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Rowdy - Do they mount to the bottom of the frame or the side? I ask because I need to have the bottom of the frame clear to raise the truck on the lift.
Kyle - Are there holes in the seam? I don't remember seeing any.
Here's a few pics I took today:
They have a piece of angle on the inside that butts up against the bottom of the frame rail with a gusset for reinforcement. Because of the difference in frames I had to add a spacer on the rear mount. They are rock solid though...I could jump up and down on them with very little flex. I don't know if they were custom made or manufactured but they are heavy. I'm guessing each one weighs around 60 pounds. We have two post Ammco lifts at work with spacers to raise the lift pads. I've never had any trouble putting it on those lifts.
Rowdy - Thanks for the pics. That helps my understanding of how those mount. And they certainly look solid, which is what I want. But Whisler's that mount to both the frame and the cab mount bolt sound good since that reduces the lever arm.
And, it looks like I forgot to paste in the URL on the ones I found on Craigslist: https://tulsa.craigslist.org/pts/6072934711.html. But, the guy doesn't know what they fit. And while I can probably buy the correct mounts for them, that's another $50, and that total puts me within sight of the $200 it would cost for new ones. So I'll still looking.
Were they factory or after market as I cant find them thru Google.
I like the way they look on the Flare Side and I am sure my truck will be too tall for the wife to get in & out of.
If I can find a set cheap I would get them.
I don't think it needs to be a Flare Side. Here's a pic of my '95 F-150 SuperCab. Obviouslt the SuperCab steps wouldn't fit a regular cab. But I think steps off any regular cab would work, regardless of bed.
But yes, they're still likely to be rare, at least with non-rusted support bars.
I wanted as small a step as possible and sacrifice as little ground clearance as possible on a stock height long wheel base truck. I ended up getting 4 of these Bully AS-200 steps. Entirely unnecessary but I took one for the team and gave in to the boss. The cab rocker does flex slightly under my weight but I very rarely step on them. If I was really concerned I would put a larger plate under the rocker trim panel to spread the load better.
Ok guys, I bought some used Westin Platinum nerf bars today. The brackets aren't the correct ones, but then there aren't "correct ones" for an '85 truck since Westin doesn't make them for our trucks. So, I'll be making brackets, but have some questions for you:
Vertical Gap: How far are yours below the truck? How much vertical gap is there? And how much is needed to get toes in?
Horizontal Gap: How far are yours out from the truck? Probably the best way to measure would be from the center of the bar to the truck.
Level: Do yours sit level, or do they have the same angle as the truck? In Big Blue's case the rear of the bar will be 3" higher than the front if it is to follow the line of the truck.
Here's a shot of the bar somewhat in place, although it is basically level and the rear of it is 3" further below the truck than the front.
This shows where the front bracket might go - bolted to the rear bracket for the front spring, although that will mean I'll have to take the rivets out and replace them with bolts.
And this shows where the rear mount might attach - to the front pivot bolt of the rear spring, but with a arm going up to the frame.
The west in bars from the newer era trucks 92 to 96 should work on the 80 to 86 trucks. They are so similar, I would think that portion of frame would be the same.
But, the problem is that I am installing a set of bars for either a supercab or a crew cab on a regular cab truck. So, I wouldn't think the brackets would fit since the frame is different. Am I missing something?
I don't have numbers for the gaps, but to my eye the gap you have at the front looks about right. MAYBE go a little bigger if it seems like you won't be able to fit your feet in. And I'd DEFINITELY keep the bar parallel to the body. I don't think that angle would make it hard to use at all, and I think if it's not parallel to the body it will look wrong.
On the horizontal gap I'd try to have the bars stick out as little as possible while still being useable. As a guess maybe the inside edge of the bar about flush with the outside edge of the door opening, but that's a pretty wild guess.
I think I would just mock up a wooden step or something to see what height isnt "awkward". What I dont like about the nerf bars is that they always seem to be at what I consider an awkward height. Just my thoughts.Stair treads are code when they are at 7".
I went from frame mounted nerf to a (body mount) step - which I think looks cleaner.
However the frame-mounted nerf did add some "off road protection" (which I never needed). The body mount is very strong. I can't see it ever causing problems/cracking of the body from normal entry and exit of the cab.
It uses a large reinforcing plate to spread the load, but it will never be a s strong as f frame mounted step.
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