Grill issue offer up opinions please

No problem. As you already found water accelerates the process and the heads of bolts will eventually eat right thru the aluminum. I've lifted aluminum plate off of steel before and found 1/4" thick layers of the corrosion residue in places that stayed wet--reefer trailer floors and have seen steel crossmember ends bulge and perforate 1/4" thick heat treated bottom rails as the reaction occcurred.

 

if I have any issues with mine, I might go the route of drilling out the pems and install bolts that match the perimeter bolts. Here in Ohio, they love to throw all kinds of chemicals on the roads for ice... for now, I will hope for the best that they stay black.

 

Nice I almost went with red but I have the blackout package on mine so I stayed with that. Here in Nebraska it’s like Ohio throw all the crap on the road it eats through everything. In the spring I’m going to reevaluate it I might go with the drilling the pens out shouldn’t be to hard.

 

I don't think so. PEM studs are mechanical fasteners they grip by sinking into the sheet. Even so, welded or mechanical contact- stainless or zinc coated steel pressed into aluminum sheet will still result in galvanic corrosion.

Also, it can't be welded anyway since you you can't weld steel/stainless steel to aluminum.