stainless steel running board protectors

[donandal]

I don't know if anyone has done something like this before,
but I will be trying this on my 53 AD.
I roll formed them from .036 brushed stainless steel.

As shown, they cover two peaks of the running board. I plan
using three strips on each cab step area, and three short
strips on the step area near the box. I will be using some
6-32 stainless button head screws in the valley to fasten them.
This sample isn't full length that I plan to use, but you get the
idea. I will refine the fit to match the grooves more closely on
the final pieces.

What do you think?

[Donaldo]

I like ! I think this is one of the cleanest ideas I have seen yet !! What about fastening them down with an auto body adhesive rather than making holes for the fittings ? Consider letting me know what a set would cost.

Don

[donandal]

I thought about body adhesive, and body molding two sided tape also,
but might go with the small button heads. That way i can take them off
and touch up any really bad scratches with some 100 grit sand paper.
It is real easy to re "grain" the brushed finish with 100 grit to match
the original finish.

I have no idea of cost to make these.... I'll give it some thought.

[Nev68]

Looks great.
I like the button head screw idea too. (easier to remove the cover if required)

[whitedog76]

You want to build me some long-bed running boards? LOL

[NEWFISHER]

I would purchase 2 sets from you.

[Daze57]

very nice looking !

[1952]

post your price and photo of finished protectors.
I am interested as well for a set

[Highsider]

I would consider buying a door set.

I would use automotive adhesive instead of screws.
I cringe thinking of drilling holes.

[donandal]

Originally Posted by whitedog76

You want to build me some long-bed running boards? LOL

Actually, what got me thinking of this style of protector was my need to extend my running boards for my 53. I extended my cab five inches right through the middle of the doors. I extended the frame 5 inches under the cab and then extended the running boards five inches. I got the 5" section for the extension from one of my old running boards and welded it in just in front of the rear fender where there is no taper to the running board.

[Donaldo]

I live right on the coast, and every hole on the underside is an big invitation to a rust barnacle. I would think it to be even worse where the roads are salted.

Don

[donandal]

Originally Posted by Donaldo

I live right on the coast, and every hole on the underside is an big invitation to a rust barnacle. I would think it to be even worse where the roads are salted.

Don

Yeah, that is a big problem here in Western New York.

I go back and forth on drilling the holes. Maybe I'll put a
small dab of sealer under each bolt before I snug them down.

I have a long way to go before paint, so plenty of time to decide.

[_Ogre]

just another idea to protect painted running board or in my case door step wells
i used 2 layers of 3m protective paint film, 3 yrs and 20000 miles and there is no noticeable scratches in the paint
it is tough stuff

[donandal]

I made some blanks for the strips so I'll probably roll form the pieces tomorrow.
These are a little longer than necessary, but will allow me to trim the ends to
a more eye appealing curve.

Checked some #8-32 stainless button heads and they fit good in the valley
and don't stick up above the ribs at all. Probably go with those.

Extending the running boards was a little more work than I expected. The
rear curve didn't match the curve of the repop frnders at all, so i cut them
off and redid them to match.

[donandal]

Just a quick update. I rolled enough pieces for one truck ( 3 short and 3 long pieces per side plus a few spare pieces in case I made any scrap )
and I already see too much wear on the roll dies. Soon the lines will lose their crispness. The stainless steel is pretty tough stuff.

I made the prototype dies from cold roll so if I decide to make any more of these I will have to remake the dies from tool steel.
Not a big deal but I'm not sure there is enough demand for something like this. We'll see.

[donandal]

I finished trimming up the ends and added one more roll formed bend
on the outer strip edge to better follow the outer most rib. On
these re pop running boards the outer rib sort of rolls over
the edge.

These are done for now, and I'll put them away and drill the holes
for the 8-32 button heads later.
Time to move on to something else.