Smoothy running boards

I was just wondering if any of you guys have made smooth running boards out of a stock set, the ribbed tops of mine are rusted through, and i am going to weld in a new piece of metal, i was thinking about cutting out the center and welding in a new piece, or fitting a new piece over the old top and welding around then grinding the welds smooth making a slightly thicker running board. Let me know what you guys have done and any tips you have for this.

[55dude]

if your are rusted go for it. you might run into a problem with "oil can effect" unless you add some supports under the boards as that was part of the reason for the "ribs" in the stock ones. post some pic's of the stock one as they could be savable with some work. this is a good area to hone your welding skills also. before reproduction ones we welded many together to get one good set.

I planned on welding in supports, nothing crazy just enough to hold them in place. also, what type of mount (running board not frame) is evey one using for their running boards, im not to crazy about the stockers.