EASY DIY Side Steps for ANY Tube Style Rock Rails - Executed on 2025 Tacoma Trailhunter

[BTAO]

Hey All! Ever wonder why nobody makes steps that just mount to standard 2" rock rails like the Trailhunter has? Me too. So, FTS, I'm making my own with OTS stuff from Amazon and Lowes. Now you can too, for a tiny fraction of the cost of anything else, and they are so low profile you barely notice them.

Here's the parts list:

Bar Clamps - 8x
Step Plate - 4x
Bedliner Paint - 1x
Abrasive Anti-Slip Tape - 1x
M8 FHSCS Stainless Steel Screws - 1pack
M8 Nylock Nuts Black Stainless Steel - 1pack
Anti-sieze or mild threadlocker

Tools:
Torpedo Level
M6 T-Handle and/or hex key
Adjustable Wrench
Tape Measure
Sandpaper/palm sander

There it is!

Here's the steps:

1. Park your Taco on a level surface
2. The plates are powder coated, so hit them with the palm sander to scuff them up a little and take off any sharp edges.
3. Hang them on some fishing line or a thin metal rod somewhere you can paint them.
4. Hit them with a few coats of bedliner spray paint.
5. Determine your ideal step locations, measure and mark them so each side is the same
6. Prep the clamps by taking out the rubber spacers and putting the thinnest ones for 2" rock rails in your pocket, and the screws and lock washers too
7. Once the plates are dry, finger tighten the clamps to the plates to the side with the writing stamped into the plate (underside of step) using the flat head screws and locknuts
8. Clean the bars using alcohol and a rag where they will go
9. Place the spacers on the bar for each step, using one at your mark to locate it.
10. Rough place the step and adjust the other spacer's spacing
11. Place some anti-sieze on the threads of the cap screws with the lock washers
12. Squeeze the clamps with the step roughly where it should be and use a T-handle with the screw to get it started. Repeat for the other screw
13. Place the level on the plate
14. Snug the flat head screws to the plate
15. Get it level but note that it moves slightly as you tighten, so get it as tight as possible before your final adjustment
16. Tighten the clamps, a little bit each side at a time so it doesn't twist
17. Torque all the screws
18. Repeat for all steps
19. NOT SHOWN: I'm adding the traction tape, but it's not here yet. The bedliner if heavy enough could be enough forever, but I'm adding a second layer of protection for the hell of it. My plan is to be strategic and cut it so the edges can wrap around the front, angles and sides, hence the oversized tape. Heavy craft paper should work nice for a template. Plus, the grip tape will cover up the screws and holes. I want the tape to hit glue-glue at the holes to help capture it.

Finished, mostly:

They don't even stick out past the fenders

What do you think? Suggestions? Thoughts? I'm not a huge guy, but they don't even hint at flexing. Solid.

I'd make the step plates out of 1/4" hard anodized aluminum if I were to sell them, but the steel ones here are galvanized, powder coated, bedlinered, and taped, so they should be okay for a while...

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[tgrneal]

Nice!