Fix or buy new?


 
D

Dave S Iowa

New member
I have a 2005 Genesis Silver A and its been a great grill and I bought it brand new back in 2005/2006. I have the notorious crossmember rusting issue where it meets with the cookbox. There's no salvaging this piece as its rusted completely through and the bolt isn't doing anything anymore except for resting on top of the deteriorated crossmember. I'm at a point where I'm wondering if I should buy new or spend some money to restore the grill. I'm not the most handy guy and I don't even own any power tools. If I do go the restore route in addition to cutting out the crossmember and bolting in a new piece id like to sand down the rest of the frame and repaint it. Also the brackets on my manifold are pretty rusted out and deteriorated and I'm wondering if I should buy a new one? I can still get one online for like $100. I'm just figuring by the time I buy all the materials (bar stock, stainless steel hardware, tools like angle grinder and discs, new manifold, paint, also looking at buying rcplanebuyer SS grates and flavor bars) I'd be spending like $400 plus my time spent. But I've also read posts regarding the quality of newer webers and how the older ones seem built better. I guess I'm not sure what your opinions are of the 2005 genesis silvers and if they started cheapening up the quality. Curious of your opinions or if you have any ideas of lowering the repair cost. Thanks!
 
Dave,
You are right to be cautious and try to not go down any rabbit holes. Generally, I would say "heck yah, fix that one up" but with the cross member issue, it would take an investment in tools besides the parts you will need.
Where are you in Iowa? If you have a Harbor Freight anywhere near, you can get everything you would need for very reasonable prices. You will need an angle grinder, some cutting disks and a wire cup brush or two to fix the cross member. All that can be had for under $25. The rest can be done with regular tools, supplies and paint.
Do you need a new manifold??? I would say NO unless it was in danger of falling apart from the rust. Just clean up the rust and repaint it. The rust otherwise would not be a problem on the manifold. If you do need a new one, I or someone else on here can hook you up with a good used one for a lot less than $100.

You can easily fix up that grill for well under $200 and that includes new Solid Rod Stainless Steel grates, 16gauge flavorizer bars and new burner tubes. If you want premium RCplanebuyer grates and flavor bars, you could add another $100 to that. But, just some good aftermarket parts will be much better than what you had on there before.

The 2005 Genesis Silver B is a very good grill, built in the USA. If you want a project, fix that bad boy up and be prideful in saving it from the landfill. On the frame, besides the rusted out cross member, I suggest you simply grind out the rust spots, smooth it out with sand paper and then repaint the whole frame. Don't try to strip the entire thing.

Here is a "How To" on fixing the crossmember if you decide to do the rehab.
tvwbb.com

HOW TO: Weber Frame Cross Member repair

WHAT: This is a How To on replacing the frame cross member on the left side of the fire box on Genesis Silver/Gold and 1000-5000 WHY: This part of the frame is a problem area that attracts substantial rust due to being next to the fire box heat. The rust is centered around the bolt area that...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

What part of Iowa are you from?
 
If your current grill lasted you 25 years, best to just buy one of these beautiful resto's and lasts another 25+
 
Bruce said:
Dave,
You are right to be cautious and try to not go down any rabbit holes. Generally, I would say "heck yah, fix that one up" but with the cross member issue, it would take an investment in tools besides the parts you will need.
Where are you in Iowa? If you have a Harbor Freight anywhere near, you can get everything you would need for very reasonable prices. You will need an angle grinder, some cutting disks and a wire cup brush or two to fix the cross member. All that can be had for under $25. The rest can be done with regular tools, supplies and paint.
Do you need a new manifold??? I would say NO unless it was in danger of falling apart from the rust. Just clean up the rust and repaint it. The rust otherwise would not be a problem on the manifold. If you do need a new one, I or someone else on here can hook you up with a good used one for a lot less than $100.

You can easily fix up that grill for well under $200 and that includes new Solid Rod Stainless Steel grates, 16gauge flavorizer bars and new burner tubes. If you want premium RCplanebuyer grates and flavor bars, you could add another $100 to that. But, just some good aftermarket parts will be much better than what you had on there before.

The 2005 Genesis Silver B is a very good grill, built in the USA. If you want a project, fix that bad boy up and be prideful in saving it from the landfill. On the frame, besides the rusted out cross member, I suggest you simply grind out the rust spots, smooth it out with sand paper and then repaint the whole frame. Don't try to strip the entire thing.

Here is a "How To" on fixing the crossmember if you decide to do the rehab.
tvwbb.com

HOW TO: Weber Frame Cross Member repair

WHAT: This is a How To on replacing the frame cross member on the left side of the fire box on Genesis Silver/Gold and 1000-5000 WHY: This part of the frame is a problem area that attracts substantial rust due to being next to the fire box heat. The rust is centered around the bolt area that...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

What part of Iowa are you from?
Click to expand...

Hey Bruce, I live in eastern Iowa, in the Davenport Iowa area. We do have a Harbor Freight.
 
You are 3 hours from Bruce and 5 hours from Dave. My suggestion is you buy a restored grill from one of these two outstanding restoration specialists. I recently restored an old 1000, but the frame was solid because I live in a dry climate. It’s a lot of work when, like me, one is inexperienced. Cost is an issue because you are buying tools and consumables that you may never use again. The upside is the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
 
Absent a rust issue, those grills go on for decades. My early Aughts Silver B is still going strong.

As suggested above, I'd buy a rehabbed grill and perhaps swap the old one for parts or future rehab.
 
Dave in Iowa: Yah, you are just a few hours away. But you can do the rehab yourself, save the money and use it as a learning experience. You will get lots of advice and help from this forum.

I went to Iowa State U back in the early 80's. My grandparents lived in Mason City. I have been to Davenport, but only on a drive through situation. I grew up on the Mississippi up in Winona, MN and I love the river town life.

Get on over to Harbor Freight and this is what you are going to need:

www.harborfreight.com

4 in. Crimped Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 4In Crimped Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

And these two items:
angle grinder.png
CUT-OFF_WHEELS_FOR_METAL-PACK_OF_10_1585667669.973.png

You would also need two McMaster leg inserts: https://www.mcmaster.com/leveling-m...gs/leveling-mount-inserts-for-tubular-legs-5/ you want part number 2417T27

You can get a section of 1" square tubing from any big box store for about $5.

You other option is to find a donor grill (they are pretty easy to come by this time of year) for free or real cheap that has a decent frame and swap your grill parts over to it.
 
Have fun restoring if you think you would enjoy it. If not, then Bruce or Dave can set you up in a great US made Weber and give you another two decades of excellent grilling. Please don’t buy an off brand el cheapo grill that will have you looking again next summer🤨!
 
Bruce said:
Dave in Iowa: Yah, you are just a few hours away. But you can do the rehab yourself, save the money and use it as a learning experience. You will get lots of advice and help from this forum.

I went to Iowa State U back in the early 80's. My grandparents lived in Mason City. I have been to Davenport, but only on a drive through situation. I grew up on the Mississippi up in Winona, MN and I love the river town life.

Get on over to Harbor Freight and this is what you are going to need:

www.harborfreight.com

4 in. Crimped Wire Cup Brush

Amazing deals on this 4In Crimped Wire Cup Brush at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

And these two items:
View attachment 3474
View attachment 3476

You would also need two McMaster leg inserts: https://www.mcmaster.com/leveling-m...gs/leveling-mount-inserts-for-tubular-legs-5/ you want part number 2417T27

You can get a section of 1" square tubing from any big box store for about $5.

You other option is to find a donor grill (they are pretty easy to come by this time of year) for free or real cheap that has a decent frame and swap your grill parts over to it.
Click to expand...
Bruce, thanks for the great information! I've watched your video on the crossmember repair and was just starting to think of the supplies/tools I'd need to get and was thinking that it might be an expensive investment since I don't already own this but harbor freight definitely looks pretty cost effective. I also noticed your use of the jawhorse and that looks convenient, but again I don't own anything like this. Will it be a pain to cut/grind/sand the frame freestanding? Also for painting the frame I see mentioned to use Rusto High Heat Ultra near the cookbox and Rusto 2x gloss for other parts of the frame. Would this be spray paint cans?

I used to live in Des Moines for a few years so was pretty close to ISU/Ames.
 
I just started using the jawhorse last year. I did rehabs tow years without one and did fine. That being said, it is one of my favorite tools now. I use it for a lot more than grill rehabs.
 
Bruce said:
I just started using the jawhorse last year. I did rehabs tow years without one and did fine. That being said, it is one of my favorite tools now. I use it for a lot more than grill rehabs.
Click to expand...
Can you post a picture of it in action, curious to see what you use it for. Never seen one before.
 
Kyle, I have a video of it in action that was posted about 7-8 posts back. Here it is again.

tvwbb.com

HOW TO: Weber Frame Cross Member repair

WHAT: This is a How To on replacing the frame cross member on the left side of the fire box on Genesis Silver/Gold and 1000-5000 WHY: This part of the frame is a problem area that attracts substantial rust due to being next to the fire box heat. The rust is centered around the bolt area that...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
 
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