The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop installing running boards

So, I've got one of my running boards all painted up pretty and ready to install. However, when I tired to put it on the body I ran into a couple of problems. One of the brackets welded to the bottom of the running board has a slightly enlarged slot, which means that the carriage bolt won't hold when I try to tighten it. Maybe I can use a slightly larger bolt to clear that up.

The biggest problem is that the tabs that sort of lock the carriage bolts in place, which I suspect are supposed to be spring steel, are not in good shape, won't maintain pressure on the bolt head, and are in serious danger of just snapping off. After looking at things, and measuring the holes in the brackets on the frame, I'm thinking of just tack welding the bolts into position, just sloid enough to hold while I install the running board and get the nuts tightened down,

Does anyone have any advice? I'd really like to avoid having to cut off the brackets and weld new ones to the bottom of the boards.

Tim

I have done 2 sets of these on my 49 and 51. I used Bedliner painted on bottom, sprayed on top. I had an issue with the tabs, and finally bent them out with a long thin screwdriver. Mine may have been in better shape--NM and CA trucks...hope this helps.... Bill

I found that lining up all the board holes and bracket holes was tough, so I'd hesitate to weld any bolt in place and lose the freedom to slide it in the slot to long it all up. My brackets had good spring tabs so that was ok. Maybe you could cut up some temporary wood wedges to hold the bolts while you align it all and then cinch them down and pull out the wedges.

I thought about wedges, but there is really no way to get in to remove them after installation. They would be blocked by either the curve of the frame brackets ot the lip of the running board. I measured the spacing of both the bolt holes in the running board brackets and the frame brackets, and both are the same at the outside edges. I would plan on tacking the bolts in about 1/2" in from the end position, which should give me an inch or so to play with.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get one side done, and let you know how it works out.

Tim

Well, I got my running boards installed. I ended up having to weld in all of the carriage bolts. I bought a new bracket to replace one of the old ones that was trash, welded in on, also an new long brace between the two front brackets on that side. I discovered that the replacement bracket does not have the little spring arms to hold the carriage bolt in position, which is why I had to weld all of them.

I test fit them, then made some minor adjustments to the bolts to make everything line up (I essentially put two nuts on the ones I had to adjust, then beat them with a hammer to slightly bend them). Eventually I got everything lined up and bolted down, and they seem solid. And they make it sooo much easier to climb into the cab!

I took a couple of photos once they were done, now I am putting two coats of Herculiner bed liner on the top surface to make it slip resistant.

Tim

Please let us know how that Herculiner works out. I'm planning on doing the same thing.