I chose not to buy the factory Tundra step rails from Toyota. I did not like the appearance and really did not like the plastic parts all over it. Plus the price was way too high so I chose to go after market. Their steps are OK, I just wanted something that seemed more durable and cost less.

I looked around at various options. The expensive ones didn't have much over the cheaper ones. Some had lights and whatever else but they weren't really worth the added cost IMO. It came down to two lower cost options. One was the SteelCraft nerf bars made in the US. They have a lower Stainless Steel price if anyone else is interested. But I wanted the black powder coated nerf bars. The ones I chose were imported from China by JC Whitney.

I placed and order and got free standard shipping. Unfortunately that price did not include the cost of heavy item shipping. So my total cost was about $151. Somewhere in the ordering process the order got switched. Might have been me clicking the wrong button but I'm not sure. So the bars arrived, I assembled them and went to put them on the truck. Well, they were awfully short and the holes didn't line up right. The box said "07 Toyota Tundra CrewCab". Well, I tried changing up the mounts and nothing worked. Checked the item number and compared it to their website and realized they were the DC bars. Called up JC Whitney and they offered to replace them and sent me an RMA with shipping paid by them. Didn't even have to ask for it. They wanted to wait until the bars got back to them before they sent me the new ones. I said they could charge me for a second set of bars for the CM and then credit the card when these DC ones get back to them.

I drop the bars off at the FedEx Kinkos that night. Two days later they show back up at my door. Guess they were scanning the old label that had been marked out instead of the new label. Tracking showed two trackings and both were in Dallas and Irving which were nowhere near me. Guess i could have sold them myself and reported the package missing but I figured better not to. Less hassle for me. Complained to FedEx and they wanted me to drop them off again. Sorry, but I'm not driving 20 miles just to drop them off again. They were supposed to call me back the next day but never did. FedEx guy was dropping off my new fog lights on Friday so I just told him what happened and he took the old bars with him and then brought my new ones on Saturday.

Unpacked the bars and assembled them on the carpet. Everything was labeled except for the bars themselves. But since I already looked at everything when I had the other bars, I knew the shorter end was the end that went to the front of the truck. See the far end of the bars in the picture:





So I had my dad help me install the bars while he was free. I already had them loosely assembled and the bolts off the rocker panels, just needed to put them on the truck and that's not simple by myself. It could be done, but having some help is much easier.

Here's all the tools you will need to put them on the truck. You need a ratchet, any ratchet extension; short or long, a 12mm socket and a 1/2" socket, and a level. I did this in the garage since it's a pretty level surface.



We installed the bars pretty easily. You have to use the factory rocker bolts and steal one of the unused bolts for the front mounting location. If one person installs the front at the same time the other person installs the back, then it will go on pretty easily. Just hand tighten all the bolts and then use the ratchet to finish them all at the same time.

Once that is done, then you have to level the bars. Just place the level on the steps and twist them to get them level. Then tighten the bolts that connect the mounts to the bars. And then you are done. Shouldn't take 2 people but about 30 minutes to install, that includes assembly time. They fit great and they don't hang down any lower than the frame does.





Overall I am very pleased with the result. I wanted some that attached to the frame of the truck but nobody makes any. Seems kind of stupid to me since the frame is much stronger than the rocker panel. I thought about maybe getting some rock sliders made that can also be used like step bars. Maybe in the future.







The reviews for the bars on the JC Whitney site were not great. Most everyone seemed to like the bars but they complained about mislabeled mounts and missing bolts and/or washers. Those were mostly from guys installing on trucks from the big 3. Both the sets I got had everything in the package and all the parts were labeled correctly. I would definitely recommend these to anyone wanting some inexpensive nerf bars for their truck. I figure IF something happens to these in say 5 years, then I could really care less. They only cost me $151 and I'll be fine with buying a new set or changing to some other brand.

I checked the price of having nerf bars covered in Line-X. One of the local guys said $159 to do it. I doubt I will do it for that price.