Have made progress and now on the final knockout list. Should have food on the grill before the end of the week.
This forum and the tips and ideas made this project much more successful than it would have been if I had been on my own. Thank you.
Things that went well on this project.
1. Firebox bolts were not an issue. Sprayed them with Liquid Wrench several times and let them sit overnight.
2. Razor blade scrapping and Simple Green with 0000 steel wool to clean the lid and control panel. I hate the smell of Simple Green, but works amazing.
3. Used the angle grinder/wire cup from Harbor Freight to clean the lid sides and firebox. Worked great. Must wear mask, goggles, hearing protection, heavy gloves etc. This thing is no joke and it wanted to kick on me.
4. The propane tank level label was in good shape. Taped around it and clear coated the label prior to any cleaning in that area.
5. After cleaning all parts to be painted, sprayed them with brake cleaner to make sure grease/oil was gone. Will see how good a job I did in a couple of years.
6. Used Rustoleum High Heat Ultra on the fire box and lid sides. Did four thin coats.
7. Durawood cleaned up well. Simple Green with Magic Eraser. 220 grit on the orbital sander and wiped it down with Aerospace 303.
Things that did not go great.
1. Broke a bolt trying to take the cart apart. Ordered a new star nut to fix and left the cart together. Worked fine for me that way for cleaning, sanding and painting.
2. Did not take all of the paint off the firebox and side lids. Now that they are painted, can see it in the texture. Next time, will make sure it is all down to bare metal in those areas.
3. Took more time than I expected. (Shocker)
4. The black lid has some discoloration on the top center. Nothing I can do about it, but it does bug me. The control panel is also scratched up a bit more than I was hoping. Considering is it 25 years old, need to build a bridge.....
At this point, I am waiting on the grate and flavor bars from RCplanebuyer. They are in the mail and the last piece to being able to fire it up.
Thanks for taking the time to read.