Coating/painting rocker panels... (1 Viewer)

[MissouriLC]

My 2000 has a small amount of surface rust on the passenger side hem flange under the rocker panel next to the rear wheel well. I would like to address this before it gets worse, and also coat the rocker panels and hem flanges with bedliner or some other tough, dark colored coating. (I really don't like how the hem flanges look without the running boards installed--I like running boards less, though!)

Here are my thoughts... please give me you advice.

1. Treat the rust with Eastwood Rust Converter
2. Coat the area with either Eastwood Rust Encapsulator or POR-15
3. Prime the rockers/hem flanges with either self-etching primer or epoxy primer (recommendation?) I'm thinking of only the hem flange and the horizontal, underside of the rocker, stopping where it curves up to the door. Or, taking it all the way up to where the textured, factory rocker panel coating stops.
4. Coat the rocker panel with spray-on bedliner or some other dark, textured coating to camouflage the hem flanges and protect from rock chips/salt spray.

Is this a good approach? Anything you have done that will work better? Thanks!