need info on 246 tail light trim rings

Hi, All,

I got new tail light trim rings from GT to begin my "rechroming" and I have a few questions.

1) The trim rings are made of stainless steel, and they have a fairly noticeable brushed surface texture. Is that how the original ones look, or should I take the buffing wheel to them to make them look like chrome?

2) Each ring has one long stud and two short ones. When I took off the old ones the long stud was usually in the upper inner position and held the grounding wire. Is that how they're supposed to be, or does it make any difference? Why is there one stud far longer than it needs to be?

3) The light unit has a rubber gasket / surround which makes the unit too big to slide between the studs into the trim ring. My inclination is to cut a noche into the rubber to make it fit, but the factory workers apparently just jammed it in there and then bent the studs back to line up with the mounting holes. Since this car won't be driven in the rain or even washed, are there any disadvantages to notching the outer edge of the rubber gasket?

Thanks mucho,

Jim