stripping running boards

[aussie merc]

oh boy started stripping vulcanised running boards any cheats or just heatgun /scraper and elbow grease

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by aussie merc

oh boy started stripping vulcanised running boards any cheats or just heatgun /scraper and elbow grease

No cheating here. The end result must be perfectly smooth boards, no chips, gouges, or dents. Imperfections will show through the new rubber.

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

no cheating here. The end result must be perfectly smooth boards, no chips, gouges, or dents. Imperfections will show through the new rubber.

bingo

[HDowse]

I removed the vulcanized rubber from my '40 Fordor running boards last month. I used an old 1.5 inch wood chisel to chip off the rubber. It was a bear of a job, as you’re finding out. Then a long time getting it all smooth. Putting the new rubber down took time and patience but it wasn’t difficult. Good luck on your boards.

[Road Trip]

The rubber on my '35 sedan was so hard; I wound up using an air chisel with a 1" tip. Made a mess, but was pretty quick, and really no damage to the board that wasn't already there.

[TJ]

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Once the rubber is off and the boards are nice and clean you will need to use some filler to fill the low spots on the boards so the covers look nice and smooth. You'll find the top area at the bottom braces will be the first place to fill.

[rotorwrench]

I haven't ever tried it on vulcanized rubber but have on silicon based rubber and that is plain old mineral spirits. It is the only thing that would soften thick RTV coatings enough that I could easily scrape the stuff off. It wouldn't hurt to try it.

[Kube]

I've stripped the rubber off of seven pairs of boards in my past. I'd used an oxyacetylene torch on the back while scraping the front with a very stiff (1" wide) putty knife.
It takes but a minute or two to get a good rhythm going. It is not necessary to get the board very hot.