Check out my Skyline find


 

TonyS T-Bone

TVWBB Super Fan
Grabbed this little guy on Chicago CL this morning for 30 bucks including a cover AND a full tank. So, net $10. I think its a Spirit 500? Serial "EE" indicates its a 1999 model. I think I made a great deal, but I don't have the wealth of knowledge you folks have.

I'm a little worried about about the porcelain top though, it has a sheen of gray. Has anyone seen this and will it clean up? It doesn't appear like there was any bad fire, nothing warped, just looks faded.

I plan to refurb asap. Any suggestions? I'm all ears

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Tony. Awesome find there. However, I hope that haze on the hood isn't the infamous "oxidation" that is found on many older weber hoods. If it is, I know of no way to bring back the nice black shine. If someone does know, I would love to hear it.

If that isn't "oxidization" then you got yourself a Gem there. Even with some oxidation, it is still a keeper IMO. Take some Simple Green and some #0000 steel wool to it and after a few minutes of cleaning, you should be able to tell if it will clean up or not.
 
Tony,

I am a BIG Skyline fan. I am almost finished with my Skyline Genesis dream grill (you can look up my Skyline posts), and I missed out on a Silver A version like yours because it was too far away and I was buried doing tax returns. Anyway, my hood has some of that dreaded white dot fade in the porcelain. Looking at your picture, I think you will find that some of that will come off, but it is in the same area as mine is faded, so I would suspect you will have some you will just have to live with. It doesn't bother me that much since it is otherwise such a cool hood.

I do keep thinking about ways to improve hoods with this condition. I tried "black" wax and Scratch X to no avail, although they do make your black hood otherwise really pop! One thing I notice is that the fade disappears while the wax is still "wet". That makes me think there ARE micro-abrasions that the wax is filling while still very soft. I haven't had the nerve to try really hard core buffing with strong rubbing compound or even sanding with ultra-fine grit sandpaper first and then rubbing compound. I have an old kettle that I might try these ideas on. I wish I had another faded black hood to experiment with.

Anyway, Skylines are way cool and I hope your enjoy very much. I am still on the lookout for another to help fellow member Rich Dahl get one for himself.

p.s. What part of Chicago are you from? I went to the U of Chicago and lived in Hyde Park and then later Lombard. My wife's family are all from the SW suburbs.

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Jon
 
That is a good idea Jon. I had a couple faded hoods that I simply trashed. I wish I had kept one or both to experiment on. But, then, I might even have on under my tarp.
 
John and Bruce - I wondered if I'd hear from you two guys, as I am familiar with your fondness for the Skyline series! And Rich for that matter. I am in the LaGrange area and had to go to Geneva to get it. I have watched John's series on his Skyline, and I love what you've done - except that I am a CUBS fan, not a Sox fan :blueperformer:

That "oxidation" thing is very eerily similar to what you see on the hoods of some old cars. Maybe your rubbing compound idea is plausible. I'll have my body shop guy check it out.

Thanks for your comments
 
Tony, it does seem very similar to the oxidation on car finishes. However, the two are completely different surfaces. The grill hoods are ceramic (or porcelain) not sure which, but it is clearly not the same as auto paint. It is much, much harder for one thing. But, who knows, maybe the body guy does have an idea or two.

If you are a Cubs fan, too bad you don't live up this way: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1821772014553226/
 
John and Bruce - I wondered if I'd hear from you two guys, as I am familiar with your fondness for the Skyline series! And Rich for that matter. I am in the LaGrange area and had to go to Geneva to get it. I have watched John's series on his Skyline, and I love what you've done - except that I am a CUBS fan, not a Sox fan :blueperformer:

That "oxidation" thing is very eerily similar to what you see on the hoods of some old cars. Maybe your rubbing compound idea is plausible. I'll have my body shop guy check it out.

Thanks for your comments

Tony,
Since I am not a native Chicagoan, I don't have the full blooded "love one team, hate the other", but I adopted the Sox because of some fun times at old Comiskey and because they are the underdogs. However, I had many great times at Wrigley, also, before you had to know somebody to get in. Saw Rick Sutcliffe from awesome seats one afternoon and can say that I sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with Harry Carey;)! Even sat in the bleachers one time with the wind blowing out:cool:.

You have to admit that the Sox colors and that belt buckle with the Chicago skyline are a kind of cool tie-in for the Skyline grill:eek:!

You need to get that Cubs Q that Bruce referenced. They are sweet little grills if you haven't use one. Much more capable than you might think. I wish they had a black Sox version, but that's why we are the underdogs!

Keep us posted with restore pictures and let us know what you try on the hood. I think it will be a winner! I would be really tempted with that frame design to fabricate or cut down z brackets that would let you do long horizontal wood slats. Just an idea. Best wishes. Glad to have you on the forum!

Jon
 
That is a good idea Jon. I had a couple faded hoods that I simply trashed. I wish I had kept one or both to experiment on. But, then, I might even have on under my tarp.

I would be really interested to see what happens if you have opportunity to try. My idea may be disastrous, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

I will update you when I try some things on the ~40 year old red kettle I got for $20. I am hoping to flip it on eBay where some of the kettle collectors seem to be getting frenetic:rolleyes:!
 
Well you all probably hate me, live in Atlanta but come from Boston. Go SOX and the Patriots by the way.

Brian,

Back in the 80s when I was in grad school in Chicago, my favorite games to go to in old Comiskey Park were Red Sox/White Sox games! I saw Carlton Fisk jack out a number of home runs:cool:!

Carlton Fisk with my boyhood hero growing up in NY, Tom Seaver. It was a hoot to see him years later briefly as a White Sox player.

http://sportsmockery.com/quickpost/...-caught-carlton-fisk/carlton-fisk-tom-seaver/
 
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Sadly here is the true dope on the hood condition. Unlike a car hood (which is lacquer or enamel) the hood on the grill is porcelain (not ceramic btw which is "fired clay") porcelain is actually glass that is in a powder form and than sprinkled on a red hot piece of steel. It (like paint) can be dyed, hence the colors we have like red, blue, the white in the windy city, etc. However unlike the faded hood on your car this is NOT oxidation which by it's nature can be polished off. YOu cannot "polish off" glass (BTW don't confuse this glass with the glass you see on your car windshield which is more plastic than glass and a whole 'nother story). You cannot polish or do anything to rid the hood of this condition as it is a condition of fading of the actual dyes that color the glass material. There is no way to "make it better". Not exactly the news you want to hear Tony but sadly it's what it is. There is no way to make it really "black" again.
 
Sadly here is the true dope on the hood condition. Unlike a car hood (which is lacquer or enamel) the hood on the grill is porcelain (not ceramic btw which is "fired clay") porcelain is actually glass that is in a powder form and than sprinkled on a red hot piece of steel. It (like paint) can be dyed, hence the colors we have like red, blue, the white in the windy city, etc. However unlike the faded hood on your car this is NOT oxidation which by it's nature can be polished off. YOu cannot "polish off" glass (BTW don't confuse this glass with the glass you see on your car windshield which is more plastic than glass and a whole 'nother story). You cannot polish or do anything to rid the hood of this condition as it is a condition of fading of the actual dyes that color the glass material. There is no way to "make it better". Not exactly the news you want to hear Tony but sadly it's what it is. There is no way to make it really "black" again.

Sad news today in the Chicago area. So close, yet so far away. Thanks LM
 
Jon, do you have a part number for the black side burner knob?

JKim,
Unfortunately I could not locate one, so I improvised and used a new gray one. Cleaned it with xylene and then painted it with Krylon Fusion for plastic, satin black. If you need a gray knob to start with or want to take a chance on me painting it black for you first, pm me. I have a brand-new leftover because I had to buy a whole new side burner.
 
Larry,
I do agree that what you say makes perfect sense, but why does it turn back to black while it is wet or immediately after waxing? It seems like if it were purely a color change inside the porcelain that being wet would have no impact. Instead it does seem like there are pores or something that the water/wet wax fills temporarily. Once it dries the effect goes away.
 
JKim,
Unfortunately I could not locate one, so I improvised and used a new gray one. Cleaned it with xylene and then painted it with Krylon Fusion for plastic, satin black. If you need a gray knob to start with or want to take a chance on me painting it black for you first, pm me. I have a brand-new leftover because I had to buy a whole new side burner.

Is the extra burner knob any different than the regular three burner knobs?
 

 

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