Won't Get Fooled Again!

Well, I decided it was way past time to deal with some of the problems in my life, one extra ugly one being an accumulation of hopeless project grills that there was basically zero chance I would ever do anything with. So, I buried my pride and paid one of the young guys in our maintenance department to help me clear out my mess and start the process of purging and turning over a new leaf. There were several real "winners":

#1 A half-rusted "stainless" large grill. I didn't pay anything for it and never really wanted to mess with it. It wasn't hard to kiss it goodbye as it slammed into our scrap metal pile:



#2 My impulse $100 purchase "Snap-On" grill. This seemed like another easy way to flip my way to some quick profit.



Unfortunately, I bought it literally in the dark. Closer examination began revealing just how rusted out this thing was. Then I discovered that the prior owner removed the large drip pan for the main (left) part of the grill. It probably disintegrated. The smaller one on the right was still there, but looked rough. Without the pan, grease had spilled and burned its way all over the inside of the grill. Good luck replacing this part - or any part. No manual and no schematic that I could find. It became obvious this was a loser...I scavenged the "Snap-On" logo (cheaply made) and the unique parts from the front that made the grill look like a Snap-On tool box. The rest went to the scrap yard:



My new plan to salvage something from this debacle is to try and integrate these parts with a much better straight-up grill. A stainless Genesis 300 series comes to mind. Paint all the gray parts Snap-On red and substitute the salvaged parts for the doors. This would be a much better grill, and if I could keep the Snap-On "look" it might be salable at a small profit. (I will post an alternative idea separately.) At least I have some hope remaining, so I won't let this get to me too much...

#3 (&4) UGH!! Before joining this forum, I dropped $200 on a rust-bucket, current generation Summit 6-burner NG grill. Back then, I thought it would be "no big deal" to fix the rust and before long be at the helm of the Starship Weber Summit. My Captain Kirk sized dreams soon dissolved when I realized just how much it would cost to do all this. So I parked the thing in my yard to gather rust. You would think I would have learned, but even after joining the TVWBB I fell under the spell AGAIN! This time, I blew another $100 to get a SECOND 6-burner rust bucket, an LP version.



I reasoned that I might be able to "combine parts" and wind up with one usable LP grill (NG is useless in our area). So, I hauled this piece of junk to our shop and disassembled it. That's when I learned a lot more about ugly stuff like firebox "burn-through" and just how heavy and over complicated these bloated monsters are. The parts have been laying in our shop for a year and a half. It was time to face my dumb decisions and move on. So we piled all these parts in the scrap yard as well. I did save a few parts, but more on that later...



So, it was hard to do. I hated to have to admit that I had been fooled again...at least my organization will get a few cents from the scrap metal recycler.

The change it had to come
We knew it all along...

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

Pete Townshend

I really do hope I don't get fooled again!

Chris in GA said:

I hear you Jon. We all been there. I easily have $100 of Weber parts that I have but Ill never use them. Probably $300 worth of Broilmaster grills and parts. I do have all I need to make one good grill, but I may make my money back or I may not. I think I have like four Broilmaster P3 grills complete but they needs burners, igniters, stuff like that.

So at least $400 in different projects at different stages. Likely hood is I will never do anything with it. One one hand I would hate to throw away $300 to $400 that I already spent, on the other I would have to spend another $200 to $300 to make them fully usable.

The initial excitement is quickly stopped by the financial reality.

Click to expand...

Chris, I reposted this from the messed-up thread

Cool, is all good.

I don’t flip really, I just rehabbed a few grills for personal use and I did one for a cousin. It is REALLY easy to see how quick you can get underwater on these. I feel you Jon. At least you were able to cut bait! Good job!

Hey, if I wanted to jump right back in, there is a guy who has been trying really hard to move his 6 burner monster for $400:

https://offerup.com/item/detail/599878326/

At first glance it just looks dirty, but check out that firebox burn-through!

NO! I WON'T GET FOOLED EVER AGAIN!!! -Now if a 2nd generation Summit Platinum came by at a good price...

Great tune. Good decision to cut bait. Now you have a little space for when
something more worthwhile comes along.

I sure wish I could get my hoarder wife to cut bait like this

Jon, I applaud you for taking the chances and having since learned from them. I also applaud you for sharing your shame. I have to admit I have brought home a couple clunkers, but since I have been able to keep my ambitions mostly in check, my mistakes haven't been as expensive.
But, I have also seen you bring what looks like a "clunker" and turn it into a gem on several occasions and I admire that.

That fire box burn through on that grill you linked to: Is that an aluminum fire box or stainless on those Summits?

Oh, and I am glad you snagged that SNAP ON logo. I was going to suggest you do that until you stated you had done so.

OMG. Thanks for sharing Jon. No I don't really want to go this route. Although I only did about 10 or so in the past months I decided to stop doing this for a while and spend more time with my family. I have been wasting too much time recently in doing these grills. Plus I want my driveway back. lol

When it becomes a hassle, it it is time to step back.

LMichaels said:

I sure wish I could get my hoarder wife to cut bait like this

Click to expand...

Lman- Just put this show on when y'all are watching tv and don't say anything. Let the KonMari soak in and then it will be her idea.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379

So my grills don't apply because they "spark joy" for me lol.

"Kondo's method of organizing is known as the KonMari method, and consists of gathering together all of one's belongings, one category at a time, and then keeping only those things that "spark joy" (tokimeku, the word in Japanese, means "flutter, throb, palpitate"), and choosing a place for everything from then on."

My wife is so far beyond "tidying" up. She is a downright outright hoarder. Just going into my basement breaks my heart. Yeah it's THAT bad. She was always had a slight tendency to keep a couple things here and there, but nothing alarming. Her dad however would make some of the hoarders on TV blush. When he passed away and she, her sister and brother were trying to clean out his house for sale and estate sale, I begged "don't bring anything home" well sadly her brother was even worse than their dad, their sister lives in FL and so not really driveable from MN so other than a few knock knacks no problem but because we're only a relatively short drive BOOM 2 HUGE truckloads of "stuff". So my back garage loaded, my basement..............floor to joists for nearly 40 feet plus the rec room loaded with junk. It's like when her dad dies she picked up the "torch". Now just over a year ago hoarder brother passed away. Well now, even MORE stuff here, most of it useless junk, she loaded up my daughter and son in law's 2nd garage so badly no hope for a car or workshop there. It's so bad you cannot even laugh about it. My kids used to be able to play in the basement and rec room hell there was even room for them to ride their bikes! Now you cannot even walk through. Sadly for me it's no laughing matter anymore. No end in sight either

Good for you Jon. Barb and I were talking the other day as to why we need ten Weber's. That discussion went to why I have tons of tools I have three large rollaways stuffed with tools some of which were specific to cars that haven't been made in 50 years and the wall cabinets in the garage are stuffed with things I've had for years and will never use again.
At my age I'm not going to be working on cars anymore, so time to clean out the "stuff".
As soon as it warms up a little I'm going to get rid of some things like maybe 45 of the 61 screwdrivers I have or 20 of the duplicate wrenches I have. You get the idea.
I also think there will be a few less Weber's in the back yard... The pups will like that!

Good for you Rick. Sell some of those tools and reward yourself with something nice for yourself (not more tools). Maybe a fishing trip. Even if you blow the money, you still can enjoy the space and lack of clutter for a long time to come.

LMichaels said:

My wife is so far beyond "tidying" up. She is a downright outright hoarder. Just going into my basement breaks my heart. Yeah it's THAT bad. She was always had a slight tendency to keep a couple things here and there, but nothing alarming. Her dad however would make some of the hoarders on TV blush. When he passed away and she, her sister and brother were trying to clean out his house for sale and estate sale, I begged "don't bring anything home" well sadly her brother was even worse than their dad, their sister lives in FL and so not really driveable from MN so other than a few knock knacks no problem but because we're only a relatively short drive BOOM 2 HUGE truckloads of "stuff". So my back garage loaded, my basement..............floor to joists for nearly 40 feet plus the rec room loaded with junk. It's like when her dad dies she picked up the "torch". Now just over a year ago hoarder brother passed away. Well now, even MORE stuff here, most of it useless junk, she loaded up my daughter and son in law's 2nd garage so badly no hope for a car or workshop there. It's so bad you cannot even laugh about it. My kids used to be able to play in the basement and rec room hell there was even room for them to ride their bikes! Now you cannot even walk through. Sadly for me it's no laughing matter anymore. No end in sight either

Click to expand...

Larry, I feel your pain my first wife was like that and a slob to boot. I was embarrassed to have any one come into the house. I would spend every weekend cleaning the house and trying to organize the tons of stuff she bought at pick & save. I put up with it for eight years and then I had to bail or I was going to go nuts. It was so bad that I couldn't get a real estate agent to list it. That actually was a good thing in the end as she had put a down payment on a condo and need the money to purchase it. So I offered her half of her half of the equity and she took it over the objection of her lawyer and I got the house and Barb and I lived in it for another 15 years. It took a lot of work to clean it up but Barb and I made it into a show piece.

Yep at least she's not a "slob" from a personal standpoint. She's just a hoarder but overall a good person and a keeper (been with her over 33 years) so it's just that the house is a total embarrassment

Stefan H said:

OMG. Thanks for sharing Jon. No I don't really want to go this route. Although I only did about 10 or so in the past months I decided to stop doing this for a while and spend more time with my family. I have been wasting too much time recently in doing these grills. Plus I want my driveway back. lol

Click to expand...

Stefan,

That is a good plan. My grill time has been a source of acrimony with my wife quite often. She doesn't resent me having a hobby, but when I spend way too much time and fill up the yard with junk, well...So, part of what I was trying to accomplish is showing her that I am willing to make changes. I hope to avoid any more purchases unless UNBELIEVABLY GOOD and work through my inventory. Unfortunately, that will mostly have to wait now until after April 15 since my second (or is it my third?) job is tax preparation. I think if I spent 6 hours or so a couple of Saturdays a month and had all my inventory organized and out of sight my wife would be totally fine with that. When it is from early morning to dark on successive Saturdays and I keep bringing home more clunkers, that is too much for her. And, I am having to agree that she is right.

Like so many things it requires balance and discipline. Still, it is a fun and good hobby. For some here it is also a legitimate source of income. If I could figure out how to really make it work, I would love to ditch taxes and do grills instead!

At least is a couple of hundreds...not thousands. I now perfectly understand how some people invest $40,000 to $50,000 in some project car hoping to invest another $10,000 to $20,000 but they find out they need to invest another $40,000 or more to fully restore it. As long as this hobby stays around $500 but not much higher it should be ok.

Rich Dahl said:

Good for you Jon. Barb and I were talking the other day as to why we need ten Weber's. That discussion went to why I have tons of tools I have three large rollaways stuffed with tools some of which were specific to cars that haven't been made in 50 years and the wall cabinets in the garage are stuffed with things I've had for years and will never use again.
At my age I'm not going to be working on cars anymore, so time to clean out the "stuff".
As soon as it warms up a little I'm going to get rid of some things like maybe 45 of the 61 screwdrivers I have or 20 of the duplicate wrenches I have. You get the idea.
I also think there will be a few less Weber's in the back yard... The pups will like that!

Click to expand...

Rich,

That actually makes good sense, but I do hope you will stay in the "Skyline Club!"

Tools, including classic tools, are a pretty hot item. You might be surprised what some are worth. I was at our little Thrift Store and saw this sad old pipe wrench sitting there with a $4.95 price tag. It wasn't even put together right...I took it home, wire brushed and treated the bare metal with PB silicone lubricant/protectant. I also repainted the red handle. (You are probably not that surprised by all that.) I observed that it said "PROTO LOS ANGELES" and of course Drop Forged.

My wife and I did a little research and found that Proto (short for Professional Tools) was an old company that specialized in quality tools aimed at the professional rather than residential market. They wound up merging with Stanley, but they still sell to their market under the Proto name. Turns out that the closest wrench I could find that compared to it goes for about $55. And, one of our sharpest maintenance guys told me that the one I restored was clearly a better wrench than the one I found listed. I also noted that the old ones do sell on eBay for half-way decent prices. None looked as nice as what I did to that one, so it is hard to say what it was worth when I finished. I gave it back to the Thrift Store to sell at a now much higher price.

If I were you, I might pick through the better ones, do a little refurbishing and see what they fetch on eBay or even OfferUp, etc. You might get more than you think!!!