Hey Folks, new to the forum and was wondering if anyone has tried removing the conversion body cladding from their Ram? My ultimate goal is to build a more SUV like look & feel once all said and done. As a result, pretty sure the cladding has to go. BTW, going to have it repainted as well because of the obvious rust/flaking and need to decide on the cladding beforehand.

 

Keep the running boards. Probably the ugliest van ever put into production. I know, I have a 1999 1500.
They make it look a whole lot better.

 

I did...they ground effects are held on by screws or bolts on the backside of them.
Interestingly, the step bars were built into the ground effects. I took a saw to them and was able to get the aluminum boards out that were in there. I reinstalled just the boards and it worked great.

 

Wow! I think I like the look of the van without the cladding. Nice and clean and keeping the running boards is a good idea.

ElkCon, how hard were they to remove? You said screws, any adhesive? Can they be removed without destroying them? If so I might try and preserve them to resell.

 

Mine was a combination of bolts and screws...no adhesive.
You should be able to get them off without breaking them...BUT every conversion manufacturer is different and did things their own way.
The aluminum boards were actually encased inside the running boards...they werent hard to get to, but I did have to use a saw to get them out and I totally destroy the running boards...I didnt care since one of mine as already cracked and falling apart for the Florida heat...
Again, it all depends on the manufacturer...I believe some of these running board are all plastic and that is it...I got lucky with the way mine came out. I wasn't even expecting to put the aluminum boards on...it just worked out.
Also you will have holes from where they drilled the bolt holes...be aware of that Mine are all hidden so it wasnt a big deal to me...

 

Excellent! Thanks for the info. I hope that mine are as easy to remove as your were. It will be spring before I do the removal. It's 40 degrees here today and don't want to start a project I can't finish.

 

no adhesive on my 99 conversion van... I took them off a while back...

 

Guys, I inspected the rockers and fender wells where the cladding is attached and I see no signs of rust anywhere. Paint is a high priority this spring!