grills Tow behind grill ID?

I just acquired this grill.  It needs a little tune up cosmetically and the locking mechanism needs adjusted otherwise seems to be in fair condition.
 
Aside from my Weber, I know very little about grills.  I grill 65 lbs. of habanero peppers for my hot sauce and thought I could get this guy into shape to help make quick work of that.
 
What are your thoughts on the rust? Its been sitting unused for quite sometime. I thought I' d sand it down and put some high temp paint on there. I'm concerned if getting it sandblasted will further degrade the steel.
 
Thanks
 
 
 

Sandblast that sumbitch then a couple good coats of paint. Unless it's rusted through, then it's days are numbered anyway.
 
OR~
 
Just load it with wood/coals and burn the sheeit out of everything, rust, old residue, etc. then paint. or not. or both. LOL
 
 
Just my .02¢

To get rid of rust on cast iron skillets they can be soaked in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution for a couple hours and it works wonderfully.  Maybe a good sanding, then a vinegar/water soaking, then a final sanding and paint.  You could probably soak rag towels in the solution and lay them over the rusted areas.  Just keep them wet for a couple hours.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to take it up the sandblast guy I use and get an estimate.

If that's more than I want to put into it, I'll go the DIY route.
Cheers.