IOWA CITY STEP RAIL OR RUNNING BOARD INSTALLATION

Step Rail Or Running Board Installation service

How to Install Running Boards

Step Rail Or Running Board Installation service near Iowa City IA:A good set of running boards can make your truck much easier to enter and exit, not only for you, but for your friends, loved ones, and even the family dog. This installation guide will help you get a new set of running boards on your truck in no time, giving you a secure, non-slip way to get into and out of your truck cab. This installation covers our Ionic 61 Series Running Boards, but installation is similar on many other boards and bars. Check out Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City’s for helpful videos on step installation for different step types for all makes and models. Note: While we used a lift to bring you the best pictures of the installation process possible, this installation can be done in your driveway using a creeper, padded mat, or even a sturdy piece of cardboard.

1. Ratchet and Socket Set
2. Box End Wrenches
3. Safety Glasses and Gloves
4. Creeper (optional)

Step 1: Install Bolt Plate into Factory Holes

This piece allows the brackets to be fastened securely without requiring drilling.

Step 2: Attach Front Brackets with Provided Hardware

Leave these brackets finger-tight for now as they may require adjustment later.

Step 3: Repeat Process for Center and Rear Brackets

Number of brackets will vary according to your truck’s year, make, model, and cab size.

How to install running boards step 4

Threaded portions should face down when the board is placed on the brackets.

Step 5: Place Board on Brackets

Make sure running board bolts align with bracket slots.

Step 6: Feed Bolts Through Slots on Brackets

Perform this step on each set of brackets.

Step 7: Attach with Provided Hardware

Leave finger-tight at first for ease of adjustment before final tightening.

Step 8: Tighten Brackets to Truck and Board

Once satisfied with the board’s position, tighten the bracket and board bolts down.

Step 9: Repeat Other Side

Complete the previous steps on the opposite side of the vehicle.

Step 10: Enjoy Your New Running Boards!

Periodically check your hardware and re-tighten as necessary.

The Importance of Having Running Boards on your Truck or SUV

Step Rail Or Running Board Installation service near Iowa City IA:  Running boards are located at the bottom of vehicles (on either or both sides) typically at the foot of a truck’s door. They serve two main functions. The most obvious function is to serve as a step. This is especially important for taller trucks (or if truck passengers are on the shorter side).

Without an extra step into some of the taller models, getting into a truck will feel like climbing a mountain.

Protecting vehicles from various forms of road debris is a second function of running boards. When vehicles move their wheels kick up all kinds of debris (…from rocks and dirt to other more destructive things like nails). Having a running board in place can block some of this debris from being thrown high enough to scratch and/or damage doors and side panels.

Another added benefit of running boards is that they can help to keep the interior of your truck or van clean. In this way, running boards can act as a doormat; a place where passengers can wipe dirt off their feet before entering the vehicle.

Running boards come in many kinds of materials, including:

• Diamond-plate steel
• Rubber
• Plastic
• Fiberglass

A tube-like structure that runs around the perimeter of the vehicle (…this structure is popular on Jeeps)

Since running boards are used as ladders, it is imperative that they be kept clean and dry to prevent slipping that can result in injuries. Some running boards have a built in gripping surface that can help improve traction; however, these surfaces can wear out over time. An easy way to recoup traction once the surface wears out is by using deck tape the same stuff that skateboarders use to get grip on their boards.

When running boards were first put on cars, they were typically on both sides of the vehicle, to provide sure footing into and out of vehicles. This is because vintage cars sat higher off the ground than our modern cars do. As later model cars were released, their ground clearance was lower and running boards became less needed. However, some vehicles kept running boards purely for aesthetic reasons.

The Best Reasons To Install Running Boards

Step Rail Or Running Board Installation service near Iowa City IA: Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards are one of the best accessories you can add to your SUV or truck. But a set of running boards does a whole lot more than add an aggressive look to set your vehicle apart from so many others. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards are also an extremely functional exterior accessory that can make life easier for you and your passengers, protect your vehicle from damage, and even extend the life of your interior.

1.) Running Boards Provide an Easy Step Up

The main purpose of running boards is to act as a step for people getting into and out of taller vehicles. Running boards have been around as long as the automobile and were a hold-over from the days of horse drawn carriages that were often very high off the ground. Eventually, road-going cars and trucks began to sit lower because paved roads no longer required as much ground clearance. But running boards stuck around partly for styling reasons and partly because they still offered an easy step into a vehicle. Today, if you own an SUV or truck, you’ve no doubt had a friend, family member, or small child who needed help getting into your vehicle. Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards make the step up easy for anyone.

2.) Running Boards Keep Your Clothes Cleaner

Even if you don’t own an especially tall vehicle, a set of running boards can even help keep your clothes clean. Instead of reaching your foot all the way to the ground and rubbing the back of your leg on the often dirty door sill, the convenient step provided by a set of running boards protects your pant leg from dirt, salt stains, mud, and road grime that can build up on the rocker panels.

3.) Running Boards Protect Your Paint

The tire of your truck or SUV kick up a lot of small rocks and debris, and they aren’t always caught by the fender well. With a set of quality Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards in place, gravel, stones, and other road hazards are blocked from being thrown high enough to scratch or dent your doors and rocker panels.

4.) Running Boards Keep Your Carpet Cleaner

Running boards act like a doormat. You and your passengers can scrape mud, dirt, and snow from the bottom of your shoes before you track it onto the floor mats. And because most Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards feature raised traction surfaces, they capture even more debris than the traditional textured style.

5.) Running Boards Help Your Seats Last Longer

You may not have ever noticed, but if you drive a truck or SUV with higher than average ground clearance, you more than likely slide over the side bolsters of your seat when you get out. Over time, this can cause the fabric covering, the stitching, and the supporting foam to degrade to the point where the seat rips and it no longer provides the side-support needed for a comfortable ride. You may even crack or break some of the plastic trim pieces that are a part of many modern seats, and these can be very expensive to replace. With a set of Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards installed you and your passengers are more likely to step down onto the running board and lift out of the seat instead of sliding over the side to reach the ground, saving your seats from undue wear.

Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City Running Boards are more than just a simple exterior add-on for your truck or SUV. They’re also an extremely useful accessory that makes getting into your vehicle easier while protecting your truck and your clothing from whatever the road can throw at you.