I used truck springs that had a slight bend left in , the curve caused no problem, but it was always at the back of my mind that they could break being used, it wouldnt be to difficult to enclose the whole spring in a cover, it would be worth doing this even if you use new springs.
I live in a damp Ireland and regularly spray mig wire with wd, with no adverse affects on the weld, a friend uses light bulbs its good,thats what i intended to do, the wd being a "temporary" job until i get round to fixing a bulb up
Steve