I'm adding driving lights to my car and I'm down to drilling the holes for the brackets and screwing the lights on. Anyone have any advice on paint or other treatments to prevent leaving exposed metal that can rust?

 

I just used touchup paint on the bare metal and called it good. No issues here in sunny CA.

 

I like the Ace Hardware Rust Stop products.
Either spray or apply with a small craft type.paint brush.

 

POR-15 paint is a good choice.
Here’s a link to a nice kit:

https://www.por15.com/POR-15-Stop-Rust-Kit

 

There's a million options these days, and they're pretty much all good stuff. I've been using ACE, Rustoleum, and 3M products on my recent rust removal, prevention, and sound deadening quest.

The key to doing a good job with any kind of paint / bodywork is in how it's prepped. Almost more important than anything to do with the actual paint itself (especially if not thinning and spraying with an actual gun).

 

What kind of prep should I do? I was planning on just dabbing some paint on the holes after I drill them. My leading choice right now is rustoleum touch up paint. It's gonna be such a small area, I feel like sanding would remove more paint than just drilling a hole, but paint and body work are far from my specialty.

 

For what you're doing, it won't take much.
Just be sure to clean the hole and a small area around it with a degreaser, just in case of oil on your drill bit, and you'll be good to go.