Hooked on a Red Weber Performer... need help with restoration/painting

Howdy Brethren.

I picked up a red/black Performer (SS.. woohoo!!) recently. Lid says DT (2003, but I think the main cart is pre-2000) Here's the link for that thread. http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101638&page=2

Figured out that there was a steel disc at the bottom covering the vents, which I couldn't see initially because it was buried under ash. The One Touch cleaning system rusted out, so the previous owner must have put the disc in to cover the vents.

I have taken the bowl out of the cart and am working on repainting it. My questions are:

1. What is the best paint? swamprb (the guru of restoring Red Webers) likes Dupli-color engine enamel, but the one I found was rated to 500F only and it sounds like it burms off with time. I bought VHT brand, rated to 1200F, but the color looks very flat. I read on another thread that caseydog used Krylon stove and BBQ paint which is rated to 600F, but the bowl could get hottter at the level of the charcoal grate, right?

2. How do I get that nice shiny poppin' red finish? What tools will I need - I don't have a polisher. Is there a disc available for an angle grinder? What finishes are best for polishing? I heard about Meguiar's Fine Cut Polish and Mirror Glaze #7. Can I use those for the bowl too?

Well, now I'm super excited about restoring it to its former glory. Some of the bolts/nuts were rusty and wouldn't come off so I had to file the heads off to get the bolts out. Will probably need to order a new lid holder, ash catcher, and One Touch cleaning system from Weber. I am thinking about also adding the Touch-n-Go propane lighter, since mine was not fitted with one.

I'll post more pics as I proceed.

Thanks!

I heard powder coating would be expensive.Today I hit it with the VHT, and maybe a coat of the Rustoleum high heat which I found yesterday. Right now I'm trying to layer the paint over the rusted spots.

I painted the frame with black Rustoleum. Goofed a bit and painted most of it with Rustoleum Ultra (semi gloss finish) and the rest with regular Rustoleum BBQ paint, which looks flat. I ordered more of the Ultra to finish the cart.

The ash catcher bracket rusted out, but that is not a big deal. I think I can figure out a way to attach it to the bowl since the ash catcher is relatively ok.


The red Webers are no longer made, so ordering a replacment bowl (the easy solution) is not an option. I'm thinking about adding the Touch-N-Go propane lighter option as a mod, depending on what price Weber quotes me.

Below are pics of the bowl before painting today.

Thanks for the info about sanding polishing. What does "wet sanding" mean? Are the kits pretty self explanatory? And where do you find these kids? Auto parts stores? [Sorry, you're dealing with a n00b] The Duplicolor high heat engine enamel I heard about is only rated to 500F, so I went with Rustoleum high heat bbq paint and VHT flame proof (rated to 2000F). I'll see how it turns out - the bowl was pretty beat up.

The more I think of it, I may ditch the idea of the propane starter. 1. Its expensive 2. I'll probably use the weedburner or chimney anyways.