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Running Board Disassembly and Paint

ttbit

Well-Known Member
Joined
June 24, 2004
Messages
404
Reaction score
8
City, State
Maryville,TN
Year, Model & Trim Level
'01 ST 5.0 sold
'07 ST8
I painted my running boards this weekend. I used Rustoleum truck bed liner from a can. I had major problems getting this stuff out of the can. I was spraying inside (don't do this) at 68 degrees at 40% humidity. I had to lean the can to the side for anything but clear chemical to come out. I had two cans and both did this. I cannot recommend this product because of this. Once I figured out how to get the stuff out, I was able to get fairly even coats applied.

I was wearing a 3M respirator and had windows open and fans blowing and was blown away by the overspray created. I should have just done this in the garage, but I had everything covered and no damage done.

That being said, I am happy with the end result. I wanted to share some pictures here on how these things come apart. It seemed like the center plastic would pop out OK, but I didn't want to take the chance until I could see them better, under good lighting. You can easily just pull the centers off the boards and paint them. My corners needed painting also, so I wasn't too unhappy that I just removed everything.

Here is a shot of them apart:

rb2.jpg


You can see how they are clipped on:

rbclips.jpg


rbclips2.jpg


rbtracks.jpg


They snap into the aluminum tracks. Also, I would suggest not bothering with cleaning items not seen, as they help aid in positioning the movable studs back to their original locations for re-installation. It can be a bear getting everything lined back up to drop in place. Depends on how well your neck and back move, I guess.

End result:

rbtexture.jpg


rb1.jpg


rb3.jpg


The surface is rough and grippy. It blends in nicely with the rest of the black on the truck. Good matte finish. This stuff is not made for plastic, so we will see how it lasts. Seems to be on there pretty good and I don't expect heavy use, so not worried. Anything is better than adding some kind of dressing to the stock finish so your passengers can slip and fall.

Don
 



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Great minds think alike, I refurbished mine a few months ago and was also pleased with the results. I used gloss black Krylon 'fusion' paint that claims it bonds to plastic, its holding up surprisingly perfect, even after power washing. I didn't remove the plastic step from the board though, I just masked off the silver decorative strip at the bottom.

I also removed the 3 brackets from the bottom of the truck (shown below still attached) and cleaned/repainted those with black. Also did the frame that is visible.

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I have the same truck:
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If anyone has a source on these T-shaped bolts Ford used, let me know. I have a few bad ones and every specialty nut & bolt & fastener shop in town was stumped. Even tried grinding down standard bolts without luck.
 






Ahhh yes. Nice truck! :)

I am considering painting the inside of the headlights next... I have baked headlights in the past, so I know it can be done. :)
 






So if I just want to paint the black center part I can just rip them off without unscrewing/unbolting anything?
 






Correct. Do it evenly and carefully though. You can see from my pics how the clips work.
 






I was wondering how ttbit's and Trac Marks' running boards were holding up? I've made some changes to my '07 ST and everything looks great but the running boards look terrible. ttbit mentioned using a bed liner spray and Trac Marks used a Krylon paint. I see it has been a couple years since this was posted. I'd appreciate knowing how both sprays have held up.

Thank you.
Chris
 






Its been just over 2 years and the Krylon fusion paint looks great and has stood up to dozens of high powered washes. In fact I've since used the same paint on the rear bumper step. For the low cost and minimal effort required, I expected way less.
 






Its been just over 2 years and the Krylon fusion paint looks great and has stood up to dozens of high powered washes. In fact I've since used the same paint on the rear bumper step. For the low cost and minimal effort required, I expected way less.
Thanks for the quick response. I think I will give this a try. I like the look of the OEM boards, but the cost of a new pair is over $400. Thanks again.
 






Some of it has come off on the ends, and it doesn't look nearly as good as it used to. I haven't tried a hard cleaning to see if it is still black under the grime. It probably needs to be redone. My Plastidip grill has many scars from rocks and such too. Again, I probably should have done a few more coats there too.
 






Maybe a professional job on the grip surface of the running boards would help. Like if you went to a dealership that does aftermarket spray in bed liners. Maybe slip the sprayer guy a $10 to hit the boards on the next bed liner job.
 






Painted out most of the black trim on my Sport Trac. Followed posts found here. Really sharpened up the look. I used Dupli-color Trim and Bumper paint over Dupli-color Adhesion Promoter. It's only been a month or so but still looking great.
 






I painted my running boards this weekend. I used Rustoleum truck bed liner from a can. I had major problems getting this stuff out of the can. I was spraying inside (don't do this) at 68 degrees at 40% humidity. I had to lean the can to the side for anything but clear chemical to come out. I had two cans and both did this. I cannot recommend this product because of this. Once I figured out how to get the stuff out, I was able to get fairly even coats applied.

I was wearing a 3M respirator and had windows open and fans blowing and was blown away by the overspray created. I should have just done this in the garage, but I had everything covered and no damage done.

That being said, I am happy with the end result. I wanted to share some pictures here on how these things come apart. It seemed like the center plastic would pop out OK, but I didn't want to take the chance until I could see them better, under good lighting. You can easily just pull the centers off the boards and paint them. My corners needed painting also, so I wasn't too unhappy that I just removed everything.

Here is a shot of them apart:

rb2.jpg


You can see how they are clipped on:

rbclips.jpg


rbclips2.jpg


rbtracks.jpg


They snap into the aluminum tracks. Also, I would suggest not bothering with cleaning items not seen, as they help aid in positioning the movable studs back to their original locations for re-installation. It can be a bear getting everything lined back up to drop in place. Depends on how well your neck and back move, I guess.

End result:

rbtexture.jpg


rb1.jpg


rb3.jpg


The surface is rough and grippy. It blends in nicely with the rest of the black on the truck. Good matte finish. This stuff is not made for plastic, so we will see how it lasts. Seems to be on there pretty good and I don't expect heavy use, so not worried. Anything is better than adding some kind of dressing to the stock finish so your passengers can slip and fall.

Don
Really good look I was thinking of doing the same to mine just can't decide
 






Really good look I was thinking of doing the same to mine just can't decide
You'll likely be fine with any flat/satin type finish. Most of mine has come off over the years, so I need to redo it. If your boards look bad now, you really can't lose. I am likely going to use a nice trim paint that I have already, this time. The stuff I used was really a PITA to apply.
 






You'll likely be fine with any flat/satin type finish. Most of mine has come off over the years, so I need to redo it. If your boards look bad now, you really can't lose. I am likely going to use a nice trim paint that I have already, this time. The stuff I used was really a PITA to apply.
I saw somewhere online where a guy used olive oil on his so I tried it and was surprised how good it worked.
 






Painted out most of the black trim on my Sport Trac. Followed posts found here. Really sharpened up the look. I used Dupli-color Trim and Bumper paint over Dupli-color Adhesion Promoter. It's only been a month or so but still looking great.

I am 2 years in on the Dupli-color trim and bumper paint on the running boards and it still looks great.
 






I just used a heat gun on mine today and they came out brand new ....didn’t even take them off. It took about 10-15 mins each side
0DC9FC1B-46A6-4509-A133-3B2D31EA18E4.jpeg
EC30803E-EFCC-44FB-9AC0-E4CB2972BCFC.jpeg
0DC9FC1B-46A6-4509-A133-3B2D31EA18E4.jpeg
EC30803E-EFCC-44FB-9AC0-E4CB2972BCFC.jpeg
EC30803E-EFCC-44FB-9AC0-E4CB2972BCFC.jpeg
0DC9FC1B-46A6-4509-A133-3B2D31EA18E4.jpeg
EC30803E-EFCC-44FB-9AC0-E4CB2972BCFC.jpeg
 


















I have tried this before on other, similar olefin parts. Looked great at first, but six months later it looked like it did before heat treating.

Post an update as time goes by, hope it has longevity. I have mine off now and am painting with Krylon SuperMax.
 



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Good know ...It’s looks great now I know that ! I will keep a eye out and if they look bad I will blast them with heat again ! Haha
 






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