I tried painting after a light bead blast first. Rocks and gravel from the front tires was hitting the back and made them look pretty bad within a couple of years.
THen I tried powder coating. 4 years so far and still looking good
with two light coats after a quick sanding.
Looks good IMO and might be short lived, but it was a pretty quick and simple job, so its not a big deal to redo it.
thanks
Jim