I would fab up the reinforcement plates (and make them thicker than stock) and weld them on. There is a lot of stress here due to the fact that the running boards are mounted solid to the sturdy brackets that are riveted to the frame, while the rear fender is mounted to the bed which is mounted in a few locations on small wooden blocks which allows movement. All of the ADs I have worked on have wollered-out (Yes, that is a word where I come from, spell check be damned.) holes in this location. You need as much support in this area as you can come up with.
Last edited by 52Carl; 10/27/2013 5:23 AM.
