I guess I was lucky? I was definitely one of the first frame mounted rails, got them line-x coated before I installed them. They've been through Florida rain since I got them, and there's no rust to be seen. (shrug)
The new rails are e-coated, so rust shouldn't be a problem anymore. It's what other vendors are doing these days. As for waiting time, I'm not sure. I'd go by what the latest posts.
Sorry for the delay, work sucks.
With the drop-ins, I just started tightening them after I dropped them in & they spun in place. I did have to repeat the process with one to get it to position correctly.
Those wider ones are great (I got a pair of them), but using them requires nothing in the...
I haven't added anything else yet. But if you get the right sized hardware elsewhere for cheaper, then go for it, for sure.
It's really easy. No drilling. But I did snip off a couple plastic offsets.