04ctd

I got the bars today, the sticker on the box says 03 and up HD.

the mounting bars are the same (2 short, 2 long), i thought they would be different from left to right.

and all 4 of the angle brackets are the same, and none of them reach any holes on the frame.

is 04 the first year of the hydroformed frame?

so I hung them with the hangers, and no brackets, and man, do they sag when you step on them.
I weigh 220.

and one of the ends did not tighten up enough, so the big huge "brass" washer is in there, just dinging around. have to take that back apart.

how long does it take for the steps to seat onto the bars and stop making that crunchy plastic noise when you step on them?

do we have a FAQ person?
i'm on a camaro forum, and Brent Franker lists ALL the camaro mod's with pictures and writeups.

I got full pic's of this ordeal if someone wants them, to post as a FAQ.

MikeyB

04ctd,
The angled brackets mount from the hangers to the body. Look under the body and will see a row of black oval plugs down the body. Remove the plug at the front and one at the rear. Use the bolts with the rectangle collar to go into the slot and turn it so it will hold while tighting the nuts.

MikeyB

dodgedude361

wut he sed, i have them on my rig....took a little while to figure out

RedRamMan

Do like Mikey B says follow the directions and they fit fine. No crunch on mine ,no sag and look great. I got the Platinum ones Chrome over stainless.

kry226

How large is the gap between the rocker and the bar? I had a set of nerfs on my Chevy and they had a good 6 inches of gap. Looked horrible so I took them off. I would want a bar with a lot less gap, and one that doesn't take away from ground clearance. What are your thoughts?

04ctd

so the angled support brackets go on the outer edge of the body, and not onto the frame?

the directions were not really that clear, but i ain't that bright, either

well, i guess i will lookt at it again today

04ctd

i'd say the opposite, these tuck really tight. the wife had a hard time getting her foot on it last nite (first nite for her to use them, in the dark....)

i wanted them to be out more, and lower, they are only a few inches lower than the door sill of the truck.

you'd be happy with these, they are the cheapie black westin bars, part# 25-2135, i think

rjweiss

Had the EXACT same problem with my Westin bars, I thought that they sent me the wrong parts. I assumed the left and right side hangers and brackets would be different, nope. I guess to save some bucks they just have you reverse them on the opposite side.

The key is too assemble the brackets and straps loosely, very loose.....let them flop around so that the straps reach the correct rocker panel holes. You may have tape over these holes like I did and not rubber plugs, that's another story. Then attach the step bars and then start to tighten everything up.

Don' t make the mistake I made and swap the left an right side bars (I'm also not too bright). The left and right side bars have the foot cutouts placed in different locations from the end of the bars. So the four cutouts didn't line up with the door..duhhhh My wife found that out..."Hey honey" she said, how come the foot thingys don't line up under the door"...so back under the truck I went, coming out another hour later after swapping the bars.

When all was said and done they are rock solid, but the plastic flat pieces they give you just barely fill the rocker panel hole after the strap is in place, will go back later and fill it with silicon.

any questions just ask.

Ron W.

MikeyB

That is correct.

I used RTV to fill in the holes where the brackets mounts to the body.

MikeyB

RickE

What is RTV? Remember they always say, "there no stupid questions".

stevenknapp

Gasket maker.. Like caulk, but in theory more in tune with being around a car.

I forget what it stands for.

roadranger

RTV = Silicon sealer

04ctd

oh yeah, much better. i also put the torque wrench on the big bolts (63ftlbs)
i was not familiar with the new impact, and it had left them looser than i thought.

just a wee bit of sag on the driver side, and none on the passenger side.

all good!!

I got some good pics of the install, if someone wants to host them.

got some GREAT pics of the underneath of the truck too, the exhaust crimp, the skid plate, the lack of front suspension travel, the hoses for the locking hubs,
if someone wants to host them too.

kry226

Why don't you just upload them into your member's gallery?

04ctd

i took a'bunch like, 102....yeah....

besides, I've done all the "wow, i got pics on the web of my car" crap before,
here's my website:
http://geocities.com/midwestcamaro/

it's so old, I lost the password, and YAHOO won't give it back to me
i haven't updated it in ~6 months.

just no desire to write them up and post them. lazy?