[Len Desfos]

Hi,
I'm new to Alfa having spent most of my life trying to find a way to stop British sports cars from leaking oil. Now that I've switched, ('84 Spider doesn't leak on the driveway, much to my wife's delight) my new mystery is how to restore the rubber spoiler so that it looks like nearly new (if this is possible) Part 2 of the mystery is how to get the old one off. (I have a replacement that needs to be restored cosmetically but which is in pretty good shape otherwise.) It appears to be stuck on as well as bolted.....and the car was recently repainted with the spoiler on so I'm worried about the paint. A company in Toronto called Parasol claims to have a line of products that would do the job. Any suggestions?

Len

 

[Zunige]

... It appears to be stuck on as well as bolted.....and the car was recently repainted with the spoiler on ...

It may not be glued anymore, and it's easy to find out. It is bolted and in reality that is all it takes to keep it securely in place. There are four bolts which are part of the rubber piece, and the nuts are what secures the spoiler to the trunk lid. The nuts one either end are visible without removing anything. To access the ones toward the middle, you will need to remove the three light assembly underneath the spoiler. (Be gentle when removing this assembly, and take this as an opportunity to clean it.) Once you remove the nuts, you should be able to work the spoiler free with a bit of patience and help of a commercial glue solvent.

Best regards,

 

[Elio Comello]

Not sure I really understand what you are trying to do.

I think your spoiler is soft rubber. In 85 I believe they went to a more durable Hard rubber with an integral 3rd stop lite where the Logo was.

The Spoiler was not painted originally.

There is a truly beautiful fiberglass spoiler kit made by Zender. I think SpidePoint in Germany carries it.

Alternately there are spoilers available on eBay and places like Alfa Parts Exchange and De Noya Trading post.

I can send you pic's of the Zender....

How big is your budget?

Regards, Elio

 

[Len Desfos]

I am looking for a way to restore the original appearance as best possible. I have a replacement for the one on the car (which is a little shabby) but the color of the replacement is sort of faded and the surface is porous here and there. It is nice from far but far from nice. My budget has shrunk a little so I would to save a little if possible.

Len desfos

 

[Elio Comello]

Refinishing the "soft rubber" is difficult if not impossible. In my mind you are best off getting a hard rubber spoiler from a parting out later model S3.
For now if your softie is looking ratty, remove it. Car may look better without it.
There was a guy Alfa311? on this board from PQ who was paryting out Spiders.

Best regards, Elio

 

[Zunige]

If you're looking to save a few $$, there is a lot that patience and perseverance can do with a rubber spoiler... Everyone has their own method, but I can tell you that the Meguiars Trim Detailer really does work. You can have a grey (very badly faded) rubber spoiler, and the Trim Detailer will bring it back. At first, it will soak up the solution, but slowly it will begin to take. (And don't get discouraged if it seems like minute particles of the top rubber layer are getting rubbed off.) Once the color begins to come back it will look dramatically different. You will have to re-apply it, especially if you wash your car or let it sit in the sun a lot, but it will get to the point were even washing it won't take the color away. The only thing I would recommend is that you be careful with the Meguiars bottle - make sure it is always upright, because it leaks! Go figure why, but it's just how it is.

I have been using the Meguiars for years. I use it on all the exterior molding, rubber or plastic, and there is plenty of molding in your car. There are of course other products, like the 303 Protectant that I was very interested in, when it was mentioned in this thread.

No matter what you decide, do please give us a "long term update".

Best regards,

 

[Len Desfos]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. I described the problem to a guy in Toronto whose company manufactures paints and coatings for rubber. He says it would require three of their products to restore the surface and appearance of the spoiler. The first is a cleaner, the second is to restore the surface which has a lot of little holes like pinholes and the third is to give the repaired surface a gloss. He says the finished job will retain its flexibility etc.I have never seen a new one so I'm sort of guessing. Maybe someone could send me a close-up digital pic of a real good example sothat I know what the final result should try to imitate (e-mail: [email protected]) I plan to send them some pictures of my spoiler and it would help if I had a picture of a good one to send along as well. The guy said that they have finally managed to put the stuff in aerosol cans, so that will help make the job look more pro...I hope. I will certainly post updates as this experiment progresses. Thanx for the ref. to Alfa311. I have done business with him and was well satisfied. Anyone know a Canadian source for rebound straps? They don't look like they would be hard to make.

Regards,
Len D.

 

[Zunige]

Here's a picture of the rubber spoiler. The color should be uniform, and it actually is, but it doesn't come out like that on the pics... The color is definitely black. It does not have a glossy finish, but rather just a flat black rubber color...



Best regards,

 

[Len Desfos]

Thanks for the picture. I will show it to the gentleman at Parasol to see if he thinks his products could do the job. I'm getting a little sceptical so I think I will keep my eyes open for a hard rubber one just in case.

Regards,
Len

84 Spider