Westin HDX Drop Steps

adubree86 · Feb 15, 2017

gustheram said:
I've never really worked with rivserts. What was the difficulty and where and what did you buy in place of the ones that shipped with the steps. I'll probably just go grab them ahead of time. Although, I checked the installation instructions and it said some trucks already had threaded holes and didn't need the rivserts so I guess I better climb under the truck and check that out first.

Think of a rivet. You insert it and then the tool pulls the stem and sandwiches the metal between the lip and the buldge created. Rivserts essentially do the same thing but have a threaded insert to screw into. The screw acts as the compression stem. For some reason I couldn't get the supplied rivserts to work correctly. They wanted to compress weird and didn't hold worth a ****. I went and got some from fastenal.

jarzo · Feb 15, 2017

adubree86 said:
Think of a rivet. You insert it and then the tool pulls the stem and sandwiches the metal between the lip and the buldge created. Rivserts essentially do the same thing but have a threaded insert to screw into. The screw acts as the compression stem. For some reason I couldn't get the supplied rivserts to work correctly. They wanted to compress weird and didn't hold worth a ****. I went and got some from fastenal.

Same experience here. The riv-certs just don't compress properly. They actually seem too small for the application.

I have a 2017 Ram Sport, and only the front location with threaded. The middle and back, I had to use the riv-certs.

The riv-certs are pain, but once installed the drop steps look awesome!

adubree86 · Feb 15, 2017

jarzo said:
Same experience here. The riv-certs just don't compress properly. They actually seem too small for the application.

I have a 2017 Ram Sport, and only the front location with threaded. The middle and back, I had to use the riv-certs.

The riv-certs are pain, but once installed the drop steps look awesome!

I agree with them being too small. I watched a youtube video of an install of a different westin step and they actually had to hamer their rivserts in on that application. I believe that step used a M10 instead of an M8. The M8s have a lot of play. I have a '16 Bighorn and only had factory threads in the front as well.

gustheram · Feb 15, 2017

adubree86 said:
Think of a rivet. You insert it and then the tool pulls the stem and sandwiches the metal between the lip and the buldge created. Rivserts essentially do the same thing but have a threaded insert to screw into. The screw acts as the compression stem. For some reason I couldn't get the supplied rivserts to work correctly. They wanted to compress weird and didn't hold worth a ****. I went and got some from fastenal.

Thanks for the explanation. I checked this morning and I've got no threads so I'm all rivserts. I'll grab some from fastenal before the steps arrive. You used M8 or M10?

Edit: I just checked Fastenal's site and holy crap they have a lot of rivnuts. Which ones did you buy? There's aluminum and steel and ribbed and smooth and large flange and good lord I'm suffering from too much choice lol.

adubree86 · Feb 15, 2017

gustheram said:
Thanks for the explanation. I checked this morning and I've got no threads so I'm all rivserts. I'll grab some from fastenal before the steps arrive. You used M8 or M10?

Edit: I just checked Fastenal's site and holy crap they have a lot of rivnuts. Which ones did you buy? There's aluminum and steel and ribbed and smooth and large flange and good lord I'm suffering from too much choice lol.

They are M8s. Not sure which one. I just went into the store with one of the ones that came with the kit to make sure thread pitch was the same.

benjamin247 · Feb 18, 2017

adubree86 said:
This site is full of enablers. I'm sure they will look great. Simple install too. I will tell you one thing though, their rivserts suck. I went out and got my own.

I just got mine but I'm stuck on how to tighten the M8 riv-certs? Are they suppose to fit snug in the pre-cut hex holes? Fig. 6 of Step 3 just has me totally confused.

http://westinautomotive.com/applicationchart/pdf/75-1806.pdf

benjamin247 · Feb 18, 2017

benjamin247 said:
I just got mine but I'm stuck on how to tighten the M8 riv-certs? Are they suppose to fit snug in the pre-cut hex holes? Fig. 6 of Step 3 just has me totally confused.

http://westinautomotive.com/applicationchart/pdf/75-1806.pdf

The instructions say to use the bracket to install the riv-cert and I didn't really get why until I watched this video:
https://youtu.be/AfQIYLSKGwI

Update: I can't get the rivnuts on. Do you guys think just leaving that off and keep the two other bolts enough for each bracket?

gustheram · Feb 25, 2017

adubree86 said:
They are M8s. Not sure which one. I just went into the store with one of the ones that came with the kit to make sure thread pitch was the same.

You went to a Fastenal store or where did you get the new rivnuts? I'm having trouble finding them locally at any place that's open on the weekend so I'm going to call the local Fastenal on Monday but right now I'm dead in the water. The included hardware is absolute f'n junk. I'm planning on replacing the bolts too because 2 of them started rounding over on me. But damn the rivcerts suck. I think I will buy new M8s and M10s and try the M10s first.

benjamin247 · Feb 27, 2017

gustheram said:
You went to a Fastenal store or where did you get the new rivnuts? I'm having trouble finding them locally at any place that's open on the weekend so I'm going to call the local Fastenal on Monday but right now I'm dead in the water. The included hardware is absolute f'n junk. I'm planning on replacing the bolts too because 2 of them started rounding over on me. But damn the rivcerts suck. I think I will buy new M8s and M10s and try the M10s first.

I got these with 2-day delivery from amazon: http://a.co/13euvh9

gustheram · Feb 27, 2017

benjamin247 said:
I got these with 2-day delivery from amazon: http://a.co/13euvh9

And those worked ok? The hole is a hex shape and the rivnuts included in the kit are hex shaped as well. If those work, I may just order something like this https://www.amazon.com/iExcell-Tota...TF8&qid=1488201008&sr=1-16&keywords=rivet+nut that has M8 and M10 because the M8 feels a bit small for the hole.

adubree86 · Feb 27, 2017

sorry for being absent on this thread. I did go to fastenal. The company I work for has an account there and I just pay cash. I purchased M8 rivnuts. They were round. If you don't understand how to install one check out this video and skip to 1:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Og-tHIR_0I

gustheram · Feb 27, 2017

adubree86 said:
sorry for being absent on this thread. I did go to fastenal. The company I work for has an account there and I just pay cash. I purchased M8 rivnuts. They were round. If you don't understand how to install one check out this video and skip to 1:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Og-tHIR_0I

No worries man, people have lives lol. I got a pack off Amazon that are hex shaped so I'll give those a try before I make the trek to my local Fastenal store. The method that is shown in the installation instructions for setting the rivnuts is different than what that video showed. Did you follow the method from the installation instructions or do what the video shows with a lock washer, nut and bolt?

adubree86 · Feb 27, 2017

gustheram said:
No worries man, people have lives lol. I got a pack off Amazon that are hex shaped so I'll give those a try before I make the trek to my local Fastenal store. The method that is shown in the installation instructions for setting the rivnuts is different than what that video showed. Did you follow the method from the installation instructions or do what the video shows with a lock washer, nut and bolt?

I used the nut and bolt method. The directions suck. Only reason I knew about the bolt and nut way was because that how the rivnut for the DeeZee tailgate assist is installed into the tailgate and it holds great. Skip to 0:36 in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMCO8Xbi4X0

Rzrman328 · Feb 27, 2017

adubree86 said:
. I think they also look more aggressive than the typical hoop drop bars.

I agree.

These are the best looking style IMO.....but then I like the more aggressive look.

blackbetty14 · Feb 28, 2017

Hate those stupid nutsertz. I want to get the same steps but didn't purchase one I printed the instructions and saw nutsertz being used. On my cheap tube steps they used a bar with a but and bolt Welded on that fit through the holes. And allowed a real bolt and nut to be used and sandwiched a larger area of the steel. Any reason why this couldn't be done in the middle? I currently
Have my steps attached but doesn't have any supports in the middle.

gustheram · Mar 1, 2017

These steps use a nut plate as well. They only use the rivnut for one hole per bracket. I wish they would have fabricated some sort of cool triangle shaped nut plate that would go through the top hole and then be able to align with both of the bottom holes but I just don't think it would be possible to get that contraption through the top hole. Other than the god awful pain in the ass time I'm having getting the rivnuts set (the included ones were terrible so I bought some that were recommended in this thread but they're round and turn in the hole with the method included in the instructions and in all the crap in my garage I don't have an 8mm nut to set the rivnuts with) the installation seems pretty easy.

blackbetty14 · Mar 2, 2017

I think it could be done. I would rather try to fab something up than use a rivnut. My cheap bars use a bolt and nut plate. It would be pretty easy to add another tab with a nut on it and align it up. Some 3/4-1" steel X 1/8" stock and some nuts and a smidge of welding and walla.

gustheram · Mar 4, 2017

Finally got them installed. They look great and they're very sturdy. Only advice I have from my experience doing this is the center and rear brackets are in fact side specific even though they're listed as the same part in the instructions. Pardon the dirty truck. The pollen in the air is insane right now.

Tom88 · Mar 4, 2017

gustheram said:
Finally got them installed. They look great and they're very sturdy. Only advice I have from my experience doing this is the center and rear brackets are in fact side specific even though they're listed as the same part in the instructions. Pardon the dirty truck. The pollen in the air is insane right now.

They look awesome!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

adubree86 · Mar 4, 2017

gustheram said:
Finally got them installed. They look great and they're very sturdy. Only advice I have from my experience doing this is the center and rear brackets are in fact side specific even though they're listed as the same part in the instructions. Pardon the dirty truck. The pollen in the air is insane right now.

Congrats on getting these installed.

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