Not much of a poster... more of a lurker, but i searched all over looking on step by step instructions for installing burandt boards and came up with little. I'm sure somebody has posted this already, but i couldn't find it. I mostly wanted to see the process for installing the boards to learn tips/tricks or problems that might arise.
I thought since i was doing the install I would take the time and post up the process for the install with pics... I am working on my 2011 pro, and am going to be doing it on a new 2012 next. Any comments/insight are appreciated.
so here it goes...
List of tools I used, may differ from the required tools list in the instructions:
Hammer and Dolley
3 in part off grinder
reciprocating body saw
round file
flat/half round file
vice grips
riveter
punch (to punch out drilled rivets)
scissors
utility knife
scotch tape
packing tape
Heavy duty pop rivet tool
notes on tooling: I first tried to cut the boards off with the 3 in part off grinder... big mistake! just looks sloppy and hard to keep accurate. bought a cheap electric body saw at harbor freight... Worth every penny! Don't think you can rivet the boards with a small rivet tool either. you need either a pneumatic or two handed riveter like this Riveter
Heny Ford something to the fact that if you don't buy the right tool for the job, you will pay for the tool with out ever getting it.
On to the process
1. Here is what comes in the kit: Two boards with cast end pieces already bonded, bag of hardware, cutting template, and instructions.
2. Cutting templates: Take your time here I found that the templates are really accurate if you cut them properly. You want to cut on the dashed lines not the
solid. (note: Use an exacto knife for the two windows near the suspension brackets.)
3. Roll the sled onto its side in order to have access to the running boards.
4. You will need to drill some rivets out to move the plastics out of the way.
On the left side you need to remove the six black rivets on the underside of the plastics as shown in the pic. On the right I believe there are five. Use a 3/16 drill and drill them out. Replacement rivets are supplied in the kit. Don't forget to remove the torx screw on the upper portion of the footwell. Once removed you need to move it out of the way to access the front portion of the running board. i put a little garbage can under it to hold it up while i worked.
5. Once everything is out of the way clean the boards with a degreaser to make sure the tape sticks to them.
6. Time to tape on the template... once again, take your time and make sure everything lines up. I had bend back some cross-sections that had bent under weight to get the template/board to line up. poke a rivet through the hole in the template marked as a guide and push it into the corresponding hole in the board from the underside. Use a little bit of scotch tape to hold it there.
Go along tacking the template with tape by lining up cutouts in the board with the cutouts in the template. Make sure your ends line up like in the pic.
After it is tacked with scotch tape, use packing tape and secure the template along the bottom and top. you don't want it to move...
7. You need to drill a hole to start the cut toward the back of the template. use a big enough drill to get an air saw blade in there.
8. Using the body saw start at the front of the running board and cut along the solid black line on the template... Don't worry if you get off a little here or there it will all work out in the end. Don't make the mistake I did, by erring on the side of caution and not cutting on the black line. I did that on right side of my sled and it took 4 times as long to make it look good. Just follow the black line. Some things to note: sometimes you won't be cutting anything by following the line, don't worry. you will be folding some material down to cover that space. cutting around the suspension bracket can be tricky get as close as you can with out cutting the bracket. we will be cleaning it all up later
When you get to the rivets, don't cut them with your saw... cut to them and use the hole you drilled to start the saw and cut in between them. of course doing your best to follow the black line.
9. After you have made it to the end of your cut, you need to do something about those pesky rivets you had to go around. The instructions aren't really clear and I had to improvise a bit here. I ended up drilling out the rivet closest to the tunnel and finishing my cut with the body saw. As for the other rivet; I ended up cutting around it and using my 3 in part off wheel to clean it up to the black line. i then ground off the head of the rivet flush with the material. I don't know if this is correct but hey, its what i did. i did leave both plates together intact , and they wall all be riveted again soon.
10. Remove the the 4-10mm nuts on the rear and front of the boards... it should come off and look something like this...
All downhill from here
11. The front most tab has some of the old tread sticking up. Don't grind this off! use your hammer and dolly to flatten it. this should give you enough material rivet to.
12. Now its time to file... I didn't bother with a die grinder because the material removes so quickly.go around clean up all of the corners and edges... make sure to remove the burrs so that the board will sit flush.
13. use a 3/16 drill to remove the front and back rivets of the suspension bracket
14. Now its time for a dry fit. Place your board in its new location. use 3 rivets to "align" the board in its new home. 1 in the bottom near the footwell and 2 in the suspension bracket.
15. now that you have it lined up you can see how bad your cuts really are...haha. use a pencil to mark where it hangs out into the opening so that you can remove the board and file it down.
16. once you have a good fit and you don't see shiny aluminum peaking out under the boards its time to rivet. start by riveting the suspension bracket first. DONT RIVET THE ONE IN THE FRONT YET! you will be doing that one last.keep it in there for alignment only.use some vice grips to hold in place if necessary
Drill out the other riveting locations and remove the burrs. rivet through the bottom of the board. this gives the sheet aluminum more surface area with the rivet head. also keeps the rivets from dragging in the snow.
17. replace your hardware with new hardware on the cast mounting brackets... don't forget the locktite!
18. put the plastics back in place and rivet... you may want to remove the excess plastic so the frontmost opening in the board can evacuate snow. just cut it with a utility knife and riveted it to the board with the pre existing holes.
19. now do the other side and Done!
I thought since i was doing the install I would take the time and post up the process for the install with pics... I am working on my 2011 pro, and am going to be doing it on a new 2012 next. Any comments/insight are appreciated.
so here it goes...
List of tools I used, may differ from the required tools list in the instructions:
Hammer and Dolley
3 in part off grinder
reciprocating body saw
round file
flat/half round file
vice grips
riveter
punch (to punch out drilled rivets)
scissors
utility knife
scotch tape
packing tape
Heavy duty pop rivet tool
notes on tooling: I first tried to cut the boards off with the 3 in part off grinder... big mistake! just looks sloppy and hard to keep accurate. bought a cheap electric body saw at harbor freight... Worth every penny! Don't think you can rivet the boards with a small rivet tool either. you need either a pneumatic or two handed riveter like this Riveter
Heny Ford something to the fact that if you don't buy the right tool for the job, you will pay for the tool with out ever getting it.
On to the process
1. Here is what comes in the kit: Two boards with cast end pieces already bonded, bag of hardware, cutting template, and instructions.
2. Cutting templates: Take your time here I found that the templates are really accurate if you cut them properly. You want to cut on the dashed lines not the
solid. (note: Use an exacto knife for the two windows near the suspension brackets.)
3. Roll the sled onto its side in order to have access to the running boards.
4. You will need to drill some rivets out to move the plastics out of the way.
On the left side you need to remove the six black rivets on the underside of the plastics as shown in the pic. On the right I believe there are five. Use a 3/16 drill and drill them out. Replacement rivets are supplied in the kit. Don't forget to remove the torx screw on the upper portion of the footwell. Once removed you need to move it out of the way to access the front portion of the running board. i put a little garbage can under it to hold it up while i worked.
5. Once everything is out of the way clean the boards with a degreaser to make sure the tape sticks to them.
6. Time to tape on the template... once again, take your time and make sure everything lines up. I had bend back some cross-sections that had bent under weight to get the template/board to line up. poke a rivet through the hole in the template marked as a guide and push it into the corresponding hole in the board from the underside. Use a little bit of scotch tape to hold it there.
Go along tacking the template with tape by lining up cutouts in the board with the cutouts in the template. Make sure your ends line up like in the pic.
After it is tacked with scotch tape, use packing tape and secure the template along the bottom and top. you don't want it to move...
7. You need to drill a hole to start the cut toward the back of the template. use a big enough drill to get an air saw blade in there.
8. Using the body saw start at the front of the running board and cut along the solid black line on the template... Don't worry if you get off a little here or there it will all work out in the end. Don't make the mistake I did, by erring on the side of caution and not cutting on the black line. I did that on right side of my sled and it took 4 times as long to make it look good. Just follow the black line. Some things to note: sometimes you won't be cutting anything by following the line, don't worry. you will be folding some material down to cover that space. cutting around the suspension bracket can be tricky get as close as you can with out cutting the bracket. we will be cleaning it all up later
When you get to the rivets, don't cut them with your saw... cut to them and use the hole you drilled to start the saw and cut in between them. of course doing your best to follow the black line.
9. After you have made it to the end of your cut, you need to do something about those pesky rivets you had to go around. The instructions aren't really clear and I had to improvise a bit here. I ended up drilling out the rivet closest to the tunnel and finishing my cut with the body saw. As for the other rivet; I ended up cutting around it and using my 3 in part off wheel to clean it up to the black line. i then ground off the head of the rivet flush with the material. I don't know if this is correct but hey, its what i did. i did leave both plates together intact , and they wall all be riveted again soon.
10. Remove the the 4-10mm nuts on the rear and front of the boards... it should come off and look something like this...
All downhill from here
11. The front most tab has some of the old tread sticking up. Don't grind this off! use your hammer and dolly to flatten it. this should give you enough material rivet to.
12. Now its time to file... I didn't bother with a die grinder because the material removes so quickly.go around clean up all of the corners and edges... make sure to remove the burrs so that the board will sit flush.
13. use a 3/16 drill to remove the front and back rivets of the suspension bracket
14. Now its time for a dry fit. Place your board in its new location. use 3 rivets to "align" the board in its new home. 1 in the bottom near the footwell and 2 in the suspension bracket.
15. now that you have it lined up you can see how bad your cuts really are...haha. use a pencil to mark where it hangs out into the opening so that you can remove the board and file it down.
16. once you have a good fit and you don't see shiny aluminum peaking out under the boards its time to rivet. start by riveting the suspension bracket first. DONT RIVET THE ONE IN THE FRONT YET! you will be doing that one last.keep it in there for alignment only.use some vice grips to hold in place if necessary
Drill out the other riveting locations and remove the burrs. rivet through the bottom of the board. this gives the sheet aluminum more surface area with the rivet head. also keeps the rivets from dragging in the snow.
17. replace your hardware with new hardware on the cast mounting brackets... don't forget the locktite!
18. put the plastics back in place and rivet... you may want to remove the excess plastic so the frontmost opening in the board can evacuate snow. just cut it with a utility knife and riveted it to the board with the pre existing holes.
19. now do the other side and Done!
