Restoring Genesis Grills?


 

Jason_D

TVWBB Member
Please enlighten me on the pro's of restoring vintage Genesis grills. What is about them that make them so cherished? I see lot's of people doing it, and I am curious about trying it,,, but also curious if they hold desirable cooking qualities,, or if it's just for nostalgia.

Thanks in advance.
 
Jason, Thanks for your post. I am sure you will get some great feedback...

A LITTLE HISTORY:
Weber tried to make a gas grill out of their famous "kettle". It was a miserable failure, but to their credit Weber learned a lot. They came up with some very simple solutions to gas grilling, especially replacing lava rocks with angled "flavorizer bars" in their new creation, the Genesis. They also designed a product that was easy to operate and easy to maintain. Built it rugged with a strong steel frame, when cheap competitors gas grills were just rickety pieces of junk. They also put in some warm charm with stained wood tables and fold-up trays and over time a variety of hood colors.

Weber was a family-owned business and concentrated on quality products and excellent customer service. As outsourcing and Chinese manufacturing became the thing, Weber's competitors began to bring flashy large "stainless" (actually cheap corrosion-prone junk) grills to the big box stores at prices well below Weber's. Weber, I am sure, felt this pressure and responded by making bigger and flashier grills, too. Along the way, though, the quality and simplicity started to erode. Weber was sold to a private equity firm :p and they have accelerated the outsourcing to China of almost everything. The sad result of this can be seen most clearly when you examine a specimen of their "limited edition" red kettle made this past year in the People's Republic. Lackluster color and embarrassing quality control and shipping problems.

So, many of us prefer the classic original, Made in USA, Genesis 1000-5000 grills or the slightly updated Genesis Silver/Gold/Platinum grills. I guess it could be a little nostalgic like enjoying a Model A or 57 Chevy, but the truth is that unlike old cars these old grills actually DO WORK BETTER in many respects. They certainly are easier to keep functional and are built to last. The same certainly cannot be said of the many off-brand (and sadly perhaps some new Weber) grills for sale today. When you consider that for the same money as one of these you can pick up a good rehab candidate Genesis, buy some quality replacement parts, and with some fun and rewarding elbow grease come out with a WAY BETTER grill, it is easy to see why we like this hobby!

Many people today are enthralled with flashy high tech looking stainless grills. To me, though, the classic Genesis - particularly with stained wood shelving has a kind of elegance like a high-end classic car.

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I suppose this is all up to an individual's taste. I would suggest you scan through the many posts here of Genesis restorations to get a good idea of what can be done and what they look like when finished.

Our group can be a helpful resource in steering you to some of the best choices for replacement parts or working through issues in your restoration. We LOVE to see pictures of other members' renovations;)!

Best wishes! I hope you catch the fever and join in the fun!

Jon
 
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Jason, I rehab and resell them. You can restore a "vintage" weber grill for under $100 and have a great cooking machine. These grills are what made Weber the leader in consumer quality gas grills. They are durable and simple, yet extremely functional. Most people would agree that they are much more durable than the newer Weber Genesis grills. I suppose there is some "nostalgia" with them, but for me, my 1993 (25 year old) Genesis 1000 is my first Weber Stand up grill. I have used and still do Weber Q100 grills, but this is my first real stand up Weber. So, there really isn't much nostalgia factor for me. I started collecting and rehabbing and selling them last spring. It didn't take me long to come to love their simplicity, durability and availability of replacement parts.

To put it sucinctly, I would put my 25 year old Genesis 1000 up against and $500 grill in the stores today to include the newer Webers in a head to head cooking contest. I am not saying I could out cook any other cook on a different grill, but what I am saying is that given a good BBQ gas grill cook my grill and a new $500 grill, I would say that he could do just as good of a job if not better with mine. And he11 ya, I'm proud to own a 25 year old grill.

The Genesis 1000's and Silver B grills and their variations are just plain great grills.

https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?71283-Bruce-s-Genesis-Red-Head-1000-Restore-Before-amp-After
 
Welcome to the gas part of the forum Jason!

Another part of the allure of restoring old quality grills is that when you get done, you have made that grill a part of you. You put your effort and hard work into it, and then you have something you can be really proud of. For example, I just redid the polyurethane finish on my grill's wood side tables and bottom tray area, and I remain very satisfied with how they look.

Part of the appeal is the satisfaction of doing a good job and ending up with a top of the line grill, better than new.

Ask any questions you want, everyone is very happy to help.

There is a "sticky" post at the top where a lot of rehab hints and part numbers are summarized that you may find very helpful.

Slainte!

Tim
 
I still have my 19 year old Genesis 1000 that now lives in a 3000 frame. A couple of things I think are the reasons people restore them. They are a quality item that you don't see today,cast aluminum firebox as long as you don't over heat it and warp the box it will last forever. Parts are easy to get and relatively inexpensive. Lots of aftermarket accessory's are available. Very easy to work on no special tools required. They cook really well nice even heat. Like Bruce said for around a $100 you can have an excellent grill that would cost you $500-600 new.
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[/url]DSCN2766 by Richard Dahl, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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Jason,

I have both a rehabbed Genny 1000 and the new Genny II E-310 and I prefer the 1000 because of its simplicity and the setup of the grill. I can also see it being easier to clean and maintain than the Genny II because of less parts to deal with. Cooking wise, they are both the same to me, they get hot fast and are good at maintaining temps. However, I like the burner setup of the 1000 than the Genny II...it's great for a rotisserie setup. Also, restoring a grill gives you that feeling of accomplishment. I mean, you take something that is headed to the scrapyard, work on it a bit and make it like it's brand new again. That sense of accomplishment feels good and whenever you have company around you're proud to show off your new "toy". A couple buddies of mine have gotten into the rehab game themselves after seeing my Baby Blue. Aftermarket support and parts for the old school Gennys are great as well, if you can't find the part that you need you can always look for a donor grill (should be a lot of them soon when the weather gets warmer) or order it from one of the numerous grill parts stores. And if you have a question, this site is a great resource...lots of knowledgeable people here that are willing to help you with your project.
 
Yep in a nutshell they're just flat better products than the "stuff" they're (Weber) is importing from China. But than again Weber is not Weber any more is it? IMO they are now even worse than CharBroil for example because at least CB prices accordingly for their cheap production. Weber has only RAISED their prices. Go figure
 
Leave us not forget a key point to an old Genesis: They are thick in body and hood, being able to more easily maintain a constant heat at smoking temps. Further, in higher heat applications, the food heating is greatly assisted by the heat stored and actively radiating in this heavy body and hood, thus allowing you to turn down the flame. In addition, the cooking process turns into a predictable format - meat on, close lid, wait 5 minutes, flip, 5 minutes more, eat! My inaugural piece of meat was a 1.25" thick sirloin. I've never had better. Newer, thin-body gas grills make you rely solely on the gas flame to cook your meat, like holding it over a direct flame. The meat toughens and dries out much too easily that way. Another key point is the flavorizer bars utilized in the 1000. The grease, not falling directly into the flame, has an opportunity to smoke instead of turn into an out-of-control conflagration, as anyone who has ever cooked 80/20 burgers on a thin body will attest. I was a long time going to a gas grill from charcoal and only went eventually for the gas convenience factor. I bought those thin body cheapies, believing that those expensive Weber's were just for snob factor. Well, truth be told, I rescued my 1000 sitting next to a dumpster, so I'd still be 'wandering in the desert' if it hadn't been for that! I was blind, but now I see!
 
Thank you everyone for the fine replies. I fully understand now. I have probably 60 or 70 old Coleman lanterns that I collect and restore for the same reasons. Thanks for taking the time to enlighten me.
 
Jason, what do you do with 60+ Coleman lanterns? I grew up with those propane and camping fuel lanterns for fishing and camping. Anyway, while a lot of guys on here seem to collect a lot of Weber grills, we mostly do it for rehabbing and reselling or to give away, and the ones we keep for ourselves get regular use normally. Do you resell your lanterns or just collect and keep them as a hobby?
 
I was gifted a beautiful new Coleman Lantern with it's own carrying case decades ago, but with those delicate mantles and having to cart around liquid fuel, the led's have made them obsolete. I have a very nice Coleman stove which has also met a similar fate, due to rusting around the seam in the fuel tank.
 
Jason, what do you do with 60+ Coleman lanterns? I grew up with those propane and camping fuel lanterns for fishing and camping. Anyway, while a lot of guys on here seem to collect a lot of Weber grills, we mostly do it for rehabbing and reselling or to give away, and the ones we keep for ourselves get regular use normally. Do you resell your lanterns or just collect and keep them as a hobby?

Mostly I look at them and go " wow I've got a lot of Coleman lanterns,, what was I thinking?". I have started reselling them on the bay lately though. There is a large cult following in the Coleman hobby. Search Coleman Collectors Forum,, ,but don't do it if you are a sucker for trying new hobbies,, next thing you know you'll have 60 lanterns.
 
Yah, I have about a dozen Weber grills to get rehabbed and resold right now. I know all about the sickness. And no, I wont be visiting that forum. I have a lot of Coleman products still and don't need to feed the addiction.

I loved those old lanterns. Except when I burned the he11 out of myself on them. I still have one or two in my garage, but I haven't used them in years. As Dave said above, the new LED lights are just so much more convenient and "safe".
 
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Jason just an FYI that not all the members of this forum think the new Weber grills are poorly made. I personally know a nimber of friends and family that have newer weber grills that work very well and seem to be holding up fine. I think the newer webers are a huge step up from the majority of the grills you see at the big box stores. They are more expensive but still worth it. At least in my opinion.

That being said I have 2 vintage weber grills and I think the older genesis grills are the absolute best. They are simple, easy to maintain, and will last decades with reasonable care.
 
Jason just an FYI that not all the members of this forum think the new Weber grills are poorly made. I personally know a nimber of friends and family that have newer weber grills that work very well and seem to be holding up fine. I think the newer webers are a huge step up from the majority of the grills you see at the big box stores. They are more expensive but still worth it. At least in my opinion.

That being said I have 2 vintage weber grills and I think the older genesis grills are the absolute best. They are simple, easy to maintain, and will last decades with reasonable care.

Yes, I would like to balance my own remarks. I DO think the newer Webers are still a lot better than most, though not all, of their competition. While I sometimes question how Consumer Reports tests grills, it is still interesting to note that new Webers pretty much topped all of their price category lists in the issue I just received today.

What is still true is that the new grills are more complicated and not as easy to maintain. And, there is some compromise. For example, the real classic Genesis 1000-5000 had TWO rows of flavorizer bars, whereas they all now have just one. I don't know of any unbiased scientific tests that have been done, but it does seem reasonable to believe that the extra flavorizers help stabilize temperatures better and probably further reduce flare-ups. The immediately previous generation of the Genesis (the 300 series) also gets some well-deserved criticism for its painted steel enclosed carts. These are highly prone to rust, and I have also seen many of these grills with rusted out legs (resulting in propped up grills and falling off doors:p). Finally, a substantial part of Weber's production has been outsourced to China. That doesn't mean it HAS to be poor quality, but the embarrassing disaster the "Ltd Edition" red kettle has turned out to be does show the potential for a serious decline in quality.

I haven't been fortunate enough to use any of the new Genesis II grills, but Chinese-made or not, I appreciate that Weber has at least brought back the open cart option and is apparently using more high-grade stainless in its construction. Not everyone sees it this way, but I am trying to be fair in my assessment.

I have restored several of the 300 series Genesis grills. If maintained properly, they ARE very fine grills. But, I also still love the earlier Genesis grills and plan to concentrate my future restores on them. It is hard to beat their solid, simple design and the timeless look of real wood:eek:!
 
I actually like closed carts. As much as I love the old Genesis products the open cart was the only thing I truly disliked about them. I honestly do not think the closed cart is the major reason behind the rust out either and I can almost guarantee it will not be long before we see the new GII types rotting away. IMO it's more due to the cheap steel they began using when they began switching to Chinese production.
Sorry I don't "temper" anything. I tend to be forward and blunt. TO the point some people think I am intimidating (though that is certainly not my intent). I just tend to be direct, to the point and I don't pussyfoot around. Though I tend to do my best to be "diplomatic" LOL
 
I rehabbed this one about a year and a half ago. It came with a stainless lid that I still have, but I liked the redhead look. She was originally built in 2002. She is a beast and should last a long time as I usually cook with charcoal on one of Weber Kettles or the WSM. This is my go to grill if I'm in a hurry.

 
Just think sometime in the far future there will be guys on a forum discussing the restoration of the Weber's of today. I can hear it now "You know these old GII Weber's were sure made a lot better than the junk today" "Yeah' the Chinese sure made a much better product then those Elbonians make today, those new carbon fiber grills sure don't hold up very well" I just hope that happens someday, only time will tell. Personally I don't think it will, Weber's big mistake was having parts available for twenty year old grills. Want people to buy a new grill, just don't have parts available for the old ones. I'll bet the new masters of Weber will make sure that happens.
 
Larry:
Sounds like you might have common ancestors way back with <snip politics>...

I am not trying to be political, just seems like your self evaluation is eerily similar to what is said about <snip politics>...
 
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I rehabbed this one about a year and a half ago. It came with a stainless lid that I still have, but I liked the redhead look. She was originally built in 2002. She is a beast and should last a long time as I usually cook with charcoal on one of Weber Kettles or the WSM. This is my go to grill if I'm in a hurry.


Pat, I'm going to be starting a restore on a Silver B with some pretty grungy shelf and flip up, Yours look so good how did you get them that nice?
 

 

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