Reviews for Rugged Ridge 11590.01 Side Step Bars in Gloss Black for 76-83 Jeep CJ-5

Looks good, fair price

The side steps for my 1980 CJ-5 are great. Unfortunately in shipment the box got damaged and the bolts did not arrive to mount them. I contacted Quadratec, and they gave me a refund for the bolts that I had to buy and a little extra for my trouble. They were very friendly and I am very happy with my purchase. I will continue to be a loyal customer of Quadratec.

Very nice and look good

Purchased these for my '82 CJ5. Fit was pretty good but not 100% parallel with the body. Has almost a midget race car or sand rail look with the front being slightly less clearance than the back but we're only talking maybe an inch I'm a big boy and just don't trust the self taping screws so drilled all the way through and used longer bolts. I did try the screws first and the drill size called out for was smaller than a tap of the same size so was a little concerned. It was pretty hard but the screws worked as described.

These look fine and seem sturdy, but I basically had to throw the instructions away. First off, the hole size they instruct you to drill for these "self-tapping" bolts?. . It's just way too small. Even drilling a larger hole did not work with these bolts. I ended up using a regular 3/8:16 tap with a 5/16" hole. Maybe I just don't have the skill but trying to tap out a hole this size in steel this thick with a ratchet and a bolt was just not happening. Also, marking the holes on the frame didn't work for me. There is virtually no room for error as the hole in the nerfbar is EXACTLY 3/8 inch (same as the bolt). After my first failed attempt I had to move the whole thing forward and start over. I also decided that it needed a spacer. They were very obviously not parallel and the frame did not allow for moving them backwards to a position where they would have been. I used a melamine cutting board and made squares and glued them together. This spacer (as it turns out), also served as an adequate jig for drilling the holes in the frame, allowing me to drill the holes in spacer on the bench, then clamp the spacer to the frame and drill the frame through the holes I had drilled in the spacer. With all this, I was able to get 7 out of 8 bolts tightened down. . and that seems to be working. I am writing this, not so much as a complaint but to help the next guy. Good luck!

You'll need to make 1" spacers for the front and buy longer bolts or they won't be parallel with your jeep.

These will not fit a CJ5. If the bars are mounted as per instructions behind the body mount just in front of the rear tire the bar will not clear the tire. If the bar is mounted in front of the body mounts it will not be parallel to the body, in other words the rear of the bar will be out several inches more at the rear of the bar. Other than the mounting issue it's a nice part. I believe these bars are compatible with a CJ 7.