Okay, so I’ve been wanting to beef up my truck for a while, make it look a little more rugged and, you know, actually be more rugged. I finally decided to pull the trigger and get some running boards. After a bunch of looking around, I landed on the ARIES ones. They seemed like a good balance of tough and not totally breaking the bank.
The Hunt
First things first, I had to figure out which exact model I needed. My truck’s a bit older, so I wasn’t 100% sure what would fit. Spent some time poking around online, checking forums and stuff. It’s always a bit of a gamble, hoping you’re ordering the right thing.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The boxes arrived, and man, were they heavy! Got everything unwrapped, and my first thought was, “Okay, these things are solid.” They felt really well-made, nice and sturdy. The finish looked good too – a textured black powder coat that seemed like it could take a beating.
The Install – Let’s Get Dirty
Alright, time to get down to business. I’m no mechanic, but I’m pretty handy. I figured I could handle this. Laid out all the parts, made sure I had all the bolts and brackets and whatnot. The instructions… well, they weren’t the clearest things I’ve ever seen. Lots of little diagrams, and I had to read through them a couple of times to really get my head around it.
- Step 1: Prep Work. This involved crawling under the truck and finding the existing mounting points. My truck already had some holes there, which was a relief. Cleaned them out a bit, just to make sure everything would line up nicely.
- Step 2: Bracket Time. This was probably the trickiest part. Getting the brackets attached to the truck frame. It involved some awkward reaching and contorting myself under the truck. Definitely a two-person job if you have a buddy who’s willing to help. I managed to get them on, though, after a bit of grunting and sweating.
- Step 3: Mounting the Boards. Once the brackets were on, actually attaching the running boards was pretty straightforward. Just lined them up, bolted them on, and tightened everything down. Used a torque wrench to make sure I didn’t over-tighten anything.
The Finished Product
Stepped back, wiped the sweat off my brow, and… yeah, they looked pretty damn good! The truck definitely looks tougher, and it’s way easier to get in and out now, especially for my shorter passengers. I hopped up and down on them a few times to test them out, and they felt super solid. No flexing or anything.
Overall, I’m really happy with the ARIES running boards. They were a bit of a project to install, but totally worth it in the end. They look great, feel strong, and I’m confident they’ll hold up to whatever I throw at them. If you’re looking to add some running boards to your rig, I’d definitely give these a look.
