What is the secret of installing rubber on deco

[MarkS]

I tried installing new rubber on front aluminum deco this AM and for the life of me can't figure it out. I tried soap starting at one end and pulling on, no way. I tried starting at one end and prying the rubber into the T channel no dice. ANY help greatly appreciated.

[kenikh]

Ditto here, brother. I have yet to succeed at this, although I hear that heating them up in very hot water works.

[Tom F.]

Hmm... I did this last summer, no problem. As I recall, I folded the rubber back on itself. This spread open the groove in the rubber, and it just went right over the aluminum. Might have used a little silicone spray, too.

The one I hate is the rubber for the rocker deco. Someone chewed mine up, trying to force it in with a glazing knife, or similar.

[Neil '67 911S]

If you have the wide deco, the aluminum cross-section is T shaped. As Tom suggests, simply spread the rubber apart (top to bottom) and it'll clamp onto the T. I use wire pull lubricant, which allows you to slide/shift/compress the rubber as needed it's installed.

If you have the narrow bumper deco, you need to get a glaser's tool. You can stop in at a windshield installation shop and pick one up. Thumbs are not strong enough and screw drivers/calking spatulas will cut up the rubber.

Each rubber piece (front bumper and rocker rubber) is long enough for you to cut off a 1" long piece to figure out how to taper the ends so the rubber will fit nicely the end pocket. I use a grinder to trim away material from the back side.

Make sure you trim the initial end of the rubber nicely and stuff it into the aluminum deco end pocket. Once you have the rubber all installed to within about 3-4" from the end, leave at least a 1" over hang and mark it. Remove the rubber entirely, then cut off the surplus. Use the grinder to trim/shape the end.

Now reinstall the piece and when you get to the final end, shove/slide the rubber back toward the initial end. This is where the wire pull lubricant comes in handy. You want some compression on each end so that as the rubber dries out over time, it won't retract so obviously.

I installed the rocker rubber deco on Ol' Ivory ('67 911S) using only my thumbs after heating the rubber up in hot water. The blister was worth the price of not mucking up that unobtanium rubber. Why it is unobtanium, I don't know. Terry at IM didn't offer any explanation.

[MarkS]

Thanks all I will try the heat and lube. This is a NOS 15+ year old piece and is much more robust on the bottom that slips over the T than the stuff available as of late. I had a new one recently purchased and it slipped on no problem it was so loose it did not pull up tightly against the aluminum, you could wobble it around and had about 1/16" gaps.