Smittybilt Sure Step 3 Diameter Side Bars (Textured Black) - JN40-S2T"

This part numer covers the following according to the instructions.1) 97 -on TJ WRANGLER2) 87-95 WRANGLER3) 76-86 CJ7 & CJ5I installed these on a 1981 Jeep CJ7. 1st of all they had the lables backawards on each bar. So the passenger lable was on the drivers bar and drivers lable on the passenger bar. This made me sick seeing this right off the bat because I was sure they were probably the wrong ones. One had clear bubble wrap and the other had blue bubble wrap and then I seen the MADE IN CHINA lable which really sickened me! For some reason I thought I read these were made in the USA.I bought the textured black. I didn't want the gloss black because when they get scuffed, it's so much easier to get a can of flat black and make it look better rather than dealing with gloss black. My Jeep is one bad Jeep. It'll out-climb 99% of anything in Western Colorado that I've seen running around here plus it looks brand new and everything is rebuilt .... sorry, I get carried away.What you must understand is that this part number covers a very wide range and I'm sure all of the frames of these vehicle are essentially the same, however, if you are going to mount these on a CJ7, get 4-8 fender washers to use as shims because you can not expect to have each mounting side sit flat against the frame. It isn't going to happen! No big deal to put a washer behind a screw, I used 3, maybe 4.The texured flat black is nice and it will be difficult to scuff them up. I do wish the top foot pad was about 4 inches more to the read of the vehicle than they are. I'm guessing this part number is perfect for the newer Wranglers but the pad in its placement is not perfect on my Jeep. The pad is in position for my foot to stand on but my foot placement is towards the read of the pad.The self locking bolts are of good quality. I wish they would've provided a few extra just in case but they don't. Fortunately I didn't have a problem with the stiping a bolt.I installed them by myself and I have serious disabilities, so it took me 7 hours to do. If I could've afford to have someone else do them, I still would've done it myself since shops charge way too much these days and when you drive a nice restored Jeep into a shop, you better bring on the vasaline! I took my time due to my disabilities but also, I like to do a perfect job which I give myself a 90% on this install due to 1 slip up with one bolt hole I drilled that was about 1/4 inch out of alignemnet causing me to have to hone out a mounting hole on the bar itself.I suggest starting with the passenger side so you can make your errors on that side instead of the side you use the most which is the drivers side. In my case, I made a mistake on the passenger side and started there for that reason. They suggest using a center punch to mark your holes. I'm not good with a hammer in tight spaces where I have my ARB Locker air hoses and other things in the way, so I did it the long and hard way. One hole at a time, drilling it out, ratcheting the bolt into the hole, unratcheting the bolt and mounting the rail to the frame with the new bolt. I scraped the paint from the frame and used a small Sharpe Marker to mark my spot, if I was off center on my mark with the Sharpe, I eye-balled where on that dot I needed to make a hole using my smallest drill bit. I took the rail off and drilled my way up using about 6 different sizes of bits until I finished with the 5/16 drill bit. Yes, it took a lot of time and I'm sure someone who's done this would advise a faster way. I used Dewalt Drill Bits that have the special tip on them so you don't slide around. I did break 3 bits as they did wear out through the steafl frame. I think you get the idea, if you are off a lot on a hole, having the fender washers to shim up your slight mistakes with drilling of holes also helps for this problem.This is the cheapest price in over 10 websites and 3 local stores since I am a Amazon Prime Member. There was one other place that had them for $149.99 but they had a shipping charge and I'd have to wait a week.I'd give them 5 stars if they were made in the USA, the foot pads were positioned properly for my CJ7 and if each bar was labled correctly which almost caused me to have a stroke! Other than that, these are nice rails and I'd buy them again!UPDATE!These rails are so nice, I've decided to up it to 5 starts, inspite of the problems stated above. It's raining outside and it's 40 degrees. Due to the rough texture, it actually helps your feet from slipping even if they are not actually on the foot pad but on the rail themselves.

Great product

Bought it for a 1983 CJ7 Jeep.1. Bars have limited space to adjust and ended up on top of the rear leaf spring shackles.2. Too close and almost under the car body. You have to weld a 2x4x6 rectangular steal pipe in order for the step to decently provide 5 toes to safely stand on and get in the car.

Smittybilt means quality and these are no different. The finish is excellent. I ordered the textured bars which I sent a photo of just so you could see it up close. I really like the way they look against the orange of the Jeep body. Easy to install, though if your CJ is like mine and has seen it's share of rust, I don't think you'll want to use the self tapping bolts that come with it. I found the frame would just not hold those as firmly as I thought they should and so I ended up drilling all the way through the frame and using nuts and washers on the top 4 holes and the self tapping screws on the bottom 4 holes. It's a lot of drilling, but I like the way it turned out.I did have a hard time getting the feet to lay flat against the frame, but got it fairly close in the end. That's not a requirement for a firm installation and you can't tell the difference without getting under the Jeep. But, if you expect a PERFECT fit, you may be disappointed. Frankly, I'd bet the frame on my Jeep is off more than these bars...They are great products, the only reason I mark would mark them down a little is those self tappers. I think there should be a choice. However, that's personal preference and not a reflection on the product. 5 stars.

Great build quality. The welds seem strong. The attachment plates didn’t perfectly mate to the frame, but that never is seen and probably doesn’t effect the strength of these much. They feel strong enough that you might be able to use them as a jacking-point, but I wouldn’t risk it - the steel tubes are pretty thin. The textured powder coating is great and seems like it will last forever. The location of the step tread is fine too. I didn’t like the idea of drilling holes into my frame (creating rust points & weakening), so I welded on my own brackets that allowed me to use U bolts around the frame.

The media could not be loaded.  Got these to replace the chrome bars that were installed on my '79 CJ7. Took the bubble wrap off, and they were already scratched up. Wasn't worth the hassle of returning them, but I paid for NEW, not used. Very disappointed, and next time I'll look for something other than Smittybilt, because these were not worth the money I spent.

Took about 2 hours to install. Have to drill to mount. These are not parallel to the jeep, they are at a slight angle with the rear sticking out the most. Look good, but didn't expect them to not be parallel.

Starters they were labeled wrong. Then the angles of the mounting plate to the frame were an inch off on both sides. Definitely does not fit 1977 CJ5. Had to return and pay for return shipping. Last time I order smittybilt