Westin Platinum Series Oval Nerf Bars - 4" - Black Powder Coated Steel

Video Transcript for Westin Platinum Series Oval Nerf Bars Installation - 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Hey guys, it's Jake here with Etrailer. Today we have a 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 and we're gonna be taking a look at, and I'm gonna show you how to install, the Westin Platinum Oval Running Boards. This is what our running boards are gonna look like when they're installed. You can see we have a nice large plate here. The distance between the top of our running board in the bottom of our kick panel here is gonna be a little bit different. Typically, these are pretty close, but our vehicle has a four inch body lift because it is equipped with the handicapped wing on the other side, where both passenger doors open at the same time in order for a wheelchair to get in.

But that's a, this is just to show you why this is a great option for any type of vehicle. We only installed the driver's side on this side because the driver of the vehicle still needs help getting in and out of the vehicle as well as the passengers that they have in the back. This particular couple has a couple of grandkids that they like to haul in the back seat so they can get in and out of the truck a little bit easier by stepping up on these running boards and so can the driver. Now, these are gonna have a steel construction, with very, very heavy steel brackets. I will say, with a lot of running boards, I'm a little bit heavier guy and I step on some running boards and they feel kind of soft, like the bracket tree is not strong enough to be able to support my weight, but these, the bracket tree is very, very thick and they mount to the bottom side of the body mounts themselves.

So, you don't have to, you're not tapping into the backside of this rocker panel. That's typically where they're bolted in at is in that sheet metal that the rocker panel is made of. They have weld nuts in there that you tie 'em into. These are actually gonna use the bottom side of the body mount so you know it's gonna be a rigid mount. And when you step on these, there is no flex to them at all.

You can see, I'm moving the whole vehicle, but these are bolted up nice and tight. The finish on the steel parts is not necessarily going to be a gloss finish. I'd say, if I had to identify, it's more like a satin finish. It's got, it looks like it has like a matte finish underneath, but with like a semi-gloss on top. I think it looks really good.

It helps to kind of blend in with all the plastics on the vehicle 'cause all the plastics are black on it. It's gonna be a lot easier to clean than a true matte finish would be but not nearly as hard to fix scratches on as a gloss finish would. You're gonna have a checkered flag looking pattern on the top of the running board itself. What I like about it is it's the size of it more than anything. It's very, very wide. I've got a size 13 boot and you can see here, it fits very, very easily. The width fits just fine. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a tread that's gonna help you scrape anything off, this edge here might help more than anything, but it's definitely gonna give you a place to knock off your boots in the summer if you're getting into muddy areas or in the winter if you need to knock some snow off before you get in your vehicle. Now, as far as the installation goes, it is not a bad installation at all. We did this one from the vehicle sitting on the ground, so it is possible to do. You are gonna need a 22 millimeter socket to be able to loosen up those body bolts. That, I'd say that's probably the only thing that you might not have at home. We use an impact. You can use just a normal ratchet if you want to. Now, with this specific vehicle, we only installed one side, so we're only gonna show you the one side. The passenger side is the exact same way. The only thing you want to watch out for is there is a driver and passenger specific running board and that has to do with where the mount is. The mount for the center mount is a little bit more forward on each of the running boards, so you have to make sure that you put the right one on the right side. With that being said, let's go ahead and pull it into the shop and show you how we got it installed. To begin our installation, we're gonna start over here on the driver's side. You're gonna have three body mount bolts that you're gonna have to remove in order to get the brackets installed. You're gonna have one up here, one right here, and then there's gonna be one a little bit further back and then further up. And we're gonna take the smallest bracket that comes in our kit, which will look like this, that's gonna go in the front, and we'll have one that's gonna be a little bit longer, that's gonna go in the back. It also looks like this. And then you're just gonna have a support bracket that goes in the middle. Let's go ahead and get 'em installed. Now, we'll be using a 22 millimeter socket in order to take these body mount bolts out. (tool ratcheting) (tool whirs) Now, we're gonna take our bracket. (parts clanking) You want to hold it up, set the washer back on top of it, slide our bolts up through the slot in it. (tool clanks) We'll set our washer back on there and then slide the bolt back up and thread it back into place. (tool ratcheting) (tools clanking) For the center one, we're gonna take the bolt out again, take the washer off, take our bracket that looks like this, (tools clanking) slide it up through, put our washer back on, and then lift it up into place. (tool ratchets) We're gonna leave everything loosely installed until we get our running board on and then we can come back and tighten everything up. For our rear bracket, we're gonna be using this mount. You can tell the difference 'cause it's a little bit higher up inside the cavity of the truck. Pop that bolt out. (tool ratcheting) Lift our bracket up. (tool clanking) Now, with all three of our brackets on, on the one side, we're going to grab our running board and the hardware necessary to get it attached. Now, the hardware you're gonna need to assemble, to get our running boards on our brackets, is you're gonna need two hex head bolts with a split lock washer and a regular fender washer on there. That's for both of those. And then the center bolt is going to be an Allen head bolt. You do get an Allen key in your kit, which is really nice if you don't have one that size at home, with a star washer and a flat washer. I am going to start with getting the center bolt mounted up in place 'cause I'm hoping that'll hold up the rest of the running board for me while I'm getting everything else installed. Now, we're gonna take that hex bolt and put it on the backside. You'll see that there's a threaded portion in the backside of this tube. (bolt clanking) That's what we're shooting for. Now we're gonna come back with a 19 millimeter socket and tighten these down. (tool ratcheting) Now that we've got our three bolts tightened on our brackets, we'll come back and tighten up those body mount bolts. (tool ratcheting) Now, we're gonna come back underneath here and you want to torque all the hardware to the specifications and the instructions. (torque wrench beeps) Now that we've got everything torqued down, that's gonna do it for installation. Well guys, hopefully this video helped you decide whether or not the Westin Platinum oval running boards are gonna be right for you in your 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500.