RE: Wheel Pants!!
From the sound of it, maybe you're happier with the wheel pants off.
Without seeing the actual wheel pant construction, about all I can give you is a general guide. (1) Mount a 3/32" or 1/8" birch-ply block above the axle inside the wheel pant on the strut side. You can sand it to match the inside curve if you want, or just slather on a bunch of epoxy or PU glue and clamp it in place. Mount the wheel pant, and drill a couple of 1/16" pilot holes from the inside of the landing gear strut into the wheel pant and the ply-block. Drill the pilot holes on the strut out to 3/32", then use two #2-1/2" wood/sheetmetal/socket head screws to hold the wheel pant onto the strut.
If you're flying off pavement the wheel pants should work well. The rougher your field, the greater their tendency to twist off, just from getting knocked around by weeds/rocks/rough landings.