Sorry to revive an old thread, but...
I am a newbie to this forum and to grilling in general. I recently purchased a SJS at a local Wal-Mart. It was cheaper than Amazon. After spending a little bit of time researching the Smokey Joe options, I decided to go with a Silver over a Gold. (Also, the local Wal-Mart only carries Silver anyways.) Based on my research, I read that the Silver can achieve higher temperatures and better vent locations, which I wanted. And I didn't necessarily need the Gold's portability.
It's really sad that Weber couldn't incorporate both grills' features into one grill.
In any case, I found this forum and thread after wanting to combine some portability and more vents into my Silver. Can anyone provide me some pointers about how to do this, without damaging my Silver? I found a website for spare Weber parts, so I can order the Gold's lid wire, lid lock support, and the damper for the vents. So it just looks like drilling four large vent holds (two on each side) and two smaller holes for the lid wire (one on each side).
I'm really nervous about drilling into a brand new grill. I'm anal about things like symmetry and aesthetics. Will the porcelain crack or chip off?