anomaly
Member
We love our '07 Sprinter Passenger Wagon, but that 1st step into the vehicle has been such a hassle that we took to keeping a small stool in the van to help us get in.
We kept our eyes open for running boards with installation kit, but were sad to see only the kit through SprinterAccessories available. The key problem was that my wife didn't like the look of the hard edges and the shiny aluminum.
Some time ago I was shopping on JCWhitney.com and was thrilled to see that they had black running boards, and mounting brackets for the Sprinter Wagon. I was excited to place the order. Not long after, I was VERY sad to see that they had shipped the "Toyota Tacoma" brackets to me. I called them and they said: "Oops. Our website was wrong."
I thought - well - I could send them back..... But then never got around to it. Fast forward 2 years!
I finally decided that I
So, I began to look for a fabricator who could make brackets for me. I identified several welding shops in the area. I spent a morning driving the Sprinter and the running boards to each and asked for a quote for fabrication.
I scheduled a day to leave the van at the welding shop and dropped it off. I thought to talk to him about how I wanted the running boards placed "front to back" on the van, but didn't think at all about how high off the ground I wanted them. (Wish I had thought about that. Thankfully the installer did a nice job without my guidance.)
The project turned out to be harder than the proprietor thought it would be. I think he eventually cut me a break on the $65/hour labor rate because he ended up charging $300 for the brackets and installation. HE even spray painted the brackets to prevent rust.
I went to PepBoys and picked up some spray on undercoating. Yesterday afternoon I sprayed it on. (See photos)
Some lessons:
Next step is installation of the step pads
(mark and drill through the running boards, pound in the "rivets")
We'll use 3 on the passenger side and one on the Driver's side
Final step will be touchup of the heads of the "rivets" with some matte black paint
We kept our eyes open for running boards with installation kit, but were sad to see only the kit through SprinterAccessories available. The key problem was that my wife didn't like the look of the hard edges and the shiny aluminum.
Some time ago I was shopping on JCWhitney.com and was thrilled to see that they had black running boards, and mounting brackets for the Sprinter Wagon. I was excited to place the order. Not long after, I was VERY sad to see that they had shipped the "Toyota Tacoma" brackets to me. I called them and they said: "Oops. Our website was wrong."
I thought - well - I could send them back..... But then never got around to it. Fast forward 2 years!
I finally decided that I
a) was tired of not having running boards, and
b) wanted to have that space in my garage free again.
b) wanted to have that space in my garage free again.
So, I began to look for a fabricator who could make brackets for me. I identified several welding shops in the area. I spent a morning driving the Sprinter and the running boards to each and asked for a quote for fabrication.
- One place said they were afraid to take on the project because they were unsure how long it would take and how much it might cost.
- The next place acted like I was insulting them to ask them to do the job - they were upset and complained the whole time they were looking the van over.
- Found one who didn't even give an estimate - said "sure. We'll do it" He seemed sketchy.
- Finally found a welding shop specializing in railing manufacture. The proprietor was nice and gave me a $200-$300 estimate.
I scheduled a day to leave the van at the welding shop and dropped it off. I thought to talk to him about how I wanted the running boards placed "front to back" on the van, but didn't think at all about how high off the ground I wanted them. (Wish I had thought about that. Thankfully the installer did a nice job without my guidance.)
The project turned out to be harder than the proprietor thought it would be. I think he eventually cut me a break on the $65/hour labor rate because he ended up charging $300 for the brackets and installation. HE even spray painted the brackets to prevent rust.
I went to PepBoys and picked up some spray on undercoating. Yesterday afternoon I sprayed it on. (See photos)
Some lessons:
- Put down drop cloths when painting (the undercoating drips)
- Wear gloves while spraying
- Spray from each side and underneath
- watch out for overspray - needed to use rubbing compound to clean up the mess
Next step is installation of the step pads
(mark and drill through the running boards, pound in the "rivets")
We'll use 3 on the passenger side and one on the Driver's side
Final step will be touchup of the heads of the "rivets" with some matte black paint
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