VX KAT, from the previous thread where I asked 33" vs 34" tires and people were talking about your rack, I decided to order the Kevlar MTR's from Goodyear. They are here now... just need to wait for my friend to wake up so I can borrow his truck to pick them up!
As for the cladding, I was also much impressed when I saw how dark it was, but there's definitely something topical on there... I suspected it and then when I washed it I noticed how water was beading up on it. I wiped it down and my rag became black and oily. Since I washed it there appear to be "drip" marks on whatever was there now. So I'm much anticipating you finding this magic penetrating solution. Do let me know. :-)
By bumperette, do you mean the step thingy that's plugged into the hitch receiver? The thing says "Bully" on it... doing a web search, it looks like this: Bully CR-600 Receiver Hitch Mounted Utility Step
Etfren, yeah there isn't much around here... kind of weird, as you'd think it's the perfect kind of vehicle for this area! Keep up the search, and I look forward to meets when you get yours!
David