Powdercoating seems like a waste of time.
As to pounding from the backside, and cutting drums off... I live in the salt belt. I had to cut one drum off of my truck, and then I had to clean up the hub with a grinder... around here you get severe corrosion, and the blue tipped wrench can be your best friend if everything is fubared anyways.
When my rear axle seal was replaced in Seattle, the shop said that they haven't ever seen corrosion that bad, made me laugh. This truck is in the best shape of any truck I have ever had!
