Scottish Elises

Got coil springs with some rust which i would like to clean up and put some kind of protection onto them.

Was going to clean them up via wire brushing/sanding/maybe paint stripper, a coat of Hammerite  Kurust then Hammerite paint. Would this last for a reasonable length of time or any better suggestions ?  
Noticed you get plastidip which is a plasticised paint so maybe that would be better. I'm not considering powder coating as the Hammerite option will cost £0, plastidip about £10 so needs to be a cheap DIY option, especially for the BMW ones which are getting sold. 

Final requirement is my Lotus ones are red and i would like to keep them that colour so something that comes in red, that's more important than anything else

I can't offer any advice, but will be interested to hear how you get on if you go down the plastidip route. Someone on the list for me to do,... including wishbones.

Powdercoat would be better...

SELOC wisdom was POR 15 which could be a good idea since the 1st and 2nd loops of the springs will hit each other, it should be able to cope with the impact.

But as hinted I went down the route of black rust protector stuff then Hammerite, it being a £0 option whereas POR15 costs a fortune. Will see what condition they are in a years time.

Did some web browsing on Plastidip, don't think it would cope well with the muck and grime although it shows wheels being sprayed in it and does look pretty flexible stuff although really thin in spray form. Might buy a spray tin and have a play and give the rear the Club Racer look though when i have some spare time next summer - always thought there is too much of unbroken area/lines in the earlier S2 rear clam.