When we unloaded the shell and began examing it, we found, under the grease, dozens and dozens of areas where a small rust hole had formed, and the paint around it was loose, bubbled up, or gone. You can see several of them in the photo below.
The bent latch was fitting given the condition of the rest of the shell. We contacted the manufacturer and learned that you're not supposed to use them outside. The previous owner didn't heed that warning.
Here is a close up of the shell, showing the holes. The light colored ones are filled with J.B. Weld, as explained later. The others are not filled, and you can tell by the color change around them that they are slightly recessed.
The top was in even worse shape. There was a large area that was completely rusted through, and the insulation underneath was hard and crusty, full of solidified grease. You can see it inside the holes. We had to break it up with a screwdriver and hammer, and get the pieces out, reaching under the good metal as far as we could. We then got some oven insulation from an old oven at a local metal recycler, and filled the hole with it. The front lip is pretty beat up as well.
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