before i put mine on, i am going to clear coat the actual part that screws to the hood (the flat part w/ the hole, that the pin goes through) that way no water will ever get to them, and they will never rust, same w/ the pins, and the saftey clips - as for the wire, i guess that rubber hose thing works, but cant you just get wire w/ a casing, like a speaker wire, but not for a stereo - you know what i mean