Installation
Packaged with the bars are all the self-tapping screws you'll
need, instructions, and even a very handy metal template to use
for lining up your screws. We were floored by the simplicity of
the template and wondered why they do not come standard from other
manufacturers and also for other parts, in general.
The template is easy to put on and hard to
mess up. |
Template clamped on and ready to go. |
The template is clamped
on to the pinch weld, where the rocker comes together with the
floor pan, underneath. You simply butt the template up to the
obvious edge at one end and up to the top of the pinch weld. The
template is marked "front" so you can't mess this step
up. Once you have the template in place, you clamp it on and drill
your pilot holes.
It's important to drill your pilot holes
carefully. |
Simple to install, you can put your bars
on in your garage. |
We recommend you take
your time and drill a small pilot hole, then a larger one. Once
your pilots are in place, you can then hold the bar up and loosely
put your screws in place. You don't want to tighten them yet because
you need to be able to make vertical adjustments of the mounting
flanges that you'll attach to the frame in the next step.
Oil each self-tapping screw prior to installation. |
We used a jack to hold the bar in place and
adjust its position. |
We used a large floor
jack to hold our bars in place while we put in our screws. Once
we had the first set of screws in, it was time to put the holes
in the frame. Lining up the bars just right for this part was
a bit tricky. We wanted no mistakes when making sure our Boulder
Bars were level and straight. Using the floor jack was perfect,
because we could make very fine adjustments until we were satisfied.
Once the bars were
positioned, we had the choice of either marking the holes, dropping
the bars, making the holes, and repositioning to put the screws
in, or simply drilling through the positioned bars. We chose the
latter. Once again, we drilled pilot holes prior to putting the
self-tapping screws in. For going through the frame, you'll need
a hoss of a drill, plenty of oil on your drill bits, and a lot
of patience. You'll also need high-quality drill bits to begin
with.
Getting to all of the bolts to start them
isn't easy. |
We used two different ratchets depending
on position. |
Once the pilots are
drilled, it's time to put the self-tapping screws in. You only
get one shot at this, so you have to be very careful when starting
these screws. They must go in straight and you must use very slow,
even pressure to ensure that they go in right. We used a 1/4"
ratchet to start them out and finished them with a 3/8".
There are
two mounting arms, each with a flange on the frame end. Each flange
gets four screws. It will take a while to get them all in but
be patient and it will pay off by coming out right. Once we had
all eight screws in part way, we tightened them all up, and also
the pinch weld screws on the inner support bar.
That's all
there is to mounting Boulder Bars. Obviously, you'll repeat the
above steps for the other side.
Installed Boulder Bar. |
Boulder Bars stick out just enough to use
as steps if needed. |