Carpentry and Woodworking - Restoration of an Exterior Door

I have a red oak exterior door that is weathered and dried to the extent their are gaps in the seams. The original finish appears to be golden oak or light oak.
What can be used to restore the wood to it's original condition? I am concerned that the wood will turn black or very dark if I apply something like tung oil.
What can be put on the wood once it is restored to protect it from the sun and rain?
Any and all ideas will be appreciated.

Is it a money issue as to why you don't just replace it?

You'll need to strip it and refinish it with "The green can" of a minwax product made for the outdoors. I can't think of the name off hand.

Originally posted by Furniture Bldr
"The green can" of a minwax product made for the outdoors.

Exterior Spar Varnish.

Those gaps in the original seams probably mean that the joints are failing as well. Almost all wood doors have this problem eventually and it's accelerated if the door is exposed to direct sunlight for long periods during the day.

I would take the door down and see if clamping will close the joints. If it does, you should inject some new glue into the joints and maybe add some mechanical fasteners (such as screws) with plugs to hide the heads.

It would probably be best to completely sand and refinish the door using exterior stain/finish on the outside. Use a good quality spar varnish with UV protection and figure on a touch up every couple of years.