What should I paint this with before covering it? ('73 engine bay)

Hey All,

In the process of restoring a 1973 Mustang I'm doing some engine bay refurbishing.

With what should I paint the rusty portion of the shock tower:



Before spot welding in this inner fenderwell:




I was thinking of using Eastwood's Rust Inhibitor but I've read it can be fairly flammable (Post #5). However, I don't want to just cover over this steel without trying to protect it in some way.

The tricky part too is that a portion of what I paint will ultimately be painted to match the appearance of the rest of the engine compartment. So I'm concerned about putting some kind of paint/protectant down that won't work well with the final engine bay paint.

Thanks for your input.

Thanks for the input RUSTYNUT. After doing a little more research I don't have reason to believe that either the POR15 or Eastwood Rust Encapsulator products are any more flammable than other similar paints. Yes, they'll burn when exposed to heat like that of a welder, but they're not going to spread like some sort of gasoline fire.

I'm thinking I might just pick up a small amount of both products and test them out on some scrap and see if they meet my needs. If I find anything interesting out I'll post back for others' education.

FYI, I found on the Rust Encapsulator page on Eastwood's website that it is "Heat resistant up to 400 degrees F." I wasn't able to find anything similar on POR15 (only a liquid flammability rating of 104 F).