That feeling when you know what is about to happen next will be amazing....


 

Xavier G

TVWBB Member
Hi Everyone

I have loved grilling since forever, and all through school I grilled maybe 4 days a week. There was even a month when I didn't have hot water (late payment!), but I could not would not be without propane in the grill. Since I was young and ignorant, I thought I was fine with the $100 Home Depot cheap Chinese special I had scrounged for because, who cares? It gets hot, cooks meat, whaddaya want?

People savvier than I always told me that for someone who is as passionate about grilling as I am, I really should have a Weber. I have always chalked that up as zealot rhetoric, in the same way a Ford guy and a Chevy guy could debate fuel pump location superiority for weeks. How wrong I would prove to be.

This fall I had an out of town training and visited an aunt who lived nearby. She picked up some FAT bacon wrapped filets, and asked if I would grill them. I went out to turn on the grill, which I would later learn is a *pristine* burgundy lid Genesis 2000. I cranked all the burners to max, as you do with a 2" filet, and went back in to season the cuts and bring them out. When I opened the lid on my return !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!POWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! Holy Freaking COW - a shockwave of intense heat blasted my eyebrows and dried out my windpipe to the bottom of my throat. This thing was HOT. Like a tiny sun, peeking innocently out from under the flavorizers. MUCH hotter than my Depot special.

That night, September 14th, 2016, I ate the best and most deliciously, perfectly cooked steak of my entire life.

The Weber silently smiled from the patio, knowingly.

I have thought about that grill every night since, and decided I needed Weber in my life. I have searched and searched on Craigslist for the right one to come along, but every time a contender appeared, she was snatched up by the time I would get a response. This happened multiple times, as if fate was testing my resolve and commitment to excellence.

Earlier this week a 1200 Skyline Series was listed for $80 including propane tank. I immediately emailed my interest, but alas, I was too late. I took a picture of the $80 and sent that, as if that would somehow convey how bona fide I was, and offered to pick it up that day. No dice, spoken for.

Then, I found a SECOND Skyline, which appeared to be in even better shape. Weird because I almost never see this exact flavor - 2 in the same 24 hours? So weird. This guy wanted $100 without the tank. I emailed him that I was in at $60, keep me in your back pocket.

Fast forward to yesterday. The first guy writes back - the other buyer was a no show so I could have it - and, he found the rotisserie and spit which he would throw in for another $20. I got in the car immediately.

This Skyline was kept outside, no cover, and the plastic bits are def worse for the wear. But I was looking for rust, which being in Colorado, we don't have to worry too much about. Burners / crossover ok, innards were filthy but the frame was good. Missing one caster, but had all the baskets, trays and even the popup sidearm. Original quick release, but he had all the doodads. Despite the stamped steel cooking grate, I was in love. I didn't even haggle.

I was on my way back to work when lightning struck - the SECOND seller said HIS guy was a no show, and I could have HIS Skyline, could I pick it up that day?!!

I chewed on it for a solid 30 minutes. What - what would my wife say when I showed up with not one but TWO grills that needed hours of work? Would she remind me that she has no less than three honeydo projects that have been ignored in the queue for months? Would she remind me that we are in a very budget minded mode right now due to planning to have a second kid? Would she make me sleep in one of them?

I closed my eyes and asked the universe for direction. I breathed in deeply and tasted the sunny spring breeze.

It tasted like steak.

I took the first Skyline out and left it at work, and went to pick up the second. This one was in much better condition, cleaner, had a new style regulator and the nicer tank scale. Again, all the goodies intact. Flavorizers worn but workable, minimal rust on the burners, none on the frame, this one had the porcelain cast iron grates. This one was loved. Only reason he was selling it was he got a Traeger and was going down that path.

So here I sit, two Webers rich, in it for $160, and I can't touch em till I finish my honeydos.

Talk about motivation.

Stay tuned, race fans...

-X
(this is my first post!)

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Welcome to the forum Xavier. You will find that this forum is very friendly and people here are always willing to help. There are many threads here on rehabbing Weber gassers and many of us have done just that. Good luck and looking forward seeing some of your cooks on those two wonderful grills.
 
Sounds familiar Xavier. I started with el cheapo HD grill for $100 bucks, didn't see what the big deal was. Then got a performer as a b-day surprise and have never looked back. I now have a few different models, the WSM 18.5 gets the most luv'n. Welcome to the addiction...
 
Your 2 grills are very similar to th genesis 1000 I inherited from my father and refurbished about a year ago.

I love the grill. It is night and day difference from the cheap charbroils and Kenmores I had prior. I'm sure you will love yours as well. Looking forward to seeing you rehab it.
 
Good find(s)! You have some of the best Weber ever produced hands down. IMO quite a bit better than the newer single bar (shallow depth) fire box, and WAY better than what they're doing today what with all the Chinese innards and stuff. These are FAR more versatile, better built and performing overall. They do rotisserie cooking light years better than the new (front control products), My opinion? Fix them BOTH up and you'll be amazed at how versatile it will be having one with rotisserie and one for regular grilling if you're doing a big cookout. Some of my friends laugh at me with all my grills but, NEVER with their mouths full LOL. As for your wife? If she's anything like mine she will know a good thing it is to have a great "grill guy". That knows how to get the best out of something like this. Also keeps you off the streets at night and out of the bars and trouble LOL. Bottom line when all is said and done investing in top of the line grates and flavor bars from say RCPlanebuyer, a little time and elbow grease you may end up at about $450 to $500 total for BOTH grills to be in better than new condition and you'll be grilling on those long after the new Chinese stuff they're making people over pay for is in the trash heap. You done good!
 
Welcome Xavier to the forum, you've got a couple of great grills there. Great story too.
I still have my 1999 Genesis 1000 I bought new in 1999. I restored it a while back when I picked up a 3000 and moved my 1000 tub over to it, also added a right hand shelf and flip up tray eliminating the side burner. It's one of eight Weber's my wife and I have. Barb also participates on the forum and over the last few years has become very proficient at grilling and smoking. We have a lot of fun doing all the great things you can do with Weber's. Like others have said there is a wealth of knowledge on here so don't hesitate to ask questions and pictures are something we all like to see.
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One idea, since you found two identical grills, is to use both to create your masterpiece. Meaning, use the better of the two parts in your "keeper". It's always handy to have an entire extra grill to cannibalize. The other idea is to restore both of them, and either keep both or sell one. For some tips (including screwups) here are my restores:

https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?59970-Could-Not-Resist
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?59447-Before-During-and-After-Weber-Genesis-Silver-B

I ended up converting the 3000 to natural gas and selling the GSB. I could not be happier with the 3000, and now there is never a tank to refill! As a result of these projects, there is a red lid sitting in the rafters of my garage, with a 3000 LP manifold inside :)
 
Good deals! We were at Lowe's buying a new disposal and walked by their Weber grill display. WOW! I haven't done the math yet, but how many burgers and steaks do I have to cook to justify a $1K grill???
 
Very cool, good story! Great grill find. I think I would most likely try to restore both to full glory. You never know when you will just want some extra space!
It is so sunny and warm (for February) I pulled the winter shroud off the big table to uncover the 18 and I rolled the blue "Silver B" out! Planning on the Genny tonight for the arrival of my sister, have not seen her in three years! Tomorrow, I need to fire both the kettles, the black 22 for a butt and the maroon 18 for Mac and Cheese!
 
Xavier,
Great story and well written too.

I did the same thing as you, went out and bought a Weber Genesis Platinum II and a month later purchased a Weber 4900.

If you like you can check out my restore on my Platinum II here:
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?66377-Genesis-Platinum-Series-II-Restoration-started

You've come to the right place here for your Weber, lots of good guys and a wealth of info to be had.

Jeff



Jeff, that thing is a beaut. I have ordered 316 SS hardware for all the doodads shown in the assembly manual, but I see that YOU found the retaining screws that hold the endcaps onto the lid as well! Can you tell me about those - how did you find the size? Are they 1/4" diameter 20 threads per inch like the rest of the fasteners?
 
Thanks Xavier.

I used Stainless 1/4" x 20 5/8" long tapered bolts.
Weber uses splined bolts with those thin "speed nuts" originally.
You can reuse the nuts if you want too.

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Jeff
 
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Hi everyone

It took me a bit longer to wrap up my honeydo list, but I finally got clearance from the tower to start Weber work (real work). The thing is, since the original post, I have accumulated more grills!

Here's the brief update:

-Cooked on the better Skyline with the CI grates in it's original state

-Ordered all replacement ss hardware and RCPlaneBuyer flavorizers / grates for when I got ok to weber

-Picked up a Silver A blacktop

-Picked up a Silver C burgundy top

-Picked up another Skyline, stripped for parts, dumped frame and firebox

-Picked up ANOTHER Skyline, refurbed it 70% of the way as practice, gave it to friends who just moved here and had no grill for the Memorial Day BBQ they were hosting

-Sold the first Skyline with a bit of fix up to a buddy who fully caught the bug and went full RCPlaneBuyer on it

-Picked up a 2000lx with all the durawood (!) that I decided I want for the keeper, will keep a skyline lid because I like the logo

-Discovered the lx horizontal frame bottom bars have the end cap boltholes rusted out (the ones IN the tube ends, bars themselves are fine), so now that's on hold

-Got commitment from a co-worker that he wants to buy the Silver A


So that's where I am at. Wife is NOT AMUSED with the amount of grills / grill parts in our side / backyard. She doesn't understand that we NEED THEM.

Current task is good enough rehab of the Silver A to sell. Then it's component resto on keeper parts while I look for another 2000 frame or find someone who can weld me in some nuts - saw that option on a thread here.

Being able to make forward progress with bits and pieces toward the end goal (full manifold / valve teardown - thanks Chris! - tank scale disassemble / repaint) has slaked my thirst as I molt into my final form.

I do promise to post pics once I have all parts in hand for the final keeper!
 
No, Jeff, that was not the thread, but as usual, your solution is simpler and more elegant than what I had in mind.

I never woulda thunk threaded square tube inserts were a thing. Just ordered off McMaster.

I owe you a beer!
 

 

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