touch" but I reckon any brand will work).

Before:
Front (Please excuse the obvious cheap paint job... the PO did it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif)

Back

AFTER:
Front

Back

Now if i could just figure out a way to get in close to the bumpers while waxing the car without actually getting the wax on the bumper... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

 

[usasma]

I use a large sheet of wrapping paper between the bumper and the body while waxing - if the paper rips, I just get another piece. It's a 2 (or even 3) handed job, but it's worth the effort.