mud guard installation

[patnshan]

Hi guys,
I just received some highland OEM style molded mud guards for my '02 XLT. I put them up to the fenders, and they are going to look sweet. Unfortunately, they have to be drilled in. I don't mind that, but am looking for some tips on how to get them straight. Also, do I have to worry about the holes rusting? How can I prevent that. Any mud guard tips would be appreciated. Thanks.
Pat

 

[jimbo74]

put silicon on the threads of the screws.... should solve the rust problem..... get a friend to eyeball them... see if you can make a template of them with carboard and play with them until they look right... then drill....

 

[X~FACTOR]

I had mud guards installed on all of my vehicles (6 total) and, for the life of me, no matter how much you eyeball it, it would still tilt to the left once drilled.

 

[patnshan]

installed them today

I put all four on today. I think they look pretty nice. I can see how they would tilt to the left. As they are molded, I had to push on them pretty hard to make them appear smooth with the molding on the body. I also had to cut the inside front of the guards off with a scissors to make them fit better. So much for fitted to make and model! The lower screws are obviously under some tension because of this and would be prone to leaning outward. Oh well, they look good for now. If the screws give, I will replace them with bigger ones. Thanks for the comments.
Pat