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Review: Westin Running Board

By on February 9, 2015

Project: Westin Running Board lnstall
Vehicle: 2012 Ford F-150 Lariat
Installer: Steve Maloof
Level of Difficulty: Easy

After a few months of living with our new truck my wife mentioned that she found it a bit challenging to get in and out of the cab. Being the loving husband that I am I told her that I would install running boards for her as a Valentine’s Day present.

I found a number of options for my truck at AutoPartsWarehouse and decided on a set of Westin running boards that looked like they would match my truck perfectly. I ordered the running boards and matching installation brackets and the packages were on my doorstep in three days.

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I found the Westin boards and installation kit to be first-class with plated hardware and painted brackets that should withstand anything the road can throw at them.

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According to the provided instructions the install can be completed with basic hand tools so I organized all of the Westin components and went to work. I started on the driver side and installed the first bracket to the underside of the chassis and hand tightened the supplied hardware. Since the F-150 is available in many different cab and bed configurations there are many holes in the chassis for the brackets. This particular Westin application requires drilling (1) hole so I used the bracket as a template for drilling.

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I moved to the center and installed the middle support bracket.

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The third bracket (closest to the front wheel) required a bit of adjusting to get it level with the other brackets and once all of the brackets lined up I was ready to place the running board on the brackets and confirm the fit prior to tightening all of the fasteners. I placed the square head bolts in the grooves on the running boards and offered them up to the brackets.

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Once I confirmed that everything lined up I pulled the board off the brackets and installed the supplied finishing trim that covers the space between the bottom of the cab and the top of the running board for a factory look. Be patient as you line up the trim in the groove. I found that a little bit of paraffin wax helped the trim piece slide into place.

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After I tightened all of the hardware to the specified torque I moved over to the passenger side and repeated the process. Total install time was about two hours.

The Westin running boards look great on my truck and most importantly were very well received by my bride. Happy Valentines’ Day dear!

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Check out the Westin Brand Store at Auto Parts Warehouse

About Steve Maloof

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