This is the rubber air inlet off a 1958 Lambretta motorscooter....
Is there any way back for this? It's hardened, is cracking on the surface (though still all very much together) & is half covered in cracked old paint.....is there a diy treatment that can revive it?
Any comments/help/advice appreciated. I'm gonna say "no way in hell". Hopefully, I'm just plain wrong and someone will be able to make me look like a fool. 
Yeah, basically when rubber looks like that, its time to replace it.
Fortunately an air intake isn't a critical part (you can drive without it)
If this was a part you had to trust, I would replace it immediately, but you could use it like it is for a short time.
For a temporary fix, coat it in something; polyurethane or rubber cement, perhaps.
| ocalhoun wrote: |
| For a temporary fix, coat it in something; polyurethane or rubber cement, perhaps. |
I'm thinking I ought to give it a very good clean/degreasing, then use a coating (I was thinking black silicone sealant, but that may be too flimsy).
A replacement part is only available through one manufacturer (made in the USA) & would cost me £40gbp ($60 USD).
With this high cost in mind I'm going to try repair it as well as I can.^Just occurred to me: Before you try to coat it with anything, go at it with some sandpaper; this should restore the original color a bit and make whatever you coat it with stick better.
Oh, and that silicone caulking is good stuff! I've used it in more than one repair/modification to my Jeep.
thanks for the input guys....I ended up cleaning the whole thing in parrafin, then rubbing most of the paint off with wet & dry paper....then, after cleaning thoroughly again, "painting" it with black silicone sealant.
The silicone is quite "sludgey", so is a little lumpy on the surface of the rubber, but the item feels much more stable, strong, and no longer as if it will crack with any sort of pressure.
Not the prettiest thing in the world, but there you go !
i was going to suggest using paint thinners to bring it back to life , the thinners would melt some of the rubber and perhaps it could be spread over the cracks ,
Have you thought of trying e bay or even google as i am sure these parts are out there , , e bay italy may be another option open to you .
god luck with your fix .
Ian.
Thanks Ian,
the part is not seen once back on the machine (it's up under the frame behind the fuel tank). It's not a pretty "repair" I've made, but it will be effective. The only place that has ever remade this item is a US based company, but the price would take up around 7 or 8% of my resto budget alone.
