[willy]

If you go with the steel, buy the galvanizing paint, they have several different brands in each area, they actually work pretty good. I've used them to dress up rusted areas on trailers for years and they seem to hold up well. Clean the rust off, naval jelly or grind depending on thickness of material and degrease and paint. Not as strong as galvanized but lasted for years for me.
Best bet is find a shop with the heavy plastic versions. If you do, do not buy the cheap plastic go with ABS. Cheapies crack apart from UV and cold along with not being able to handle any weight or stress from bangs.