Thank you everyone who contributed info and tips to this thread! I'm going to tackle this myself soon, but do have a few more questions
^First off , @hawairish how exactly did you take apart the OE hinge pieces? Did you have to cut/drill them out or what? I want to get my entire carrier powder coated and i'm guessing it would be better if I could remove the hinge bushings on mine and take the hinges off.
Next, what is everyone using for drill bits for the M8/M10 holes? Some are mentioning step drill bits, some are saying start with a smaller hole and get bigger until? what final size exactly? I think someone mentioned 17/32nds or some odd size like that. Is it better to use a step drill bit or to just start small and work my way up with regular drill bits? Is there a certain material of drill bit to use for the sheet metal/aluminum support brackets?