nerf bars

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got the new truck on 3-2-00
the wife says we need to get nerf bars so she can get in it easier, heehee.
anybody who makes a good set????

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black 2001 sport long box quad cab, ETH,DEE all options except leather and clearance lights

 

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Went with the Dodge nerf's. Expensive but nice.

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98 24v 4x4 SWB QC ISB A/T Metallic Red w/ tan cloth interior, 275 h. p. injectors, Monroe Gas Magnums, Armor Tuff spray in bed liner, Goodyear Wrangler ATS 285/75r/16.

 

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My wife said the same thing (she's 5' 3'). But while we were trying to decide on which ones to get she figured out how to get in and out of the truck, and decided she didn't need them after all. Which made me happy cause I didn't want em in the first place.

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Rick G - Phoeniz, AZ
99 2500 QC LB 4X4 5-speed
3. 54 LSD
E-brake, ISSPRO Boost & EGT gauges (mounted pre-turbo)
285/75 16 BFG AT KO on AR Atlas
Hadley Air Horns (no more wimpy horns)
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2000 Hitchhiker II 33ft 5er triple slide

 

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skrawny,
Funny you should ask this question as I have been spending the day with my second set of Smitty Builts... ... A long story but here it is:
I got mine last October through a local merchant. I will not tell you his name but his initials are "XTREME AUTO", Sunset Road, Henderson, NV... ... ... .
I installed them myself and realized the triple chrome job had failed at the factory as bronze, copper, or whatever was showing instead of the bright shiny stuff I had hoped for.
The next day I brought the truck back to the dealer to nit pick (his words)... ... One trip up north and I had rust in places I never imagined.
Any how, I just got the bright shinys I paid for. This was a dealer problem, not Smitty's, except for the crappy quality control in the first place.
Also, as long as I am whining, the Smittys suck as to the rubber pad placement... ... . You step on the chrome to get in... At least you will not mess up the cool rubber step pads that say Smitty Built! These are also a ***** to clean... ..... I think these are universal shiny bars built for many different trucks!... ..... Not the best, maybe... ... . But pricey... .....
Any body got cheese to go with my wine?
Ron

 

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Lots of companys make nerfs. Most are identical to each other with the only noticable difference being the step pads.

The big difference is not between brands, but between mounting brackets and actual makeup of the bars themselves. Black bars are typically powder coated, these will last forever. IMHO, Chrome bars are a waste of money, they chip and rust in a short time. Stainless gives you the look of chrome and the durability of black, but, they carry the highest price tag.

As I mentioned before, the other difference is mounting brackets. Some will match up with existing frame holes, others may need frame drilling. Personally, I would avoid those like the plague.

I had a set of Smittys (black) on my old 1500 that I transferred to my 2500. I quickly replaced them with my current set 'cuz the smittys were for a club cab and they looked funny.

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Cheers,
Randy

President - Southeastern Turbo Diesel Registry, Y2K,2500,QC,SB,Auto,4X4,3. 54LSD,Driftwood/Agate,Trlr Tow,Camper Sp,Slid Rr Glass, ICI Stainless Nerfs, Prime Designs Bug Shield w/ eyebrows

[This message has been edited by MadOtis (edited 03-07-2000). ]

 

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Westin makes a pretty nice set of nerf bars. I just put a set of black powder coat bars on my truck, and they look great and are VERY stout. They mounted using existing mount-points, and didn't require any drilling or bending to get them bolted on. With my big 265 pound behind jumping up and down on them to test for durability and solid fit - no flex or bending at all!

Westin has a 5 years no-rust warranty on the black and chrome-plated steel bars. Lifetime warranty on the chrome-plated stainless bars. Locally installed, they were $279 for the black ones - I've seen them for $169 + $45 shipping mail-order, but my local dealer installed them for free.

Some info and pricing at:
http://www.ustruckaccessorieswhse.com/

Greg



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Y2K Dodge Cummins QC 2500 SLT Laramie 4x4 Long Bed, 4. 10/Auto, Forest Green/Driftwood, 265x75R16 Michelin LTX, 6 speaker CD, Westin Black nerf bars, Mopar bedliner, Ultra bright diamondplate toolbox.

Not Bombed yet!

 

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Westin must have had a bad day when they built my bars. I have rust on both bars. Top bottom, inside and outside. I think I'll write them a letter. Black powder coat for club cab purchased in spring 98'. They did install easily and they are strong but finish is crap.

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Road Dog
St Petersburg,FL
98' 2500SLT/CC/LB/4X4/ISB&5spd/tow/camper/non work truck/Front Receiver/255/85X16 Dunlops

 

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Try the Luverne nerf bars. Similar to Westin, but they mount better in my opinion. I tried the Westins and didn't like them. Also, the Luverne are stainless and the finish looks similar to the Mopar aluminum ones. I got mine locally for $285. Not bad for stainless! One thing about the Mopar bars, if you have the molded front mud flaps, they won't work with them.

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99'2500 SLT QC LB 4x4
white/agate, 5spd, trailer, camper, 3. 55LSD, 241HD, cab lights, 3500 tailgate lights, mopar mud flaps, luverne SS nerfs, diamond plate rails, Weatherguard box, etc...

 

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I have the previously mentioned Smittybilt powdercoated black(a. k. a. CRAP!). They are rusted beyond belief, I think they are made from old tin cans or something, oh I forgot, tin doesn't RUST into oblivion!
I think I'll just get my wife a stepladder and forget the nerf bars(they should change the"m" in Smittybilt to an "h").

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'95 2500 4x4 ext. cab ,5 spd. , 3. 54, Longbed, K&N, Smittybilt Nerf Bars, ARE 16" alum. rims, 255/85 Wranglers, 4" BD catback, seem to have lost silencer ring, towing 29'Powerquest(unfortunately not twin Cummins)

 

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I also have the MOPAR aluminum ones with the step pad. They mounted easy and look good even after 5 years. What ever brand you get make sure they have step pads, do not get the totaly round ones.

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Paul A. Schmidt
95, 4X4, SLT 2500, 5 spd. , 4. 10, 270 hp. ,675ft. lb. TST, AFC spring kit, Pacbrake, Walker muffler,
GearVendor O. D.
Eastern PA.

 

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skrawny,
I installed nerf bars for three resons:
1)getting in and out. 2)prevent parking lot door dings. 3)protect the bottom of the cab when I'm off-roading(high centering!)
I have the Smittybilts and I love them. Got them when I had my '99 and transferred them over to my '00. The main reason for getting Smitty bilts... There is no drilling required to mount them.
I bought black ones mainly because of off-roading(I don't like chrome either). I have high centered and dragged the belly of the truck... chrome would be destroyed(but that's me)!

Hey Ron Duncan,
You can swap the bars left to right(as my neighbor did) to put the step pads in a different postition. Just be sure to leave the hardware in it's original location.

-Mike

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'00 QC 2500 4x4, 6spd, LB, LSD, 3. 54, SLT, Dark Garnet, Agate, Camper, Trailer, Fogs, Clarion 6-disc, Smittybilt nerfs, Midland CB, Isspro pyro & boost, K&N Scotty Air, 3" pipe bomb, 2wd low, OEM tailgate lites, Tow hooks, DD stage II, 5. 9L R/T

A vulgar display of power!

 

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I purchased the Black powder coated Smittybilt nerf bars just after the purchase of my Ram. After installing only one side, I tested their flimsy mounting system (that was prior to the addition/introduction of the braces)... needless to say, they made a round trip to my local 4x store! I ordered, purchased and installed the Mopar black anodized aluminum nerf bars (stronger mounting system) however, they rubbed pretty severely when I added my 285/75R16 BFG A/Ts. I then added Warn's 4x Boards (full length. . 98. 5" long version). Aside from looking better than the nerf bars, the full length step pad is actually rubber (not plastic like most nerf bars have), and is placed to where you can actually use them! They aren't nearly as slippery as the plastic steps with frost or ice on them. The full length version really ties the cab of the truck and the box together. Each 4x Board can be removed for off-road use with two pins. All in all, a high quality product.

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'98. 5 2500 QC 4x4, (BLACK) SLT Sport, ISB, LWB, 3. 54 LSD, A/T, Glasstite Vision II canopy, Line-X bed liner, 285/75R16 BFG A/Ts on 16x8 M/T Challengers, Warn 4X Boards, Mopar fender flares, front and rear NW Custom stainless steel/rubber mud flaps, Mag-Hytec diff. cover and trans. pan, Edelbrock IAS shocks, Mopar tow hooks, Jordan Research Ultima 2020 trailer brake controller, VDO Vision gauges, PIAA Dual Sport 900 auxiliary lights and Super White bulbs, BD exhaust brake and TorqLoc, Prime-Loc fuel filter relocation kit, Bosch 275 hp. injectors, VA CPC, DD Boost Module, Banks Stinger wastegate actuator, "Scotty Air System", BLACK '00 valve cover, Hitco/Geno's exhaust blanket, Femco/Geno's EZ Drain oil pan plug, Banks Stinger 4" dia. stainless steel exhaust system, plus many other trick modifications

'00 Polaris 6x6

[This message has been edited by John (edited 03-12-2000). ]

 

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I bounced an Oldsmobile off my MOPAR ones. #ad
But than she came back and hit the rear tire and fender. #ad


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Paul A. Schmidt
95, 4X4, SLT 2500, 5 spd. , 4. 10, 270 hp. ,675ft. lb. TST, AFC spring kit, Pacbrake, Walker muffler,
GearVendor O. D.
Eastern PA.

 

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Mike R,
I tried reversing the Smitty's. No go. One end of the tube is longer than the other. You can do it and the step pads are where they're suppose to be, but the bars are no longer parallel with the truck. With some effort, I can use the step pads as is.
Thanks,
Ron

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'99 Quad long bed, emerald green/driftwood, 4x4, 5speed, 3. 55 limslip, Rancho 9000/remote adjuster
Boulder City, Nevada

 

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Just installed a pair of Smitty Stainless Steel nerf bars. Took about 3 hours in all and the wife really appreciates them. Seem to be sturdy. Pads do not really bother me in their location as my legs are shorter and my seat is further forward.

 

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Why not just go with a set of running boards? They protect the truck A LOT better, and by the time you bottom the boards out you're also damaging the skid plate on the transmission(believe me, I know). My DEE ZEE boards look really good too #ad
Just MHO.
Kunze

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'94, 2500, 4X4, SLT, Silencer ring in the tool box, DeeZee bright tread running boards, side box boards and mud flaps. Alpine CD player. I still have many toys to get!

 

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#ad
That's really odd,Ron. Maybe my neighbor and I have a revised version. He got his right before I got mine and he installed his "backwards" for the different pad placement. I checked mine and the ends are equal length,but I left mine "normal".

-Mike

 

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Ron Duncan and MikeR: My Smittybilt bars had the step pads in the seemingly correct location... I'm wondering if Smittybilt goofed up when cutting out the step area on each of the two bars. As the bars have different length legs; if the bars were inverted for the step machining operation, the steps would be mis-located although they would mount "correctly" on the opposite side. Ya think? #ad


[This message has been edited by John (edited 03-13-2000). ]

 

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I like the way the steelhorse black nerf bars look, they have a textured finish rather than gloss black. They are supposed to be a drill less installation. I am curious if anyone out there has these installed and how durable they are.

 

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I have the Steel Horse stainless bars, love 'em. Obviously not a spot of rust and even though sand/gravel on my shoes has scratched them up, they still look great and are very sturdy. Two thumbs up!

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'99 2500 4X4 QC/LB Blue Box, 14cm2 housing, RS9000's, VelvetRide, Line-X, M/T w/Goodyear 305/70s, boost/EGT/transmission temp, transmission pressure, AMSOIL throughout, BD valve body/TC/PressureLoc, Bosch 275 injectors