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I picked up a pair of Rampage Slimline step bars and mounted one side before noticing a potential problem. Unlike the factory step bars that mount with brackets, the Slimlines sit right against the pinch weld under the body and look like a perfect trap for water and debris.
Since I live in Canada where they salt/brine/gravel the roads for 4 months during the winter, I'm wondering if these are going to cause long term corrosion issues. I've though of these options:
1. Go back to factory bars
2. Remove the bars a few times a year to clean and reapply fluidfilm (especially before and after winter)
3. Add washers between the body and the bars to enlarge the gap, allowing me to rinse/fluidfilm without removing the bars
4. Drill drain holes in the bars
5. Some combination of the above.
Thoughts/opinions/ideas?
Pinch weld after factory step bar removal
Slimlines mounted (notice how it bends up, creating a trough)
Small gap between the body and the stepbars (filled with Fluidfilm)
Last edited by re-fresh; Mar 13, 2018 at 11:28 AM.
Why can't you spray FF in as is? Small straw should handle it.
I can get the ff in most of the gap, but the bars sit right against the truck in the 3 spots where it bolts on (the bolts are only on finger tight in the picture).
I might try to drill some drain holes and shim it.
While small gaps are usually bad corrosion wise, from the pictures it doesn't look all that bad in your case. The fact that you're able to spray anything in there tells me the gap isn't tight enough to effectively trap anything that will accelerate corrosion (we're talking sub-mil gaps). While I don't work directly with the corrosion folks at my job, I have to be aware of issues like this when I'm designing lap joints that are prone to corrosion accelerators, and I personally wouldn't be worried about your instance here. Unless your getting a lot of movement or rubbing between the bars and the body (which you shouldn't if its mounted correctly), I think shimming will cause more harm than good in the long run fit-up wise.
Best thing you can do if you are worried is something like the fluid film you mention, but again if you are able to flush that through the gap, its that easy for salt and grit to get flushed out as well. I think taking it apart a few times a year is a bit excessive. Once a year after they stop laying salt should suffice. Same goes for drain holes; I don't think they will help all that much, but its cheap insurance if you're worried.
If you do want to shim it, make sure to use carbon steel shims (no SS or aluminum). Galvanic corrosion will waste away your body much faster than salt alone.
Will these step bars cause rust?
