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Big Blue sits a bit tall for easy entry, especially for my wife. So I'm about ready to put nerf bars on him. Not running boards nor a step, but nerf bars like
Kyle - I like the 97 to 03 version as Big Blue is a burly guy rather than a sporty guy. Do you know what brand those are? They look securely mounted - are they?
These are on my '92. I have no idea what brand they are but they are very heavy. I actually got them for free...a customer had them on a '71 Chevy truck and didn't want them so he said I could have them if I removed them. They bolt directly to the frame and are very solid. I like the added length in the back, makes it easier to reach over the side of the box to grab stuff or hook up my gooseneck trailer.
Yep, I had to drill a few holes in the frame to mount them. I'm not worried about it weakening the frame though. I just used 3/8" grade 8 bolts to mount them.
Gary, they mounted to the seam that protrudes down on the cab. The same way they mounted on the newer trucks. They were very sturdy. You could have them go past the cab if you got a set from a supercab, but may need to make some attachment point under the bed.
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.
The steps on my '95 were just like what first today showed on the Flare Side. The fiberglass steps attached to the body and they had a piece of tubing that reinforced them (which also attached to the body). The tubing on just about every one still out there is rusted away (my MN '95s were gone by about '04).
Just about every aftermarket brand I've ever seen has also attached to the body. Along with the factory doing it that must mean that it's plenty strong to attach there. But I still don't like it. If I were adding steps of any sort I'd want to attach to the frame.
And you can't really have it go back under the bed if it attaches to the body due to the flex. You could have another step that attaches to the bed, but I'm not sure the bed has the structure to do that well.
My '97 crew cab has aftermarket fender flares / steps that attach to the body and bed. All of the reinforcing supports have been ripped off (driving through very light brush) so now it's just the sheet metal crews into the body holding them on. I'd love to take them off and maybe replace them with something mounted to the frame, but I'm afraid what the sheetmetal will look like where the fiberglass has been trapping crud against it for who knows how long. Another reason to avoid body-mounted steps.
I'm pretty sure what I want are frame-mounted ones. I found these on Craigslist, but the guy doesn't know what they fit. The dimensions seem about right for ones that would go back to the rear wheel opening, but .....
I bought Steelcraft stainless steel bars from Auto Anything for about $200 that mount to the frame and the bottom of the body mount bolts. Very secure and I like stainless.
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