Rust

A lot of the mods I see here involve cutting or drilling holes in the smoker. I would like to make some of the same mods, but am reluctant to break the protection created by the factory applied enamel. Any suggestions on how prevent rust from forming where the factory applied enamel finish has been compromised?

Jason, The hole in the lid for a thermometer quickly gets coated in grease from cooking so really no worries about rust for that one. Eyelits use an exsiting hole so no worries there. My WSM is going on 7 years old now and there's no rust where I drilled the hole in the lid for the thermo so... HTH

If you are thinking of drilling a hole in the dome for a thermo, make sure you drill slowly to prevent porcelain chippage.
I did all four of mine, and after drilling the holes, I taped off around the hole and spray painted it with high temp black grill paint. Also, when I mount the thermo I put an oversized washer on the inside and the outside. This helps to cover up any chipps on the finish.