Chevy pickup step

Driving back from a bonfire on July 6 I ran over a large branch which knocked part of the driver's side pickup step off the pickup.

Years ago, when dragging a harrow across a pasture, I completely knocked off the step on the passenger's side of the pickup.

I looked at how the step was attached and was not impressed.  The step was bolted in the metal sheet where it curved down under the pickup side.

The jagged metal is where the bolt came off.

Example of how the step's bolt is normally attached.

I personally don't use the step but I fixed it as it looks silly hanging down. So I got a strip of metal and bolted that to the pickup sheet, then bolted the step to the metal strip.

I then reattached the passenger's side step as Tammy would like to use the step since the pickup sits high for her to get into to.

I found that step even more stupid / difficult.   There wasn't quite enough of a curl to the metal sheet to attach the bolts.  So the Chevy workers drilled a couple minor screws to attach the step to the side of the pickup.  That is why that step came off so easily.

So I had to use a wider strip of metal.  You can see the step's bolt goes into my metal piece and not the pickup metal.