how do i get the plastic off the running boards on a 2000 explorer i tried but almost broke the tabs on the plastic ,i need to remove them and grind the rust off the metal

 

Been there...Tried that...The plastic anti-slip pads will not come off without boogering them up. I had my step bars san blasted and painted to match my 97 Sport, I just bought a new set of pads from Ford. It's a whole lot easier and they looked a lot better after putting new pads on.