Help with a CL Weber OTG "rescue"

[Homebrewed Q]

Hello brethren, I need a little help. I purchased a Weber 22.5 OTG kettle off of Craigslist this evening, he was asking $30, I got it for $25, so I don't have a tremendous amount of money in it. This thing needs some TLC badly, felt I had to rescue it after seeing the condition it was in and hearing how it was cooked on and its lack of care. It has a "DI" code which tells me its a 2007, and it should not be in the shape it is in for being 6 years old. The lid has a couple of dents in it from a large piece of cast iron falling on the top of it. The dents are right under the top handle and another one about 5 inches away from the top handle, however they do not compromise the integrity of the seal or the top vent. It does have an added on thermometer on top near the top handle. The inside is completely covered in soot or creosote from repetitive uses and not cleaning it. 2 of the 3 arms on the bottom ash sweeper are bent up and away from the bottom surface, he told me that they got that way from him sweeping over the built up soot that was on the bottom, it does still work but would need to be bent back somehow once I get this thing cleaned out. The guy I bought it from told me to just do what he does and soak it with lighter fluid and burn it all out after every 5 or 6 cooks...........smdh......thats when this became a rescue and not just a purchase. So, with all of that being said, I need to know the best way to clean the inside of the bowl and lid, this is going to take more than soap and water I'm afraid, and I don't want to use any harsh, abrasive chemicals or burn it out with lighter fluid as he suggested. I'm fully aware that elbow grease will be involved and have no problem with that, plus my 10 yr old son will be helping me out as well. He'll get some valuable lessons on how to take care of grills so that they don't get in this shape. Thanks, I look forward to y'alls suggestions.

[Bluesman]

Great find and welcome to the club. First off, been there done that. Without pics I'll give you my hit list.

Supplies: All found at the Grocery store
LARGE garbage bags
EZ Off oven cleaner (2) cans
409 cleaner
Heavy bristle brush
Softer nylon bristle brush
Magic Eraser
Bucket of hot soapy water
Garden hose for rinse water
several roles of paper towels

The Process:
1.) Completely disassemble everything. every nut bolt and screw. Take photos if need be.

2.) Spray down the grates with EZ off and put them in a sealed black garbage bag and set them in the hot sun for several hours

3.) Spray down the inside of the lid, not outside, inside and bag it in the sun

4.) Spray down the bowl and set it in the sun

5.) while you wait clean up all the other parts with a magic eraser and 409. You WILL need a new wiper blade assembly, order from Weber, or get one form the hardware store. You can waste your time trying to reshape them, and then will go buy new ones.

6.) Take out the grates and scrub them with the brushes until they shine. repeat steps as needed

7.) take the top lid and the softer bristle brush and scub a dub dub. Rinse and repeat.

8.) Use 409 and magic eraser on the outside of the grill, lid and bowl. he magic eraser will remove black spots without scratching the surface

9.) See step seven for the bowl

When all is sparkly clean rinse well, dry with paper towels and put it all back together, refer to photos you took. Now take pictures to post here and show your quality work. Now get yourself back to grocery store. Buy some food and get it dirty.

[Homebrewed Q]

Hey thanks Bluesman, I did try to take pics but it was dark by the time I got home and the garage lights and flash on my phone camera didn't provide adequate pics so I'll wait til there's some Sun and take some before and after pics. Didn't really want to get into a full disassemble but if thats what it takes then thats what I'll do.

[Bluesman]

You can leave the wheels on the axle. Getting those nuts off will break them. But go after everything else.

[VoodoChild]

I have bought a few of these for rescues

Amazon.com: Weber 7444 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Cleaning System Kit for Grills: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com: Weber 7444 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Cleaning System Kit for Grills: Patio, Lawn & Garden

[mbshop]

i use ezoff and copper or ss wool scrubbers. make sure they are real and not coated ones. this will make an easy job of it. soak overnight using the ezoff. a plastic scraper will get the majority of the yuk off. if you find some really hard stuff you will need to use one sided razor blades for that.

[Homebrewed Q]

Thanks VoodooChild, I found a set of blades for $11.99, looks like this may be a project or possibly a save for a UDS, we'll see.
Thanks mbshop, going to try the oven cleaner thing possibly Friday night just to see what I'm working with.