Grey Step Bars-repaint or replace?

I'd have them bead-blasted and powder-coated.

I repainted ours but the rust came back within months. If it were up to me I'd take 'em off but the wife likes them.

SMC]

When they powder-coat them, they will bake on the finish, but what about the plastic curve end caps of the step bars? Can they be painted in a way that they are complement the finish of the powder-coated step bars? And how do you get the black Explorer step pad/inlay off these step bars without damaging them. The best price I found for new step bars are 175 per side.

What did they charge you to repaint them?

"Xx" wrote in news:VGuVc.1538$VY.28@trndny09:

I had the driver's side step bar blasted, repainted, and plastic coated ("clear-bra"?) for $100 when a shop was doing some other work. The repair is about two years old now and still looks fine.

I pried them off and almost every tab that holds them on broke off in the process. I bought some of those plastic ribbed thingys, drilled a few holes, and pushed them in. Works great.

SMC

I wire wheeled them to bare metal and painted them with that spray on bedliner stuff. Looked good until the salt got to them last winter.

SMC

After you powder coat the bars, drill couple of holes underneath, have your local rustproofing shop blast them and seal them up with plugs. That ought to stop the rust coming back through from the inside.

Steve R