Aftermarket running boards with Rear A/C?

[DavidEBSmith]

One of the mounting brackets for the right power running board on our 2007 Mountaineer broke.

The bracket is not available separately, the entire assembly is upwards of $1200, and I haven't found any used ones at a reasonable price. So I'm thinking about just replacing the power running boards with aftermarket fixed running boards.

Some of the aftermarket boards say "not for use with rear A/C" which, for course, we have. Some don't say anything about it at all, which could either mean they fit with rear A/C or that the manufacturers are ignorant of whether or not they fit and they might not.

I presume the issue is that the lines to the rear A/C may interfere somehow with the mounting brackets for the boards.

So, has anybody successfully mounted aftermarket running boards to a Explorer or Mountaineer with rear A/C? Or unsuccessfully? Which brand/model? Tips or tricks? The no-drill kits look like a simple job but not if the brackets can't be bolted on.

 

[Explorer_PL]

I just went thru the same issue. I bought an 07 Eddie Bauer with power running boards. They were stuck in open position. I tried to fix them but they were beyond repair. I tried to mount them as fixed position closer to the body of the car since they are too low. I had to cut those hinge/brackets into pieces.

In the end, I bought a pair of almost perfect OEM running boards from a wrecked Eddie Bauer and just bolted them to the car in 30 minutes. They look great, paint is perfect. $ 150, can't beat that.

Don't do aftermarket ones, I bought a pair for a Dodge Ram I had few years ago. The universal brackets they come with, never really work well.
Go on car-parts.com and there are plenty of them.

I might have that part you are looking for, let me post pictures maybe tomorrow of what I have.

The power boards are held in 2 spots per side, using 3 x 13 mm (socket size) bolts on each bracket. The fixed ones I bought are mounted in 3 points. I had some 8mm bolts, and I used them in the middle spot.

Yes, there are AC lines going on one side to the rear, so aftermarket brackets will interfere. I had to pray the lines a little to place the new bolts in the existing holes at the lip of the car body.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...er-running-boards-swap-for-fixed-ones.449368/