[Russ B]

There is a broad range of opinions about powder coating; but hardly any by actual users of powder coating. I powder coated the boards on my closed cab PU in 1993 and no chips yet. Powder coating gives you a hard surface, not a soft, easily scratched surface. I have drilled holes on a number of powder coated surfaces under my pickup over the years with no observable problems.

Some thoughts: i wouldn’t use it if I were doing a high level restoration. I wouldn’t use it if I was planning to use the car in the winter on salted roads. All blacks are not the same, and, if a perfect color match is important to you, I would be very cautious about using powder coating without first testing the colors of the different coatings. I would fit the step plates before powder coating the running boards even though the holes will need to be partially redrilled to minimize water contact. I also have used Lock-tite on screws/bolts to minimize water contact. Generally I trust the powder coated parts will last longer than I will.