Cleaning Question and how I got into Weber Grills

First off thanks for all the info I've read on here. I know that Easy Off has been used to clean the insides of the grill but I was wondering if it would harm the red finish on the outside? There's some really stubborn black gunk along the back edge of it that's taking a long time to budge.
I got started on Webers when my "commercial" model grill fell apart after just a few years and I found its replacement on CL. It was a 2002 Genesis C Gold model and I didn't have to replace a single thing on it. When my Dad saw it his comment was that he wanted one too, so I went back to CL and found him a 2006 Genesis B model that needed a few parts. My Aunt saw it when I was done and remarked about how much nicer than hers it was. Her husband (my Uncle) is a electrician and has been to our house several times to fix minor things on our A/C and every time I ask him how much we owe him he says "he'll get a bill to us". So I picked up a sweet 98 model 900LP that I've stripped down to the frame and am going to give him soon. Its the one the questions about. Also, the wood is greyish, I think its the durawood, can it be refinished or should I go for custom slats instead?

If you're talking about the red enamel on the hood, 000 or 0000 grit steel wool will make it look like new.

If it is wood on the slats you are talking about, you can repaint or sand and refinish, or cut new ones. If it is durawood, some generic degreaser and a nylon scrubby, or a mr clean magic eraser, should fix them up like new.

Good luck-any other questions, post up. I've done similar stuff for friends and family.

Any metal parts I use Cascade dishwashing liquid with bleach, let it dry then some damp 0000 steel wool. Inside or out.

I like to use a mix of Dawn dish washing liquid and some white vinegar.