Restoring rubber mat?
- Christian Guthrie
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 568
- Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:51 am
- Tag: How many is enough?
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
Restoring rubber mat?
I have the original tan floor mats for my 58' cabriolet however they are stiff and brittle. A friend of mine read an article about soaking the mat in a garbage bag with brake fluid to restore the flexibility but I'm afraid of being the guinea pig with my tan mat. Does anyone have any suggestions they could share? Thanks in advance.
- Mike Wilson
- Classifieds Monitor
- Posts: 11492
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
- Location: SW Los Angeles
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
I just Googled the topic and there are several suggestions. One is using a heat gun to soften the rubber. There also might be some commercial products available, vinyl and rubber dressings for example, that might work.
Mike
Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
- Mike Wilson
- Classifieds Monitor
- Posts: 11492
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
- Location: SW Los Angeles
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
Considering how hot it is right now in Phoenix, just setting it outside might help!
Mike
Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
- John Lindstrom
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 336
- Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:51 am
- Location: Stanford, Ca. USA
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
I wouldn’t do anything to it. I would leave it as is.
- Martin Benade
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 12189
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:52 am
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
You may get them looking good again, but I doubt if anything will ever make them soft again, except maybe while they are hot, sitting in the sun. I once rejuvenated a vinyl top with brake fluid, it was great for a week. Then it was worse than before.
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna
- Christian Guthrie
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 568
- Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:51 am
- Tag: How many is enough?
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
Thanks for all of the advice, my goal is purely to make it flexible so it doesn't tear or break when installing/ removing. I'll try the 115 degrees in the sun tomorrow.
- Mike Wilson
- Classifieds Monitor
- Posts: 11492
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
- Location: SW Los Angeles
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
Yipes! Keep us posted and you keep cool!
Mike
Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe
- John Lindstrom
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 336
- Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:51 am
- Location: Stanford, Ca. USA
Re: Restoring rubber mat?
Hair dryer will get it a little warmer than sunlight if you need