Step bar installation - 01 Ranger, need some thoughts...

[sm1tty]

Hi guys. Newbie to the forum here. Just bought my son a 01 XLT 4dr. The guy I got it from had some step bars that he claimed were OEM from another 01 or 02 ranger (he wasn't sure). He threw them in with the purchase so if they work, great, if they don't, oh well. The issue I'm having is this: I can see where the back brackets line up no problem but the fronts are giving me trouble. There's just 3 holes there, nothing threaded or anything or anywhere to slide the front bracket into like the back. How in the heck do you attach the bolts for these? Here's some pics:

Bars (nicely blacked up for about 3 weeks once they hit the sun):

Where the front bracket should attach:

Gratuitous pic of my son's first vehicle:

I did search the forums and found a couple of pics that show attached fronts, but nothing else that was useful to me. So how the heck do I get those two bolts on there? Thanks in advance - hope you guys are all staying safe and healthy!

 

[ortizj2289]

In case you never found an answer, you're missing a piece, or 2, specifically. If you google "OEM Side Bar Brackets - Ranger-Forums," you'll see what the pieces look like. They're sort of "U" shaped with threads on each end. To install one, you push one end of the piece through the large hole so that the piece rests on top of the mount location, one thread is sticking out of a small hole, and another is sticking out of the large hole. So when it's all done, from top to bottom, it'll be the u-shaped part, truck frame, and running board bracket. I hope that helps.

 

[dvdswan]

Welcome to the site. Both of you.