VC Encore 1450 rebuild and damper replacement

[1870farmhouse]

Greetings folks. I just got an Encore that needs some love. It’s a Midnight Blue Encore 1450.

The damper door is missing and damper housing is broken. Also missing is the fibrous material backing board.

I am starting this thread to receive advice and help others in the future as it seems how to do this work isn’t published and only in the heads of technicians.

I own a 1870 farmhouse in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I decided to get a wood stove as an insert to my fireplace because the fireplace is more for looks than being an efficient heat source and I’d like to have wood be my main heat fuel source as I can get all the wood I want in my area and co-own a log splitter with a friend.

The encore is rated for 1800sf and my home is 1175sf so I believe I will be much happier as my fireplace burned 4-5 pieces every hour for little heat where I know these VC units can burn 4-5 pieces throughout the night and put out 30k-50kBTU of heat.

I am including photos showing the cracked refractory lower but it’s intact, pictures of the missing damper and broken damper housing

Any advice/instructions how to properly dismantle and install would be very helpful.

Any info o the encore 1450 would be greatly appreciated. I got this stove for $200 and I hope I didn’t make a bad decision.