The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk A Warning About Aluminum Step Plates

I ordered aluminum running board step plates from Classic Parts (formerly Chevy Duty) and discovered, after one simple rainfall, that I wasted my money in more ways than one!

A film of white oxidation formed all over the entire step plate that will not come off no matter what I try! But, even worse than that, when I removed the step plates (getting my truck ready for paint) I discovered what must have been the equivalent of a quarter-cup of white powder -- oxidation -- underneath the plates, eating away at the paint!!!

See Here

Alan,

That's a strange deal. I have a set, on my 46, that look just like yours. I haven't had that experience at all.

Wow I was going to get a set of those for my 36', I'll wait until you get your stainless ones done. Good call Alan!

Wow !! Thanks Alan... I was looking at that same step plate for my 51 but there ain't no way I'm getting those now... Im thinking about getting my running boards sprayed with Line-x and almost
"got those step plates"
What do you think about Line-x ? Ive got a friend that works there and he's done some other project for me in the past "toolbox drawers, underneath the fenders of my 51, etc,"
Your advice on your projects on your 54 have helped me out alot

Thanks Alan !!


Todd

Aluminum doesn't play well with other metals, & those obviously have no anodizing to prevent corrosion. Man what a mess

You probably set up a battery reaction with the steel underneath the plates.

You can do several things:

Don't use conductive screws to attach it (or use bushings), and use a sheet of mylar between the metals to protect the paint.

Etch the aluminum oxide off with acid, polish, and then clearcoat the aluminum to keep it from oxidizing again

Or, have them anodized.

Aluminum oxide is very very hard and almost impossible to grind off with abrasives, you need to use chemical means.

Jed - I guess you got anodized aluminum?

Todd - Line-x is cool ... not my idea, but it's a good way to *use* your running boards and not mess 'em up.

4ontheFloor - LOL ... it's a whole lot easier to just NIX that garbage altogether!

I'm gonna be a whole lot happier with the stainless diamond plate anyway because I'm designing them myself, they'll match my rear bumper and the windless retainers/door jamb sills I'm designing, too -- wait'll you see my design!

Alan,
out of curiosity, do you drive your truck in the winter? Being in the northeast you would probably have all the bad stuff on the road, just like where I live! That would sure enhance the battery action.

Wow! Sorry to read and see the problem with the step plates.

Will you be posting them in the "Freebie" section? LOL!

thats an odd deal, i wouldn't think just the alum. would do it though

Same thing with mine. Oxidized and cannot be cleaned. The oxidization has spread to the running board at the edges of the plates.
What you can do is put a thick nylon washer under each bolt hole. This should keep it off the running board.

Major Bummer Alan! I have had those step plates on my '48 for about 10 years now and they are beginning to go dull like yours. I didn't want to drill holes in my running boards so I stuck the plates on with construction adhesive, then I cut the heads off of stainless steel screws and glued them (just the heads) into the the hole recesses. I know, sounds funky but they look good and have stayed there perfectly fine and when I decide I don't want the plates anymore, there won't be any holes in the running board. I guess the adhesive has acted like a barrier to prevent the 'battery effect'. I sure would like to see your new stainless plates once you have them fabricated.
Cheers,
littlebuddie

Looks just like the crud that builds up on the bead surface on aluminum wheels. If any of you have problems with tire that leak down on aluminum wheels, but there's no puncture and sealants don't work, that's the culprit right there.
Sorry if I got off topic, bit seeing that corrosion just reminded me of that.

truckernix - Yup. I drive her year round. I never knew about this battery action thing ... weird. Aluminum sucks; stainless steel rules.


Niagara - LOL! I threw them directly into the garbage ... right where they belong!

olblu49 - Do yourself a favor and check *underneath* yours!

littlebuddie - Wow -- that was smart. I was wondering if there was a way to use adhesive but I thought I might wind up losing them on the highway or something. I'm having my custom step plates mounted with 1/4" stainless spacers between them and the running boards.

Longbox,
I have heard a lot about those problems with aluminum rims. What a pain that must be, leaking from the seal. Personally I likes the days when wheels were made from Steel and they weren't fashion pieces!

I work in a shop that sells alot of tires, so I see this on a regular basis. And the sealants that they sell won't work on a bead leak. I see lots of tire that are ruined from being run on flat from people putting the sealer in thinking it'll seal the tire up, and it was the bead all along.

SALT, my dad worked on seaplanes in he last real war. He had to do maintenance on the props every day something to the effect that aluminum deteriorates in salt water at the square root, 1,2,4,16. I assume they made sure everything else had a good protective coat.

Larry

You threw them away??? Hell, aluminum is bring over a buck a pound!

I don't ever want to see them again.
:mad:
And, believe me, they cost way more than a buck a pound!

Anyway ... here's a picture of my plans for my two-tone paint job -- the truck goes to paint the weekend of May 5th:
Click Here

And here's a picture of the template I made for the new step plates ... they'll match the "scoop" deign of the paint job:
Click Here

Alan I check under my plates at least once a year and there is no problem except at the edges. For what its worth I did put a lot of paste wax on the running boards under the spot where the plate sits.

I'm planning on getting my running boards line-xed. I don't like the look of the step plates, but I don't want to be scratching the paint.

Alan: Those homemade step plates are pretty sweet looking. They'll look good on your truck.

I hadn't bought a new truck for awhile, then in 2002 I bought a Dakota,,, came only with aluminum wheels... I am with you. I would like steel.

You can get generic steel rims at just about any tire store for just about any application. They're not fancy, but they get the job done.

I bought one once so I could have a real spare on one of my Bonnevilles.

hmmm, and I was planning on putting a set of those on my truck when finished. Guess I have some time to come up with a better plan.

Geeze! Glad you discovered that B4 you had it all painted up all pretty! NM, I aint buying a pair either...I SCARED! My poor truck cant handle anymore rust....he may actually FALL apart one day! Needs no more rust assistance thats for sure!