First gasser rehab - Genesis Jr. - Modified with 3rd burner

[DrewZ]

A practice run on the 3000 firebox for cutting a third burner hole on the Junior:

A 1" Harbor Freight spade bit handled the box without much drama.

The fit is a bit snug, so some filing (or a larger spade bit) will be required when it's time to work on the Junior's firebox.

More to come . . .

 

[Bruce]

Well, if it was me, I probably wouldnt want to modify something like a Jr to that extent. I would look at it more as a symbol of the early days of Weber and gas grills than a high functioning grill. That being said, I am anxiously awaiting to see how this comes out. The theory behind your work seems sound. I am interested to see how you pull it off.

 

[LMichaels]

I can't believe a spade bit meant for wood got through the aluminum without damaging itself or the aluminum

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

I can't believe a spade bit meant for wood got through the aluminum without damaging itself or the aluminum

Yeah, that came out very clean looking. 2nd go round might not go as well. I imagine the bit has dulled a bit now.

 

[Rick W]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the burner tube is going to slide through a perfectly round hole. That is not what the shape of the other holes look like nor is it the shape on my Silver C that I am restoring.

 

[Bruce]

It will have to be an oversized hole or a somewhat oblong hole.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Well, if it was me, I probably wouldnt want to modify something like a Jr to that extent. I would look at it more as a symbol of the early days of Weber and gas grills than a high functioning grill. That being said, I am anxiously awaiting to see how this comes out. The theory behind your work seems sound. I am interested to see how you pull it off.

I tend to agree about changing a fairly rare grill, but then again, the original supposedly didn't cook well. Maybe this mod will turn that around!

 

[Bruce]

Oh, If he can plumb another burner into that thing, it will cook water to at least Medium Well.

 

[DrewZ]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the burner tube is going to slide through a perfectly round hole. That is not what the shape of the other holes look like nor is it the shape on my Silver C that I am restoring.

Not wrong. I'd likely use an angle grinder to finish the correct shape for the burner hole. This was just a test to see how serious of a bit would be required to make a nice round hole.

For now, I'm going to go back to focusing on getting everything else ready for reassembly with the stock 2-burner propane setup.

 

[DrewZ]

Progress update 6/15/20. Placed my first order for supplies: 100 truss head screws for the wood shelves, high heat paint for the cookbox and sides and a $9 grill brush . . .

Which I took apart, straightened out and attached to my cordless drill to brush the insides of the frame (shown here in its beta-form as a manually operated brush

With that done, I cut down the lower cross pieces from the 3000 with an angle grinder -- about 1/16" short.

While everything was out, I decided to test-fit the frame with the 3000 left leg and caster assembly (wheels are new and were saved from another project)

The wire bottom rack was one of today's acquisitions . . . There were a couple of curbside gassers out for scrap, but I had no tools and a small car, so I grabbed the rack, a set of correct burner knobs and an end cap with the slide shelf extension and the bar. The wire rack needed some minor bending of the arms in order to span the slightly wider gap on the Junior, but it was well worth the purchase price.

That's all for now. Next up on the list a little more interior cleanup on the frame. Prep and paint the firebox and end caps. I'm shooting to have a structurally solid and functioning grill by July 4.

 

[DrewZ]

More action today. Cleaned the Junior's grates and the cast iron grates from the 3000. The stock grates have some rust on the bottom but are otherwise solid and clean enough to cook on. The cast iron grates cleaned up nicely, but of course, need to be modified to fit the Junior. Rather than cut both cast iron grates, I decided to cut one in half with the angle grinder. Sizewise, it worked out pretty nicely.

Progress not pictured: started cleaning the firebox and the lid sides; cleaned and painted the lid bolts; cleaned the axle; cleaned both drip pans; and sorted and labeled the new SS McMaster hardware.

 

[Bruce]

I think your choice to cut one of the CI grates in half, instead of modifying both was a good idea. How is the rest of the Genesis Jr, rehab going?

 

[DrewZ]

I think your choice to cut one of the CI grates in half, instead of modifying both was a good idea. How is the rest of the Genesis Jr, rehab going?

It's going

There's so much to do, and it's also difficult to avoid giving in to mission-creep. Just have to keep focused on the twin prime directive(s): structurally sound and fully functional. The July 4 goal still seems workable.

 

[DrewZ]

I did another mockup today with the black durawood that I harvested from a freebie. The swing table arm is the one I fabricated from hard brake line and seems stable enough to support a reasonable amount of weight. The lower shelves could use one or two more slats, but aren't an awful fit as-is.

With the hood

I haven't given up on the possible 3-burner conversion, so I wanted to see how the 3000 control panel would fit:

It will require some modification to the top shelf and some modification to the support bracket. I cut the igniter support off of the donor 3000 frame and temporarily wedged it into the Junior's frame:

Leaving the existing control panel support in place allows the tank scale panel to line up with the lower support.

While I had the angle grinder out, I modified the spit rod from my kettle's rotisserie to fit the Junior's cookbox. Not terribly elegant, but it is functional.

Progress not pictured: Cutting a notch in the side table slider to use a left slider on the right side; Picking up freebie propane tank. More to come . . .

 

[DrewZ]

Crossed the Rubicon yesterday. Firebox is now prepared to accept a third burner. Used a 1 1/8" spade bit for the initial hole, then reshaped with the angle grinder. Not the cleanest, but it will work.

 

[Bobby Segars]

Drew

Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Bobby

 

[Bruce]

Yah

 

[Jon Tofte]

Pretty interesting. It should be a very hot grill based on BTU’s per square inch!

 

[Bruce]

Yah, Might not want to turn all three burners on high and walk away to let it heat up. At least not initially until you figure out what it's heating characteristics are.

 

[DrewZ]

More progress over the weekend. Got pretty much everything that needs to be painted prepped for painting on Sunday. Yesterday turned out to be good painting weather, so I got some preliminary coats down on the frame, z bars, firebox and sides. The lower shelf z bars that came with the black durawood freebie were pretty badly rusted, so I decided to cut and use the 3000's z bars, and go with 13 slats on the lower shelf (9 on one, 4 on the other).

Cut z bars:

This also gave me the makings of the shorter right side shelf to accommodate the 3000's control panel. I can go with 4 wide-spaced slats or 5- closely-spaced slats. I'm leaning toward the latter. 13 slats on the lower shelf, plus 6 slats on the sliding shelf, plus 5 slats on the right shelf = 24 slats of black durawood. And I have exactly 24 slats of black durawood.

Progress not pictured: Cleaning and rough-sanding of all parts to be painted. Cleaning and treating all durawood slats. Flap disc de-rusting of bubbly rust on top frame; POR-15 treatment of exterior and interior frame; first coats of paint on firebox, sides, frame and z bars. More to come . . .