I have had my step plates on for over 10 years and they are fine. I did re-spray the bottoms with rustoleum because they were not as good as I had hoped, but they have held up extremely well with zero rust and zero wear evident.
I find that I step over the running board 90% of the time anyway. As far as kids stepping all over the boards, you might find that now is the best time to educate your kids that antique vehicles (and ALL vehicles) are to be treated very carefully; never climb, touch, or step on them without first being invited to do so. My oldest child was 3 when I finished painting my '51 and he learned from the get-go to look but not touch. Spent yesterday with K-10 and his son (7) walking around Barrington and that kid never put a finger on a truck the whole day.
Teach em early and teach em right Fred.
The aluminum step plates AND the original replacement type are shown on at least 1/2 dozen trucks on my photos pages of shows. Check them out.
