Is there anything I can get that will stick to these and stand up to
some banging about?

What about Plasti-Dip, the stuff used to put a rubberized coat on tool
handles?

Will I need to first remove or at least roughen up the existing paint?




A lot of metal coatings will work fine but you have to remove all of the
old rust and paint first. Sand blasting is best but any of the rust
removers will also work. Make sure you clean the remover all off. If
surface prep is good then paint will be good and vice-versa.

The Plasti-Dip is good or even any metal paint.