I'm currently carrying out a bit of a resto on my escort rs turbo. At the moment its getting some welding then im planning on stripping back the underside to bare metal to give it all a new protective coating but at the moment im unsure what.

thought about a stone chip coating so I could get it sprayed body colour as it would look good but have been told the coating will not last as long as underseal and not protect from the elements as much

Looking for ideas on what's a good to coat it with and the pro's and con's.

The car will not be used during winter and will cover about 3000 miles a year probably less.