Even though our 2012 F150 5.0L FX4 Project Truck came with a set of side steps, they weren't exactly the most stylish or well-built things in the world. It's a good thing then that N-Fab makes a nice set of Nerf Bar Steps to serve as suitable replacements. These nerf bar have dropped steps and are made out of welded tubular steel with a powder coat finish that makes them look awesome and also much stronger than the stock plastic over metal steps. N-Fab's F150 Nerf Bar Steps are heavy-duty pieces of hardware and pretty easily bolt-on right in place of the stock steps using the factory mounting points under the truck. We really have nothing to complain about with these steps. Installation was extremely painless and the final look is awesome. The steps are very sturdy and have far less give than the factory steps. In the end, this was a great upgrade, and here's our install guide to help prove it.
Like all of our installs here at Stage 3, we put our truck in the expert hands over at Extreme Performance out in Goodyear, Arizona, to get the job done right. Our truck was technically up on their lift for our Starkey Backup Light install, but who's counting? In any case, with our truck up in the air, Chris got to work. Having an extra pair of hands isn't a bad idea for N-Fab's nerf bars. Their large size makes them a bit unwieldy when trying to maneuver them into place by your lonesome. Still, it's doable on your own, if you're handy with a floor jack.
Step one is to remove your stock side steps, if your truck is so equipped. If your truck doesn't have factory steps, then you can skip down a ways for when we actually get the N-Fab steps on our truck. The stock steps have two brackets with four bolts that need to be removed. Chris removed all but one bolt on each bracket to start off.
Chris had me hold the step while he removed the last two bolts. With the bolts off, we pulled the step away from the truck and set it aside.
With the factory step out of the way, it was time for the N-Fab nerf bar to be bolted into place. Now, the nerf bar has three brackets instead of two. The forward and rearward brackets fit into the stock step's mounts. The middle bracket didn't line up very well with the holes that N-Fab intends you to use, so Chris just installed all the bolts he could. We could've drilled, by after getting all the bolts in for the other two brackets, the nerf bar felt sturdy enough that we didn't feel it was absolutely necessary. For the third bracket, you also need to use N-Fab's supplied bolts and threaded C-Clips instead of reusing the factory hardware.
With one side completed, it was time for the other. The process was the exact same as the passenger's side of our truck and Chris made very quick work of it.
Just like the other side, it was time to get the N-Fab Nerf Bar steps bolted on. Just like the passenger's side, we had an alignment issue with the center bracket, but it had no real effect on the rigidity of the nerf bar.
With the last bolts tightened down to their proper specs, our N-Fab Nerf Bar install was complete. They certainly look good on our truck and really add on to the black-on-red styling theme that we have going on. The nerf bars look tough and are sure to hold up much better than the factory steps with all the off-roading we plan on doing with our project truck. Big thanks to Chris over at Extreme Performance for helping us out with our install!
