Paint inside the pit...or not?

I'm refurbishing an old Brinkman Smoke-n-Pit to give to a friend of mine.
It's been sitting outside for a couple years and (obviously) has surface rust in a lot of places. NO rot / rust through - but there is surface rust inside the fire box and cook chamber.
Using a wire wheel I can get all that off - but my question is should I Paint the inside or just let it be seasoned on the raw metal?

I have to agree with the no paint inside, remove and then season will slow the oxidation. Painting will not do any good in the fire area. Outside it is up to personal preference, but with a good prep and primer coat then a good high temp top coat it will slow up the oxidation of the outside towards the inside and you may get another 1 or 2 seasons depending on your climate.
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Climate will NOT be helping...we're just south of Houston about 20 mins from Galveston, so think moist, salty air - not good.

Are there any anti-rust high-heat paints...or are BBQ paints considered anti-rust as well?

For the inside of the firebox think of a fire that some cars or trucks are burned and by the next two hours are rusting (oxidation) before you very eyes.
Clean all the surface rust and season will do more good even twice a year. If you want to do it more often get one of the $12.00/$15.00 garden sprayers on sale or a commercial grade spray bottle that can spray oils Spray/season the inside a couple times during the year.

And the most important thing to consider is if you are wetting down the fuel in the firebox to put it out to move it. Make sure that you have a number of drain holes. Numerous smaller holes spread out are better than a few large ones.

As wood ashes and water can maker up a corrosive mixture. So setting in the bottom of it isn't good. Caustic potash or potash lye. The old method of making potassium carbonate (K2CO3) by leaching wood ashes and evaporating the solution in large iron pots, leaving a white residue called "pot ash". Potassium hydroxide is the chemical name for it.

With the salt air/climate you will need a great outside paint job to make the pit last. Put your work and money into were it will show the outside and season on the inside.
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