Wow thanks for the great responses - I'm glad to have had my 1% of doubt put to rest!

For painting them up and making them look good I was planning to use KBS rust seal and their chassis top coat. They say it has a bit of flex in it which hopefully will mean it won't crack and fall off too quickly.

Does anyone have any tips for the mounting surfaces of the bushings? Should I paint these bits too - or should I leave well alone?