Questions for ECM moders

Hi all. After months of being tortured by pics of great Q on an audio forum I hang out at, I broke down and bought an old used Brinkman.

I've read a whole lot of threads on the various modifications and think I have a good handle on what to do, but being a perfectionist, I have a few more questions.

The coal pan. Does it matter whether the vent holes are in the side or the bottom of the pan? My inclination is to put them at the side near the bottom so that ash and small coals don't drop out of the bottom. I don't know how this will affect air flow. I could also put a little sheet metal over the holes from the inside to act as a hood. so nothing drops directly into a vent hole.

Same question goes for the vent holes at the top. I see recommendations to vent at grill level for better results.

I see that the newer Brinkman delux has the body fitting tightly to the coal pan where the the one I have has a gap all the way around. Is it worth sealing this area to better control air flow? I have a couple of rough ideas of how to do this, but is it worth the effort?

Thanks all. I'm looking forward to doing the mods and getting this thing going!!