308 targa latch rubber nose repair

While some of you may be waiting to send Verell the deteriorating rubber on your roof latches for re-casting, I think I may have found a possible nose repair method if your existing rubber is not too bad yet. Mine were just starting to crack & detach from the metal cores. I applied Shoe Goo, a rubber shoe sole repair compound (clear) to the separating areas of the rubber noses and let it cure for 24 hours as directed. I figured if it's good enough to hold up to walking foot traffic and it sticks to rubber, it may be just the thing.

So far it seems tough and adhering well to the old rubber. I first cleaned the rubber with acetone as recommended by the Shoe Goo instructions. I plan to dress the excess goo down with fine sandpaper and then color it black with something (probably a permanent marker, shoe polish or plastic spray paint). I'll let you know how well it holds up under use. I got the Shoe Goo at the local hardware store for $4.99

I also cleaned up the metal with some new semi-gloss paint and black shoe polish on the straps first. Pictures of before and after to date:
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I take my top off and on each time I go for a drive (I keep the top on in the garage to keep the shop grime off the interior) which is about once a week. So far the Shoe-Goo is holding perfect. The pictures do not show the fact the clear Shope Goo actually looks black when cured and is hardly noticable.

Verell's process is excellent, especially if your rubber is totally gone. But if you just have a small detachment or void, the Shoe-Goo method will hold things together.


Bob