briansll, these are less than $1/ea, but still not "cheap.": http://www.mcmaster.com/#tapping-screws/=qynas2 Go the link, go down the menu on the left hand side of the page to "Material" and click on "aluminum." Aluminum Lg. Pkg. Qty. Pkg. No. 6—#2 Drive 3/8" 50 93...
Midger, I'd bet they'd work pretty well. And if they wear out, simply s c r e w in some new ones.
Andy
PS: I just realized that this forum's software replaces the word "s c r e w" (if you write it normally, w/o spaces between the letters) with an asterisk (*).
I'm going to go to Home Depot and get a few bars of aluminum and cut them down to size and try them out. It's nut's how much they want for these things. I'd imagine they'd use pretty soft aluminum. You can easily order soft aluminum here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-aluminum-sheets/=qyadn4 (E...
I was looking at rod carriers on some cars this past weekend. I think I would trust them while driving from fishing hole to hole on a river, but I don't think I'd trust them at any kind of speed. Are they advertised as being OK for freeway use?