The smoke damage is an interesting theory... that really IS what it looks like, and might well be true! Given how heavy these things are, someone "rescuing" only one half in such a situation isn't far-fetched, either. An accumulation of smoke residue all over the inside would result in significantly increased heat retention, which would also cause the fan to kick on (You have to run these HARD (loud and long) --or else be in the middle of an already hot desert or jungle environment-- to make those fans kick on, when the units are in good condition.)
It's obviously restorable, if it mostly "seems to work fine." They does admit that he hasn't tested/tried everything, though, and is selling it "as is," so there may be some real issues. There isn't any significant outer damage, although there are some nicks and scratches here and there. IF (and only if) the price is adjusted for the extra work that would need to be done --which could include an almost full rebuild of the power-amp section, if it has been smoked-- then it might still be worth getting, esp. if you can do a local pickup. But without KNOWING why it looks that way, and estimating the cost of restoration, I wouldn't get that particular one. Capacitors, etc... can mostly be replaced, but a few components would be difficult, and I wouldn't want a well-baked transformer, if it had been close enough to a fire to suffer heat strain.
