I wanted an easier way to ingress now that the Jeep is so high, especially for my wife and five kids. If you have a rock slider without a step you can go with the RockHard 4x4 step, a very good solution. For those with a step on the rock slider, you learn pretty quickly that it’s basically useless at 25” high. If you measure to the floorboard in the tub you’ll see that it’s slightly lower, so why have a step on a rock slider? Because people wanted one so the market answered. But it’s useless if you’re reading this.
So my solution was the stirrups. Adrenaline and others make these for about $50/each, so I decided to make two for less than $50. Saves money and makes for a good afternoon project, plus I now have a leather sewing kit.
What you need to do this is:
1) a leather sewing kit
2) about 60” of 1” leather (your color)
3) stirrups
4) drill, 1/16” bit, 5/16” bit
5) a rubber hammer
The first side I did was a learning process so the second side went smoother. I’ll describe that process. Read the entire process before starting.
Wrap the leather through the stirrup and overlap. I used handheld clamps to hold the leather in place but a vice would work just as well and maybe better. Mark and remove a small amount of leather in a line to create a groove for the wax thread. Equally mark the location for each stitch with an awl that should be part of your leather sewing kit. Drill 1/16” holes through both sides of the leather at 90* angle to the leather so the holes are straight on both sides. Cut a minimum of 3x the length of the full stitch of your wax thread. I cut far more just so it was easier to work with, and besides, I have a ton of it that came with the leather sewing kit.
Thread a needle on each end of the wax thread and tie it off so that you don’t lose it when it passes through your 1/16” holes. Put one needle with thread through the first hole and pull through so that half is on each side. Now go to the next hole and go through from the right, then from the left through the same hole. Keep doing this down the length of the entire stitch and when you get to the end double back and go the opposite direction till you get to the starting point. Then start a third pass and go three stitches and cut off flush at the leather. Use your rubber hammer to pound the thread flat against the leather. You’re done with this side for now. You’ll probably want to mock things up at the Jeep to make sure you have enough leather for each side and go ahead and cut it at this time. Time to sew the other side. Don’t stick yourself. If you’re having trouble getting the needles with thread through, use your awl to open up each hole before you try going through, some needles for this job are pretty thick. I found that the smallest needle you can use that you can still thread through the eye is the best.
When you finish you’ll be making your way to the Jeep to find the right length and decide where you want to drill your holes on the other end to attach under the outer front seat bolt. Remember that the leather will stretch with use, so account for that by raising it 1/2-1” higher than you think. Have your significant other or kids come out and place their foot in the air where they’d like to step, if they’re game. Mark the spot you want to drill. I used a 5/16” because I could literally thread the seat bolt through the leather and I wanted to preserve as much leather as possible since it’s only 1” wide. Double what’s left of the leather over and drill through both sides, which will add more stability at the seat bolt. Loosen three of the seat bolts, both front and outer rear with the 13mm (I have an 05), Only remove the outer front. This will give you enough room to sneak the leather under the seat bracket or seat riser if you have risers, bolt up. Tighten everything back down. Do the other side. Done. Now test it to see how to safely ingress. It can be a little trying to get comfortable. A grab bar is highly recommended and then also perhaps holding the roll bar with the other arm. Pics below show parts of the process. Hope this helps someone as well as keep my documented work all in one place. BTW, I love the stirrups I used, they are very lightweight composite and have a very grippy surface, plus, it all matches my Jeep.