This album covers the installation of my chrome Smittybilt side steps. I purchased them from www.atthemart.com
for a great price.
They install much differentally
than the stock Westin units, so add extra time for an install.
| Unlike other sidesteps,
the Smittybilts mount to your cab bolts. So, start by
pulling up the carpet at all 4 cab corners to expose the
rubber cab bolt gaskets. | |
| In the back, I had to
remove my floor jack mounts and subwoofer. The cab mount
bolts are located under rubber plugs under the carpet.
It's easier if you remove your door sill covers, then pull
up the carpet | |
| You can pull up the rear
carpet without removing the whole rear plastic panels.
Just tuck the carpet back under the panels when done. | |
| You need to remove all 4
cab bolts and replace them with longer bolts. The longer
bolts will allow the sidestep brackets to mount under the
cab mount "donuts". The Ford bolts will be rusty, and hard
to remove. | |
| Working from the inside,
you unscrew the cab bolt. It will come up from the floor.
The rubber "donut" does not come out. The new long screw
will replace the Ford cab screw. Make sure to save the
large washer. | |
| Here's the front cab
mount after the screw was removed. The Smittybilt bracket
mounts under the cab mount's rubber "donut". | |
| Here's the bracket
mounted to the bottom of the cab mount. You torque the top
bolt to 65 lbs, which secures the cab mount. Then add the
bracket to the bottom of the screw, and torque the nut to
65 lbs. | |
| This is the rear cab
mount. It has a different plate on the donut, which may
cause the whole assembly to spin. If it does (like mine
did), you're in for about 2 hours of fun. | |
| There is very little
room to swing a wrench in the back of the cab, so use a
large 1/2 inch drive wrench. The leverage will help. My
arms still kept banging sides of the door opening. | |
| The rear mount is like a
rubber mounted cam, so it was difficult to keep it from
spinning. I ended up "fabricating" a brace using various
tools. With the bottom plate locked, I was finally able to
remove the cab bolt. | |
| Here's the cab mount
with it's bolt replaced by the longer Smittybilt bolt. The
rear bracket will attach to this bolt. | |
| The bolt is torqued to
65 lbs, and the nut holding the bracket is also torqued to
65 lbs. Do the bolt first, so the cab mount is secured.
Hopefully, the donut plate won't spin. | |
| On the driver's side,
install the sidesteps to the front brackets. The rear
brackets have additional braces that you must attach
before bolting the sidesteps to the rear bracket. | |
| For some reason, the
stepside bolts do not fit through the rear brace holes. A
few minutes with a drill fixed that problem. | |
| The rear left brace uses
the existing gas tank bracket screw on the frame. Just
take out the screw, attach the brace to the sidestep
bracket and sidestep; then reinstall the screw and tighten
the whole assembly. | |
| I left the plastic
covers on the sidesteps to protect them during the
install. With the left side complete, I removed the
covers. | |
| The right rear brace
does not have a convenient screw to use, so you have to
drill (the frame). First install the brackets, brace and
sidesteps. Next drill the frame to fit the brace. | |
| I drill in stages,
starting with small bits and working up. It takes a while
to get through the frame. When the hole is done, use the
supplied bolt and nuts. I only did one hole to match the
other side. | |
| Here's a picture with
labels to explain how all the parts attach (Rear) | |
| Here's a picture with
labels to explain how all the parts attach (Front). | |
| Here's a picture of the
stock Ford cab bolts, and other "tools" required for the
job. The pipes were used in a effort to keep the left rear
cab plate from spinning around. | |
| With the right side
done, it's time to put the truck back together. Reinstall
the door sills, floor plugs, carpet, jack and anything
else. | |
| Here's the completed
right side. The Smittybilt sidestep extends further than
the stock units, and the brackets are completely hidden
under the vehicle. Use regular wax to protect the
stainless. | |
| After
install shot.
I'm
impressed at how functional they are compared with the
stock Ford Westin sidesteps.
| |
| After
install shot
You can
see how far they stick out. This gives you more room for
your foot |
|
| Yet
another after install shot
|
|
| Good
close up to show how they can protect the sides of truck.
| |
