Front trim replacement

[castlemusic]

So, I lost the passenger side trim on the way home from our last trip - see pic. It's my own fault, as I noticed it was cracked while camping, and made a mental note to reinforce when I got home. What I SHOULD have done was remove it before getting on the road! Lesson learned!

So, I called FR to get a replacement quote. It's part number 10-12346A, price $52.76 (!). Yikes - a lot for a piece of molded plastic. So, I've been considering another option - putting a 2' X 8' piece of diamond tread across the front, notching it around the tongue. (0.045" tk Natural Aluminum Diamond Plate) I'm not crazy about the diamond tread look, but don't want to have to keep replacing plastic pieces. Thoughts?

[MOD Guy]

It's not common to have this trim come off. Did something maybe hit it and cause damage? I would replace it, and reinforce the new part with some additional brackets and/or put spray form insulation on the back of it to make it more ridged.

[OldCoot]

Replace it and cut a pc of alum tread plate to fit behind it as a reinforcement. It could be pop riveted along the bottom and top. That way if something hit it, it wouldn't be as susceptible to breaking.

[18CrewDually]

Replace it using anodized black aluminum tread plate and never worry about it again.

[castlemusic]

So, I decided to bite the bullet and order the replacement part from FR. I also think I'll try MOD guy's spray foam suggestion. Thanks!

[OldCoot]

Strongly recommend an alum sheet reinforcement. Foam will not do much for strengthening a plastic panel unless it is backed with something to form a 3 pc sandwich.

[castlemusic]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Strongly recommend an alum sheet reinforcement. Foam will not do much for strengthening a plastic panel unless it is backed with something to form a 3 pc sandwich.

I'm hoping the foam will create a "sandwich" between the plastic trim and the frame crossmember, thus strengthening it for future hits of road debris. I'll post back pics when done.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by castlemusic

I'm hoping the foam will create a "sandwich" between the plastic trim and the frame crossmember, thus strengthening it for future hits of road debris. I'll post back pics when done.

How about using pt wood to fill the void?