47-55.1 Running Boards - Powder Coat, or Replace?

[Livemeyer]

Hello all,

I recently removed my running boards from my '51 to get them to a powder coating shop. They are a little surface rusty in spots, and on the underside is some undercoating that needs to come off. I was told that the more I did, particularly with the removal of the undercoating, the better the price would be, since they charge $125/hour. So I brought them home and began scraping off the undercoating and some amount of rust removal. However, I found some questionable spots on the passenger side board, it had an area with some denting (possibly a rock from underneath) and a corner where the roll lip had been turned out (in a spot that wouldn't be seen by the rear fender and on the underside). The paint itself has multiple layers, which has kept it mostly rust free, but on top these layers are flaking in spots. The truck was originally blue, and I can see blue paint, yellow overspray paint, and at least one coat (if not two or three) of black.

So now the big question: should I spend potentially $250-300 for them to sandblast these and powdercoat them, considering they're original and not perfect, or should I spend the larger amount of money online for new reproduction units? I've seen some prices at $450 and above. Perhaps someone that has purchased reproduction ones can reply here and tell me if they're happy with them. I want them to be good-looking and durable. Thanks.