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23 Lariat, Eco-Boost: I was given a new set of Six Inch iBoardauto.com running boards for my new Maverick (delivered by Amazon). My first impression was: Why? A Maverick really doesn't need running boards for the vast majority of owners and users. But since I had them, I decided to mount them and see what they looked like.
The kit has 146 individual pieces, it is a bit like assembling a puzzle. The instructions were marginally helpful but after reading through each step, carefully, I was able to figure out what they were trying to say. The instructions say to assemble all of the brackets before mounting them, but I found it was much easier to mount the brackets un-assembled. It was also really helped to have some sort of support under each bracket during mounting so I could get the supplied Spiral "S" bolts to line up properly. The "S" bolts move around a lot when loose. The "S" bolts are somewhat difficult to get into the predrilled holes in the truck body. It took some fiddling around to get them in correctly, but they will go in.
The rear bracket mounts to a supplied "Short bolt plate" which is supposed to fit into an existing hole on the vehicle body. The existing hole is too small to allow the bolt plate to pass through. I had to ream out (and repaint) about 3/64ths of an inch, of the existing hole to get the bolt plates to pass through the hole. On the passenger side this existing hole was clear of any encumbrances but on the driver's side there is a fiber shield of some sort (I assume a sound dampening cover). I had to cut out a small part of this shield to access the mounting hole and again, ream out the hole. The front mounting brackets use a "Long Bolt Plate" which fit perfectly.
The iffiest part of the install were the two-center mounting brackets. They are mounted using two "S" bolts that fit into existing holes, but the third mounting point is a pressure plate type mounting device that is forced up against the bottom of the truck using a long set screw. The problem with this is that the previously mentioned fiber shield covers this part the underside of the vehicle on both sides. The instructions do not mention this and do not provide any guidance on proper mounting techniques. I just left the shield as is and pressure mounted the bracket against it. I do think that it might be best to cut out a portion of the shield to allow the pressure plate to pass through and contact the truck body directly. I have tried to contact the vendor (APS Auto Parts Specialist INC.) to see if they could clarify the correct mounting technique. So far, no response.
All in it took me close to nine hours from opening the boxes to completion. The instructions say one to two hours to completion. That probably applies to someone who regularly does the job. If I had to do it again, I am sure I could get it down to under four hours.
Bottom line: They look okay but serve no useful purpose and actually make it harder to get in and out of the vehicle.
The kit has 146 individual pieces, it is a bit like assembling a puzzle. The instructions were marginally helpful but after reading through each step, carefully, I was able to figure out what they were trying to say. The instructions say to assemble all of the brackets before mounting them, but I found it was much easier to mount the brackets un-assembled. It was also really helped to have some sort of support under each bracket during mounting so I could get the supplied Spiral "S" bolts to line up properly. The "S" bolts move around a lot when loose. The "S" bolts are somewhat difficult to get into the predrilled holes in the truck body. It took some fiddling around to get them in correctly, but they will go in.
The rear bracket mounts to a supplied "Short bolt plate" which is supposed to fit into an existing hole on the vehicle body. The existing hole is too small to allow the bolt plate to pass through. I had to ream out (and repaint) about 3/64ths of an inch, of the existing hole to get the bolt plates to pass through the hole. On the passenger side this existing hole was clear of any encumbrances but on the driver's side there is a fiber shield of some sort (I assume a sound dampening cover). I had to cut out a small part of this shield to access the mounting hole and again, ream out the hole. The front mounting brackets use a "Long Bolt Plate" which fit perfectly.
The iffiest part of the install were the two-center mounting brackets. They are mounted using two "S" bolts that fit into existing holes, but the third mounting point is a pressure plate type mounting device that is forced up against the bottom of the truck using a long set screw. The problem with this is that the previously mentioned fiber shield covers this part the underside of the vehicle on both sides. The instructions do not mention this and do not provide any guidance on proper mounting techniques. I just left the shield as is and pressure mounted the bracket against it. I do think that it might be best to cut out a portion of the shield to allow the pressure plate to pass through and contact the truck body directly. I have tried to contact the vendor (APS Auto Parts Specialist INC.) to see if they could clarify the correct mounting technique. So far, no response.
All in it took me close to nine hours from opening the boxes to completion. The instructions say one to two hours to completion. That probably applies to someone who regularly does the job. If I had to do it again, I am sure I could get it down to under four hours.
Bottom line: They look okay but serve no useful purpose and actually make it harder to get in and out of the vehicle.
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