i have the black tube like running boards. they are starting to rust.

i was wondering if i should just remove them, paint them, or use spray on bed liner on them..

ur input would be appreciated

 

Running boards are a sore topic with me right now. I originally bought some from JC Whitney but got talked out of them by 1) the indecipherable instructions, 2) the guys here on the forum who said they were old fashioned and 3) the guy at Leonard Buildings and Truck Accessories who pointed out I could get nerf bars installed for less and no drilling would be required.

So I sat yesterday at Leonard's while they prepped and sprayed the bed of my truck with their liner. Did a great job and I'm highly satisfied. I'm also highly crispy from spending from 0900 until almost 1500 out in the sun. The nerf bars were supposed to be on their truck that day so there was the possibility I could get them installed yesterday as well. But no... I had had enough by 1500 and drove off to the audio store. I then got a 12" Memphis sub and amp installed which also sounds great.

Naturally, when I got home there was a message on my answering machine informing me that my nerf bars were there... showed up about 20 minutes after I left. Of course.

So I was rescheduled for this morning at 0900. I was there. The nerf bars were there and whoever pointed me towards them was right... they are much nicer looking. The problem was the install.

As advertised, no drilling was required. You removed the carpet, lifted an access cover and then removed the bolt (with bushing) that held the cab to the frame. The idea was to insert a new longer bolt that would allow a bracket to be installed from underneath. This was to be repeated on the other side. The rear brackets were easy. The front ones stopped us cold.

No matter what we tried, we couldn't get the bolt w/ bushing out of either side. We could turn the nut on the top but the whole assembly turned with it. I ended up taking it to the Ford dealer's body shop to ask them to pop both loose so the nerf bars could be installed. The body shop guy told me there was no easy way to get those out and it might take an hour or five hours... for each one. Shop rates were $42.50/hr and I would need to schedule it.

So I don't have nerf bars... or at least Aries nerf bars. What kills me was there was another hole not 3 inches more aft of the desired spot that would have been very easy to use... but then the bars wouldn't line up with the brackets. It's a simple case of I can't get there from here.

So, if anybody has a 2007 2 door XLT with the Supercab and nerf bars already installed, I'd love to know what brand and model they are. I still want them but I don't want to have to drill a bunch of holes in my truck.

And to answer Cheeba17's question, I'm very impressed with the spray on bed liner. That's what I would do.

 

Jay....those ones you had ARE old fashioned.....LOL just thought I'd throw that in there....

Nerf bars are like anything else, they look good when new but when they start to go, they go quick and they look like *** fast. I repainted mine a few years back, but they've gotten some abuse and are pretty scratched up and there's signs of surface rust.

Sanding them down and prime/paint with a rattle can is cheap and easy, but it's a band aid fix. Getting them sand blasted is the way to go as is getting them painted by a professional. They last a few years longer anyway. You could always clean them up, sell them off, and use the proceeds to buy new bars. Seems these things only look good when new.