i just took off my running boards and i was wondering if my truck will start to rust or will it be fine. i took them off my 2nd gen and it started to rust a few years later so i was wondering if i should be looking out for that. should i just put them back on?

 

if you drive on surfaces that have a lot of gravel, dirt, stuff like that, then it'll destroy the paint. You could find some way to seal that area up with like a thick clear motorcross-style vinyl that protects there. I don't know where you could find large sheets of the stuff, but surely you can find 'em somewhere.

I would rather ditch the boards and get sliders, they look a lot better...

 

Griots has some protective film

 

i plan on saving some money and getting some rock sliders but for now im just gonna get the mud flaps that mesh with my fender flares, i just gotta find some

 

payyourtoll has them for sale

and its "highlander", not "hylander"

 

I got my mudflaps from Leesburg Toyota. Can't recall what I paid though...

 

Northrigde Toyota for flaps $30 shipped

 

I took the factory running boards off a T100 and found a spot that had rusted through from crap getting trapped in between the running board and the metal!

So no gaurantees either way, but IMO the running boards trap some serious gunk that can cause problems.

 

I recently bought a '96 4runner w/running boards and can't believe how much they accumulate snow/ice/salt mix....litterally a good 10-20 pounds hanging off each one right now. I'm just waiting for a nice day of weather to remove them. Far as rust goes, i believe running boards help cause it....all the more reason to trash 'em.
(Anybody wanna buy my SR5, good condition, running boards for really cheap?)

 

I would make sure to clean any of the mounting holes and potentially apply touch-up paint if necessary. Then consider adding a set of Tacome front flaps from a 4WD, V6 model. I did this a few months after purchasing my 4Runner new, and to date, the rocker sills are 99% chip free. In fact, the entire area between the front and rear wheels looks new. They have been worth every penny - and they were a pretty penny from a local dealer at the time.

Here's a pic:



Andreas

 

Has anyone removed their fender flares? I took off my running boards and am now thinking about taking off the flares, too. My biggest reason in not doing it is I'm not sure if there would be visible difference in/on the paint once they're removed (i.e. paint fade, mark(s) where the flare meets the body, chrome bumper, etc.). Thanks...

 

Just leave the flares on, they only look goofy for the first couple of days. You'll get used to them.

 

I just looked these up for a friend and figured I'd pass along the link:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=77890

 

Yeup, depending on how much sun your truck's been exposed to, you'll see a difference in paint color.

You'll also find a few holes behind the flares where body clips go...

And... check the width of your tires in respect to your fenders. Most states have some sort of a law giverning how far a tire can stick out beyond the edge of the fender.