At VERY long, long last...My Skyline Dream is a reality!


 
Jon: An OUTSTANDING job on the Skyline. Love the oak, gives it class. Like a land yacht. The "reveal" was worth the wait!

T-Bone
 
Jon this looks awesome. I love the dark touch you gave it with the black hood and black knobs. And I love the wood. I am also a big fan of grain in wood. I have similar restoration ahead of me and have not decided what wood to use. Probably something lighter since I am pairing it with a blue lid.
 
Looks amazing Jon! I hope you really enjoy it!

I've got oak slats in my 2000, the only real problem I've had is that the polyurethane keeps peeling off. However, it is because I've been using interior poly without UV protection. I'm aiming to remedy that problem with spar over the winter some time. I'll probably make new slats as well, mine are ever so slightly too long, causing a really snug fit in the frame. I'd rather not have that.

In any event, congratulations, that is one special grill!
 
Maiden Voyage of my Skyline

I have admitted before that I am a collector at heart, so after taking so long and working very hard on my Skyline dream grill, it was kind of hard to break down and actually USE it! But that is what grills are for, so I decided my son’s birthday (a Christmas Eve baby back in 1990:)) was a good reason. We usually celebrate his birthday first before transitioning to having family Christmas Eve night. His birthday request was for steak and Cheesecake Factory desserts.

I decided to try out my recent pellet grill acquisition (the motivation to sell off my third and last Broilmaster) as part of the steak cook. (I will post about my miracle pellet grill sometime later.) Anyway, I pre-smoked most, but not all, of the steaks for about ten minutes in the pellet grill at a very low temperature. This was good for our household where some of us really like that but where my wife has zero tolerance for smoke.

The pellet grill is great for low and slow but despite what they say not really suited for high heat GRILLING. So, the next step was to put all the steaks on the Skyline.

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The double layer of rcplanebuyer flavorizer bars and OEM Weber cast iron do make grilling fun.

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Larry, I know you say these old grates are not uncoated cast iron, but I don’t find any evidence of any coating unlike the more recent cast iron which inevitably flakes off in your food.

My Skyline had a great first outing. I do plan to spread out my use and let my everyday grill (hopefully soon to be the Genesis Platinum I am working on) take the brunt of use. But the cast iron needs regular use to stay seasoned and not start rusting. So, the Skyline will be my fun grill.

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Yep they look GREAT!!! Re the porcelain. The version you have are not "coated" but more "impregnated" with the porcelain. I have a set of those and REALLY do like them. I like their versatility as if you're one that likes wide marks flip them over if you like skinny marks and less contact for better non stick flip them the other way. I actually keep the extra set just for that purpose. The only downside to these grates is because the porcelain is not a true "coating" they can and will rust of not given a little "seasoning love" which I think is one reason Weber went back to the old way of that awful gloss coat which chips and flakes off in your food
 
Samuel Sandoval said:
@Jon Tofte , can you update pics so they post. I am not seeing your pics for some reason.
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Thanks for provoking me to some action, Samuel! I updated that old post from the days where pictures had to be linked with pictures I still have. Sadly, I decided it was best to sell my beautiful Skyline to my boss - and friend before we moved from Florida. He recently sent me a couple pictures to show that it has a good home.

I am still a Skyline club member as my current daily driver is a custom 2-burner where I put the Skyline hood on a last year Silver A body. I plan to replace the handle with the same type as my full size Skyline had (they will fit on either size) and eventually to do some repainting. But this little grill has really impressed me with how hot it can get. For our little household it is a perfect and efficient size for grilling any hot and fast food. Note that I also carried over a Chicago White Sox tie-in! (You can't make fun of me for that this year; my Sox are doing really well!)

Skyline 2 burner JON.jpeg

I tried out a set of GrillGrates for this smaller size grill. I figured that with just two burners it would help even things out. As has been my experience, they do work well:

Steak on the Skyline with GrillGrates.jpeg

But, I also bought a nice set of cast iron grates for this grill. My first attempt - after being spoiled by the so easy to cook on GrillGrates - didn't work out so well. But, with a little practice I am doing somewhat better:

Burger on 2-burner Skyline cast iron grate.jpeg

I can see why some say that using the regular grates is "real" grilling. GrillGrates are a kind of "crutch." One thing that they don't get enough credit for is that they also keep your grill clean for a lot longer. Most grease is incinerated at the grate level, so your drip tray and pan don't get the heavy work outs they do with regular grates.

I have a disassembled full-size Skyline that I will eventually do something with. I have so many grills I want to keep that I can't realistically store and use. I don't know what I will do, but I will ALWAYS be a member of the Skyline Club!

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That two burner skyline is really cool, beautifully restored and maintained. Being Chicago born and growing up in the 'burbs of Chicago I really regretted selling my skyline. I would love to have a small two burner like yours.
Now for the white sox I was a bleacher bum for the Cubs at wriggly, never got to excited about the sox. Here in AZ the Diamond backs have a solid grip on last place as usual. At least the Phoenix Suns have the Nuggets 2-0 in the playoffs.
 
I have been away from here for some time, but Jon's reprisal of the Skyline thread has me thinking ..... and I may start a new post on it .... wouldn't it be cool to see how restored grills from the past have held up?

I can guinea pig it over the weekend with the 3000 / 2000. It has held up well, except for some polyurethane on oak which I plan to work on this summer.

Jon, you are of course a lifetime skyline club member! I'm just a paltry NG dude ha ha!
 
It has been said here a few times already, but it is worth stating again.
This grill is a work of Art. The colors just flow together so we'll the wood slates stain is perfect, you sir are a true Craftsman.
Excellant job. My hat is off to you sir.
 
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