The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Powder Coat on Running Boards

Can anyone speak to the durability of powder coating the running boards? Can I expect them to show less wear than regular paint?

yes, wear through will take much longer.
If you go with gloss, the shine will still scuff quickly.
One note, powder coat can not be patched or repaired. If you hit it hard enough to cause a chip or put a real gouge in it, the piece has to be stripped and re-coated.

Does powder coating only adhere to freshly sandblasted metal? Can a painted running board be sanded or etched and then powder coated? I have no experience with this. I had my running boards painted to a contrasting color with the body, and I decided I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would, so I'm haggling over the decision of whether to have them repainted to semi-gloss black, powder coated to semi-gloss black, or sprayed with a black bed liner type material. Any thoughts appreciated.

Fahrbach, I went with Line-x and had both the top and bottom sides sprayed, along with the splash aprons. Even had my original steering wheel done to hide the stress cracks. Although not original it sure solves a lot of long term wear concerns and issues, and it looks pretty good too. Line-X'd Steering Wheel[/url. Ever...BJU33r]Line-X Running Board/Splash Apron it's a matter of preference.
Good luck, Dave

X2

Ten + years and the Line-X on my boards still looks great which they should when a lifetime warranty is involved. I did the inside of all my fenders too and the noise reduction was huge not to mention no fear when on gravel roads.

Curt, better yet! I didn't realize there was a lifetime guarantee with that stuff!!

Dang, I am just finishing up spraying U-Pol Raptor on all the sheet metal inside my '58 cab. It is tinted to around the original factory colors, but I went with bed liner for durability.

I need to refurbish my steering wheel and I never even considered spraying that with liner also. That looks amazing! How does it feel in the hands?

The texture of my liner is more aggressive than that, but I think I can tone it down by lowering the pressure when spraying.

Chad

Chad, I knocked it down w some 120 grit to get the feel I wanted before I sprayed it. It was originally Line-X'd black and then I shot it w a spray can of Rustoleum. Feels just right, looks cool, and it's original, and I love it.

Thanks for the tip. I never thought to sand the bed liner. I will try lowering pressure first. If that doesn't work I will knock down the texture with paper as you did.

Chad

Dave and Chad: Thanks so much for the pics. Really helps me figure out what to do. Both your trucks look very good with the LineX, and I'm sure you have appreciated the durability. Any pics from anyone else? Always helpful..

I sprayed mine with Defender Pro bed liner and am super happy with the appearance and durability. It is paintable but that defeats the anti scratch quality. Scott

I've had bedliner on my fiberglass running boards on my 99 SuperDuty since early 2000. It still looks like new - no evidence of wear at all. The commercial bedliner guys can also put it down with a smooth finish as well as the rougher finish. I plan on getting bedliner put on the running boards on my '51, and probably will use it for undercoating on the fenders. Very likely will try getting the steering wheel sprayed with bedliner as well per FlatBlu4748's idea.

Just picked up the running boards last night and put them on. Went with the bed-liner approach and am very happy. I can tell I will get good traction and this should last, well, longer than me. As soon as I get the splash aprons mounted I will upload a pic or two. Thanks for all the recommendations and wisdom.

Not sure if I have put a link here that will work, but if I did, you can see how the bed liner coat on my running boards turned out. I am very happy with the outcome, and appreciated the suggestions I received here.

https://flic.kr/p/H3iVPe
https://flic.kr/p/GTfFex

Mike, the Line-X on the running boards looks great! Welcome to the club, that stuff is terrific. How about sharing some pics of the whole truck!?
Dave

Still very much a work in progress, but I started the "resto-cation" about 2 yrs ago. (That's restoration and education all in one). I've never done anything like this but always wanted to. I found a truck that was purchased new a month before I was born, and I bought it from his estate sale, so I actually had the original title signed over to me. Meant to be I guess. Having great fun, and appreciating so much the help I get here. I took it down to the frame in about two months, and have spent the rest of the time getting it back together. Trying to get this baby on the road before the end of June.

https://flic.kr/p/GWjFjT
https://flic.kr/p/H3iUWT
https://flic.kr/p/GQfgWV
https://flic.kr/p/GWifNv

Neat story/background. And your attention to detail is impressive.....looks great! You are really close to getting that baby on the road...keeps us up to date on your progress. Mike, working on them and bringing them back to life is only half the fun but wait till you start driving it regularly....the more I drive mine the more smiles per gallon I get. These trucks are really addictive...
Regards.....Dave 😎

Wow, that seals it for me. I was thinking what to do with these parts and the linex looks darn nice IMHO