Nerf Bars

budbowl77 · December 27, 2006

Hey guys, my Silverado doesnt have running boards or Nerf bars, which makes getting into my truck difficult for family members so to enhance the beauty of my truck i've decided to get nerf bars, are they difficult to install? (i'm not much of a mechanic) Is it true that Chevy has installation holes basically pre drilled?

MacA · December 28, 2006

I recently did a lot of searching here and other forums and decided on the Nasta brand nerf bars. They are stainless steel and include all stainless steel mounting hardware. The installation looks like it would be a breeze. Do some searches here. There is TONS of information available. But be ready to read a lot.

Good luck with your search!

Rosedog · December 29, 2006

I just bought some, can't remember the brand, but I went with the all black altought I really wanted ss but it cost.

As I'm waiting for mine to arrive, I'm told that they bolt right up no drilling required.

I remember putting some on my wife's 2000 blazer, pretty simple but an extra hand would be helpful.

NorthernNJ · December 29, 2006

I just installed a set of Westin on my inlaws 05. Not too hard, took about an hour. 2nd set would go faster.

No drilling. Uses body mount bolts. The existing bolts are removed and replaced with new longer bolts. In all, 8 bolts to install. The only tricky (and not hard, per se) was fishing a bolt through the frame rail. Took a bit.. and if you hae big fat fingers, you'll need some long screwdrivers or such to manipulate it into position -- you'll see.

On the difficulty scale, I'd say a 2 (1-5, 5 being hard).

You'll likely need a breaker bar or pipe/ratchet to remove the existing body bolts.

And be sure to retighten all after about a week.

Rosedog · December 29, 2006

I just installed a set of Westin...

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Westin, thats the brand I bought.

And be sure to retighten all after about a week.

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I would also recommend some blue Loc-Tight, maybe just maybe a dab of the red.

ridgekid · December 30, 2006

Be careful with the Nastas. Quaility not so great.

Just installed the wheel to wheel Westins (24-4030). They are SS Platinum Series. Took a little over an hour. The body bolts were the hardest part. They were tight to get out and getting them re-torqued wasn't fun either. The rest of the assembly was as easy as following the directions..like a easy puzzle.

PS- I did the magnet test. They are SS!!! (FYI - magnets don't stick to true SS)

hoorders · December 31, 2006

PS- I did the magnet test. They are SS!!! (FYI - magnets don't stick to true SS)

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They could also be aluminum....as magnets won't stick to aluminum either.......

95Sierra2500 · December 31, 2006

Or you could just weld them to the frame...like I did when I got a set that weren't actually for my truck and came with NO mounting hardware...can't say 'NO' to a gift...

ridgekid · January 1, 2007

PS- I did the magnet test. They are SS!!! (FYI - magnets don't stick to true SS)

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They could also be aluminum....as magnets won't stick to aluminum either.......

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Your right they could be. But there are too heavy to be aluminum.

MacA · January 1, 2007

Be careful with the Nastas. Quaility not so great.

Please explain! Is your comments from personal experience?

Just received mine yesterday and the quality looks excellent so far (not installed yet). The finish is very nice. They come wrapped tight with plastic to prevent scratches during installation. The stainless mounting hardware looks heavy duty and high quality. Installation looks to be pretty straight forward. I guess the only thing I can't comment on yet is whether everything fits properly. I will do a follow-up!

ridgekid · January 1, 2007

Be careful with the Nastas. Quaility not so great.

Please explain! Is your comments from personal experience?

Just received mine yesterday and the quality looks excellent so far (not installed yet). The finish is very nice. They come wrapped tight with plastic to prevent scratches during installation. The stainless mounting hardware looks heavy duty and high quality. Installation looks to be pretty straight forward. I guess the only thing I can't comment on yet is whether everything fits properly. I will do a follow-up!

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No- not from personal expierance. While I was looking for nerf bars I checked with local distributors for both Westin and Nasta. They all praised Westin for thier warranty, quaility and workmanship. Said Nasta was opposite.

PS: My nerfs were wrapped as you described also.

MacA · January 1, 2007

No- not from personal expierance.....

Thanks for the reply! I also did a fair amount of research and chose the Nasta after discovering that they appeared to have the same high quality as the Westin products at a lower cost. Not quite sure how the warranties compare, but the Nasta warranty covers mine as long as I own my truck.

Just for those still trying to decide, here is a link to some of the advantages of the Nasta bars as described on their website:

Nasta Info

ridgekid · January 1, 2007

No- not from personal expierance.....

Thanks for the reply! I also did a fair amount of research and chose the Nasta after discovering that they appeared to have the same high quality as the Westin products at a lower cost. Not quite sure how the warranties compare, but the Nasta warranty covers mine as long as I own my truck.

Just for those still trying to decide, here is a link to some of the advantages of the Nasta bars as described on their website:

Nasta Info

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I might of under rated the Nasta's. SS brackets? Cool!

I compared the installation of the two Manufacturers. (Wheel to Wheel) My personal preferance would of still been the Westins.

My brackets were powder coated. I got the Wheel to Wheel Model 24-4030 (Westins) for $499 free shipping.

MacA · January 1, 2007

I might of under rated the Nasta's. SS brackets? Cool!

I compared the installation of the two Manufacturers. (Wheel to Wheel) My personal preferance would of still been the Westins.

My brackets were powder coated. I got the Wheel to Wheel Model 24-4030 (Westins) for $499 free shipping.

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I just came in from installing my Nastas and was very pleased with the ease of installation. The only addition I made to the instructions was that I used a little blue thread lock to secure the fasteners.

Westin appears to be one of the top tier nerf bar manufacturers. I am sure they make an excellent product! They were at the top of my list when I was looking. But for $278.99 shipped to my door (T-Rex Motorsports on eBay), I think I got a GREAT deal going with the Nastas. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!