2017 Jeep Wrangler Westin HDX Drop Steps-JK Review & Install

This is my review and installation of the Jeep Wrangler westin HDX 2017 drop steps fitting all two-door and four-door 2007 and up J ks. Today, we're gonna talk through the installation of these steps which is a very simple one-out-of-three-wrench install. Anybody can do this in their driveway in about an hour, but we'll talk more about the installation in just a second.

2017 Jeep Wrangler Westin HDX

We're also going to talk through the construction and a few of the features of these steps. A side step will make it a lot easier for you and your passengers to get out of your lifted or even stock height JK. And this side step has a little bit of a different look than some of the others on the market.

This integrates a piece that goes all the way from wheel well to wheel well that helps to cover up the slightly unfinished look of the drilled out pinch seam on your factory JK, but it also integrates these steps with a non-slip stepping pad. So this is really a dual purpose piece, but one of those purposes is not protection. This is not going to be a piece that you can take off-road, drop the jeep off of a ledge onto this rocker, and have it protect the jeep. This will crush under the weight of the vehicle.

This is absolutely a step and a bit of a visual mod to cover that pinch seam but it is not protection, and that's okay. This isn't priced like protection. This is priced like a step. So if you're looking for a very clean step that covers that pinch seam that is a little bit different from some of the other steps that are on the market that isn't a very old-school round tubular side step, I think that this is going to be a pretty nice option.

This is going to be a steel side step that's covered in a textured black powder coat finish and as I said before, this does a really nice job of integrating the step with the piece that's going to cover up that pinch seam that a lot of us don't like to see. Right out of the factory, the pinch seam, in my opinion, looks a little bit unfinished. It does have a few holes drilled in it and just doesn't give a very finished look to the side of the jeep.

So this upper section here will do a nice job of covering that pinch seam area while the steps are very cleanly integrated into that top piece. The way that these mount on the jeep make them a very solid connection for a step but again, these aren't going to offer protection. And they do have a removable riveted stepping pad, and the rivets that are in there do give you a lot of grip.

So even if you're getting into the jeep on a day where your shoes are muddy or rainyor maybe there's some snow, you're still going to get a good grip. This stepping pad is actually a separate piece from the rest of the step over top. It's bolted on, and it is removable.

So if you wanted to, you could get a little bit creative and possibly color-match that or color-change it if you wanted a bit of a different look. As I said before, this is a one-out-of-three-wrench install that you can get done in your driveway in right about an hour. Westin includes both steps and all of the mounting hardware that you need.

Now, those mounting brackets are going to attach to that pinch seam and also the underside of the tub regardless of what year or what body style of jeep you have. These are going to bolt right up without the need to drill or cut anything.

Installation Step by Step of 2017 Jeep Wrangler Westin HDX

The first step of the install is actually attaching those brackets to the pinch seam in the underside of the tub, and then it's a simple matter of bolting your step onto that new bracket. All you'll need is your traditional hand tools, and you can get this job done. As I said, these aren't going to offer a lot of off-road protection, but that's okay because these are priced like a step and not like armor. Armor is usually going to be more expensive because it is going to be bulkier, beefier stronger, and if it does have a step built into it, it's not usually as useful of a step as this is.

This is gonna give you a very useful step, and it's going to give you that aesthetic mod of having a cleaner look from the profile view of the jeep by covering up that pinch seam, and that's gonna do it all for right around $ 400 which I think is a pretty good price. This is going to give you a unique look. This isn't a piece that you can get from a lot of the other companies out there.

And if you like the look, I think it's well-built, easy to install, and overall, worth the cost. So if you're looking for a unique side step that will also help to cover up that unfinished pinch seam, I think this is going to be a fairly priced option. So that's my review of the westin HDX drop steps fitting all 2007 and up Jks.

1957 Chevy Pickup Review and Specifications

I'm Kelly Hawthorn, I'm from Bowling Green Kentucky here for the Hot Rod Reunion. Come here every year, come here obviously for the cars and the hot rods, and it's a big event for Bowling Green. It's on fathers day weekend.

I've got 4 kids so I try to bring them they tire out a little bit they're not the long haulers I do try to get them to the hotel on event nights there and they do visit the event down here this is a 1957 Chevy truck I actually bought it here in 05 in the campgrounds fella was camping in the campgrounds and had no idea the event was going on it was in stock form.

It was in pretty bad shape took me about a year and a half I just completely re-did it I took it down to the frame updated some of the suspension re-did the motor and kind of is what it is this is actually 1977 Porsche royal blue it was just a fluke I was going through the paint code book at the paint shop.

Just come up with the color trying to stay away from something metallic something somewhat era correct I definitely didn't try to modernize the engine compartment it's a 69 model 327 with a 69 monza 4 speed the engine looks like something you would have in 1969 had to do some things to the intake as well as putting a oil filler tube in.

Basically the only chrome it's got is a chrome air filter and alternator hanging off the side of it. Thats it no modern amenities what so ever the wheels are just black steel wheels actually just primed and painted them black a month ago with Coker white walls. I went with black just to through a little contrast in as far as the personality a 57 is kind of unique as far as the grill goes it was one year on it people call it a big catfish mouth these trucks any of them the 55, 56, 57's.

All have a little bit more attitude as far as I'm concerned meaner looking this one is a big window truck which was option I guess they just kind of define hot rod on the inside of the bed I've relocated the fuel cell which used to be behind the back seat underneath the bed just kind of mocked up just a filler cap on it it's just got the painted strips in it it's actually a pine bed that I stained and cleared myself that was I think a special dark walnut color the bed rails and the bed front and the tail gate are actually new.

I ordered them after market but everything else on the truck is actually original actually all the gages did work the speedometer cable was a little twisted but I just detailed them put a new bezel on it and put them back in and used the other handles for vent purposes, bypass some of the choke and the throttle linkages and just use those for the side vents. So when your running down the road you can pull them and get a little fresh air coming in a lot of the stuff that happened was just mock up stuff with intentions of changing it after the fact same way with the shifter.

It was just a piece of flat stock that I had picked up from TSC and it just worked and I just kind of kept it the way it was that seat was from an 88 ranger that I got from Parish I chopped 6 inches off the top of it had to reupholster I some what keep it clean. I'm not much of a cleaner, I do drive the thing got a couple of boys that are hot rods at heart. So when they say do a burnout, I go ahead and oblige. I drive it to work when it's convenient. I guess having 4 kids we cant all obviously fit we have before the whole family, but I drive it to as many shows as I can within reason couple of hours each way.

How To Install Chevy LS Engine Parts Swap Conversion

Chevy LS swaps have been taking place all over the nation for well on a decade, and for good reason. They're lightweight, fuel-efficient, easy to work on, and they make great power with relatively few modifications.

Over the years, we've had a lot of the LS vehicles come through our shop, like this 1955 Chevrolet, and now, thanks in large part to a huge aftermarket offering, swapping an LS between the fenders of your favorite muscle car is now easier than ever. Whether you picked up an LS from the junkyard or you're starting out with a brand new crate engine, there are many solutions out there to help you bolt that block to your favorite chassis. In order to help you through your own swap, we've teamed up with the guys over at JEGS to show you a few of the components that you'll need.

The first thing to consider when swapping an LS into a vehicle is how it's going to bolt to the chassis. Rest assured that there's a vendor out there that makes engine and transmission mounts and crossmembers for virtually any application. Another important item to consider when planning for your LS swap are the headers. Take these Hooker LS Swap Headers, for example.

They're available in a 1 3/4-inch primary, and they're available from everything from a '67 to '81 F-body to a Nissan 240SX and the S13 or S14 chassis. The final consideration when swapping an LS into any car is the oil pan. This pan from Chevrolet Performance allows you to swap in almost any LS application into your favorite muscle car. When it comes to mounting your pre-1997 transmission to your new LS motor, there's a couple of different options you have.

The first option is to get a custom torque converter. The second, and probably easier, option is to use one of these, which is an adapter ring which pushes your flywheel out closer to your transmission. This will work with all TH400, 350, and 700R4 transmissions and the bellhousings will as well, as they don't require an adapter to bolt to an LS engine. A modern engine requires modern cooling, and specifically the LS requires the inlet and outlet on the radiator to be on the same side.

There are several ways to accommodate this, but the easiest way is with a kit like this from Be Cool, which comes with all the fan shrouds, hoses, and everything you need to accommodate your new LS engine. When it comes to controlling the throttle on your LS, you have a couple of different choices.

You've got either a cable-driven throttle body or a drive-by-wire throttle body, and if your wiring harness is set up for a drive-by-wire throttle body, the simpler solution might be to just add a pedal position sensor, which will alleviate a lot of headaches in the long run.

Wiring a modern LS can arguably be the most daunting point of any project, but a lot of aftermarket companies provide a complete solution, like this kit from Chevrolet Performancewhich allows you to swap an LS into virtually any application.

For those of you that want the modern capabilities of the LS engine, but want the old-school look and feel of a carbureted application, Holley provides these kits, which have come with an intake manifold that will swap onto an LS engine, as well as a controller that still will allow you to run coil-near-plug as well as all of the refinements of an LS system. When it comes to feeding your new LS engine, there's only a handful of options.

You can either take the stock fuel pump and retrofit it into your current tank, you can order a new custom tank that has a GM fuel system assembly in it, or you can mount an external fuel pump. Once you have your high-pressure fuel source figured out, it's time to think about engine management. What we've got here is the MSD Atomic EFI for the LS engine.

This Atomic EFI LS Master Kit comes with what you need to either do a return or a returnless fuel system, and it also has a control unit and wiring harness built right into the fuel rails. It also comes with a tuning unit that allows you to select whether you want a cable-driven throttle body or a drive-by-wire throttle body, eliminating the necessity to re-tune the computer or eliminate pigtails on the wiring harness.

One of the things that makes this really cool is the controller will allow you to compensate for cams, nitrous, power-adder applications, all without extensive tuning knowledge, and directly from this box. Another thing to consider when planning your LS swap is the air intake system. There are many vendors out there that provide application-specific kits, or you can get universal pieces, like this one from Spectre, that comes with the mass air flow sensor port all ready to go.

One of the final things to consider before cranking up your LS is the front accessory drive system. Now, you're gonna wanna take careful measurements and make sure that they're not interfering with sheet metal or frame rails, but with kits like these from Chevrolet Performanceit's a pretty straightforward process. These kits from Chevrolet Performance come with everything you need, including an alternatorA/C pump if you choose, and the power steering pump.

As you can see here, the aftermarket has come up with a solution to virtually any problem you can run into while doing an LS swap. We've only scratched the surface here, and hopefully we've provided you with some inspiration to start your own swap.