The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk bed coating on my running boards look bad?

im building my 51 as a everyday driver when i retire in 6 years... i plan a nice mariner blue paint job with factory colored interior, i plan to make a steel bed, and bed coat it as well as under the fenders.

im thiniing id like to bed coat the runnung boards top and bottom as well, powdercoating is priced wayyy too high for me, im not going after a "show truck" but a driver, any thoughts on how it would look with the running boards coated black? was going to paint them blk anyway...

I think it sounds like a good idea.
I was planning to do that on mine.
If I get it done before you I'll show you how it looks.
Click Me

I think it would look good. Do you think it would be slippery?

no just woundering how it would look thanks ill be going with that on mine please post if you get it done first..

I put Line X on the underside of the fenders and running boards as well as the top of the running boards of my 1937 Packard Street Rod. It prevents rocks from starring the fenders, and works and looks as well as rubber covers and it is cheaper

Hey guys, if you're going to post pics directly to the thread PLEASE consider those many of us who can't get broadband. The huge pic posted by 51chevytruck all but locked up my computer. It's much more polite to use a hosting service & post a link.

sorry, I hope that"s better

Saw some heavey trucks done with linex or something similar at a local show looked good to me and sensable if you're going to drive them.

I was thinking of doing the same thing on my 51, coating the runningboards with some kind of Rhinoliner type of material. I can't decide if I would do it in black, or try to match the red of the truck. I bet it would be a pain to remove it if I didn't like it, so it would be nice to see some that had been done already.

You can use 3m undercoating and paint over the top of it and it will work just as good as bed liner but be painted exactly the color of your choice. Herculiner has too much rubber in it and tends to trap dirt in the pores, and looks dull after a while.

Thanks man. Much better. Now I can follow the thread. Speaking of the thread, I've seen several trucks with spray on lining on the running boards and I think it looks good. I considered doing that to my coupe's running boards but I found some ribbed rubber that I'm going to glue on instead.

Dbone;
It's your truck, pardner, but since you ask, I gotta tell you that even a daily driver looks better with a restored wooden bed, and if you plan to haul rocks from a pit, you can always get some conveyor belting from a scrap yard to protect your bed, but for most any other load a wooden deck is lighter, safer and more durable than steel.
For the moment I have rust paint on my running boards, and I plan to bond ribbed rubber to 'em one day, for safety.

When I finally get around to building my 'dream machine' AD pickup, i'm going to paint the running boards black.. and probably going to coat them with that chunky rubberized stuff they use for pickup bed spray in liner.

AD running boards do two things: They get slicker than snot on a doorknob when they're wet, and they tend to collect pools of water that can lead to premature rot.

Coating the running boards with that spray in liner stuff kills three birds with one stone. It looks good, it is an extra level of protection from 'pooled water rot syndrome' and it makes them a lot less slick when they're wet.

That's pretty much what I was thinking about doing once I got a box to put on the back of mine and I got the running boards for it. In the meantime, the stubbies will be stripped, primed, and rustoleumed.

I was also thinking about doing the bed sides as well with the bed liner.

Line-X has the UV stablizer thing figured out now, and it seems to be a bit stouter than Rhino and is grippier than the roll-on stuff that you get at the store.

I went with this stuff:

http://www.bulldogcoatingseast.com/

I went with black but they can color match too. It’s not like lumpy cheap bedliner it’s hard and has a good finish like a safety tread. Not cheap at $250.00 for the pair but well worth the results. You can see what it looks like here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/curt160

Curt B.

Thanks Robin. The color is "Arrival blue" and came on the 2002 Avalanche as well as some other Chev models/years. Can't wait till spring to shoot the rest of it.

i used POR 15 for the under side of my running boards. because it's on the under side (as well as my whole frame) it's covered and away from the sun. she's a daily driver. it's nice stuff, coats well.

I used a product called Durabak on my bedsides and door step. It's rubberized and can be sprayed, rolled, or brushed on. It's very durable and forgiving when applying.

THe spray liner guys can do just on the ribs if you wish, and then can toss on some sand through a sifter in the areas that you choose so avoid any slippy. Looks real good IMO Jon