Oklahoma Joe's vertical, advice needed

I finally got back in town and picked it up yesterday. It's heavier than I thought it would be. The only structural rust is on the little square spout at the bottom of the fire box that I would guess is a drain? It seems to have some sort of plug in the end of it. I'll cut that spout out and weld a new one in. Other than that, it's solid. It has a little rust in the bottom of the firebox but I guess that's probably normal. It hadn't been used in years so I degreased and pressure washed it today. Afterward, I sprayed the cooking chamber with vegetable oil and lit a 5lb bag of Kingsford in the firebox. It held a steady 200 degrees for 3-4 hours easily, which was encouraging.

- The sliding damper on the firebox where OK Joe's is stamped out is really stiff, it has to be tapped with a piece of wood. Do I need to loosen that up or is it even used normally? I read on another forum that you shouldn't use that as a throttle.

- Should I do anything to the surface rust in the bottom of the firebox?

- The little square drain in the bottom of the firebox that I'll be replacing seems to have some type of plug frozen in it. Does anybody have a picture of one? I would assume it's kept plugged unless you need it? Why would the firebox need a drain in the first place?

Thanks.

  -Drew

ammaturesmoker said:

 
that looks like more than surface rust....I'll bet they have left ash in there for long periods of time.

Click to expand...

Years probably. It still had ash in it.Luckily it hasn't taken much from the metal, no rust-through or thin spots yet. What's the best way to treat it inside the firebox? The rust on the outside is no problem, but I'm hesitant to use any chemicals or paint inside.

Made some progress today. The firebox "drain" (I've been told that this is actually a port for an optional propane starter) was gone, as was the bottom track for the firebox damper.



First, the damper track. I milled down a piece of 1/2" angle on the lathe into a 1/2" x 1/4" L bracket.


Removed the old track, and welded the new one in place. The damper slides perfectly now.


Removed the old "drain" from the firebox, welded a new one in. I know, my welds are ugly.


The heat baffle and grates are soaking in lye water, they should be clean tomorrow. All external rust is being treated with Chem-Prime. I'll paint the outside tomorrow.