Custom Home Made Nerf Bars

Harvey Halabookie · September 13, 2010

Great job!

briddle3 · September 14, 2010

Nice... Not my favorite step style but if thats the style you wanted you did a hell of a job fabing them. How do you like those coopers? Ive been thingin about those for my next set... I run teragrapplers now but was thinking about exploring different tires.

Gduck24 · September 14, 2010

I have had the grapplers for the last 4 sets and I really just got bored with them. My tire guy has always been a cooper dealer but he could get the grapplers cheaper and they lasted forever. I ended up getting these for $50 less. YMMV. When you see these in person they are pretty mean. You can hear the faintest whirr going 70. They ride smooth. They do pull the steering wheel around a little when you get into a worn rut on the highway, especially when you are slowing down. My grapplers did that as well. I think thats a phenomenon with 305 and wider, relitively low profile tires. Hopefully these will last as long. If they do, they will be my new tire, because they are a quiet but more aggressive looking tire.

gravitywell · September 14, 2010

I think my wife would kill me, or divorce me if I told her I wanted a welder for a truck project.

Those are very good looking. Maybe you should take some commissions to cover the cost of your "mediocre tools."

Diesail · September 14, 2010

Great looking steps, I really love the styling of them. I always get so envious of those that can weld.

I do have one big concern on your mounts. It appears that you have them mounted to both the body and the frame. Since the body is mounted on rubber mounts there is a lot of movement between the two. This is going to lead to a failure someplace not to mention a louder harsher cab. The factory steps mount only to the body, I have a set and will try and snap a picture for you. You might also look at some of the others out there making them and see if you can find a pdf to their mounting directions.

Gduck24 · September 14, 2010

I actually did the first set like the factory bars. I had a tab welded on the bracket to bolt up to the bottom of the body, I beleive there are corresponding tabs on the body with holes in them directly below where the factory bolts go in. It was pretty stable but not that great. I am not a big guy, but I do have quite a few guys that ride that are 240+. I worried about 2 or more at once on a bar. They do it on the factory bars so its got to be a legit mount, but there just seemed like there was a little too much give when I jumped on them. I had a guy on one of my constrution sites say he actually broke one of the tabs (dodge - go figure) and so he then went back to the frame with a brace like this. I do understand that this is not the optimum installation because of the flexing but I really dont get myself into those kind of situations anymore. I tore up enough trucks before, I only use 4x4 if I need it now.

But you are right, and others that may play offroad a little more should understand that this may not work for them.

I think my wife would kill me, or divorce me if I told her I wanted a welder for a truck project. Those are very good looking. Maybe you should take some commissions to cover the cost of your "mediocre tools."

If your wife is like mine, I'm sure she is constantly "saving" you money when she buys stuff. Go get a quote from the metal fab shop on a set of these, and then show her how much you can "save" by getting the parts and tools yourself! Score!

mxdirtrider56 · September 14, 2010

Great work! Those look awesome, that's something you can really be proud of when people ask you about them and you can say that you made them.

Prokopchuk_9 · September 14, 2010

nice fab job bud!!

07gregLT1 · September 21, 2010

Thanks for all the replies. I am pretty proud of them. Most of my mods are usually for function or style only, never have been the best at merging the two together, but this is as close as I have gotten so far. If anybody wants more details on how I'd be happy to post. I have another set planned sometime in the future and will try to document it better.

I've also noticed the more trucks I see without "Silverado" on the door the better I like it. I may have to strip my truck of its nameplate.

It took me about about 3 hours total with a credit card, heat gun, and goo gone. Worth it IMO. The sides are cake, that bowtie on the back was a beast. It took an hour to get all the tape off.

Dude, i would DEFINITELY be proud of that. Looks awesome!! definitely one of the nicest step set ups ive seen. love the color match and diamond plate. If you lived near me, id say lets make a set for mine, lol. GMT-900 Ext cab.

I took off the GM emblems next to the SILVERADO, and the back bowtie. The big bowtie was a B*TCH. LOTS of tape. i wish they wouldve just put an outline of the emblem as the tape, instead of one big piece. Tailgate looks 10 times better without it. I still have all 3 SILVERADOs and the LT. After seeing the side shot of yours, i might remove them. i can always add them back on.

04JJHD · September 22, 2010

those really look good, the only thing lik others said is the mounts. maybe use some thinker angle iron but other than that they do look like something you would buy from a store. Excellent job!!!