I have been rebuilding a gooseneck BBQ pit trailer for Aggie tailgating and I am ready for paint. I still need to do some more grinding (grinders were made for welders like me!) and will then be ready to go. The pit is mostly surface rust and the trailer has good paint with minimal and spotty surface rust, just needs to be a solid color (its currently camo). I plan to use an industrial rust neutralizer (Ph-Ospho-Ric Plus) I have gotten and then a friend is hooking me up with some High-Temp Black Rustoleum. I am going to paint the whole trailer high-temp black. The trailer trailer is a flatbed so the surface area excluding the pit/burners is only the gooseneck and side rails.

2 questions:
1) Should I use a primer coat on the trailer and/or pit? It pretty well defeats the purpose if it is not high temp.

2) Should I paint the inside of the smoker and firebox? I would like to prevent rust on the inside as well but don’t want any paint flavored smoke.

 

we didnt even paint the inside of mine and its VERY rusty, i got one of those big "oval" oil drums flipped on its side welded on a old 2 wheeled crop sprayer frame and then i cut the front 1/4 of it with a torch and welded 2 big gate hinges to the top of it so it would lift, takes about 200 to 300 pounds of charcoal and will slow cook a whole hog in about 7 hours. used to be able to kill, process and cook a hog in 8-9 hours.

 

The pit smoker I bought rusted too.

For the inside I remember the book that came with my smoker stating to "season" it. Basically take veggie oil and coat the entire inside area. Just coat it, you don't want it to drip or run. Then run a small fire in it to bake it in and thats it (kinda like seasoning a cast iron skillet). Kept mine from rusting on the inside anyway.

For the outside, DO NOT USE PRIMER. Unless you find the high temp stuff, don't use primer. When I refinished mine I just sanded it down to prep the surface. For the rusty spots I took it down to bare metal. I can't stress this enough, take all of the rust down to bare metal, or the rust will come back (ask me how i know that one) For paint I used a couple rattle cans of the hi-temp BBQ paint (flat black), which I believe was made by rustoleum. Came out looking real sharp, and like I said, the only problem area I had afterward was where the rust wasn't completly sanded/ground down to bare metal. I had to rework the rusty area twice. Remember, prep work is the key to a great looking paint job and preventing any rust problems later.

Here's what mine ended up looking like :

 

The smokers I have built have never been painted on the inside. I would think it would leave a paint taste, and eventually burn off anyhow. To test, try a propane torch on a painted HI Temp surface. It don't last long.

I use my enough that the pit area does not rust on the inside, but the firebox is. However, its 1/2 inch material, so I figure by the time it rusts through, It will be time to tinker with a new one.

 

Be sure to post a picture if you can.

~A dedicated BBQ'er who hopes to get to your stage someday Dave

 

DON'T paint the inside! If you have ever used high temp paint you know it smells really bad for a long time. It will only cure after a few heat-cool cycles so you would need to heat cycle it empty a few times before you could even THINK of cooking in it.

I also think that a regular primer would defeat the purpose of the high heat paint.