Fixing a warped aluminum cook box


 
Bruce

Bruce

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
I have a cook box that is warped (more like sagging) in the bottom along the front edge of the drip opening. Clearly the grill (Genesis Platinum) had a nuclear meltdown at some point. So, I know for sure that trying to just pound or bend it back into shape will result in cracking the cook box. I figure heat is the only way to soften it up enough to get it to bend back into shape without it breaking. Would a propane torch work for that? Can I get it hot enough? Or am I just as likely to wind up cracking the cook box anyway?

Unless someone tells me it is a stupid idea, I will probably give it a shot as saving the cook box isn't critical but it would be nice to keep for a spare and even more so, it would be nice to know if it is possible to get the aluminum to bend without breaking by adding some heat.

Thoughts?
 
I had one that was bent a while back from getting blown off a deck in a storm.
I took a rubber mallet to it and taught it a lesson. However, I do not know if
that will work with warping due to high heat. That can tend to make some
metals brittle and breakable. I will be following along to find out your results.
 
I'd vote for the rubber mallet route. I had some success getting my Genesis firebox closer to plum with the rubber mallet route with moderate repeated blows to get the bowed front and rear back closer to square. I've got a workhorse, but I think that would be too much pressure to square it up. I definitely in the case of the firebox Bruce describes that I would support all of the inverted firebox so that the hinge sections are not transmitting the energy on two points vs. the entire upper portion. That could lead to stress fracturing of the casting.
 
I am 98% positive that pounding (no matter how soft or hard) will not work in this case. If I have time, I might explore the propane torch method tomorrow and I will report back.
 
I think the only way you'll get enough heat into that large an area is one of those roofing torches or snow melter torches like they sell at HF or Menard's
 
That could be the case Larry. But, the spot isn't all the big, it is about 4-6" along the front edge of the opening in the bottom. I guess i will find out of if a propane torch will work this afternoon if I get a chance to try it..
 
I worked at it today. I put a pipe wrench along the inside and squeezed the sagging edge down with a C-Clamp as I heated it up. It worked pretty good, but I am not sure if the propane torch helped a whole lot or not. But, it didn't break despite significant movement of the aluminum. I didn't get it perfectly straight or as far in line as I liked, but pretty close and it would likely be enough to allow the grease pan to slide in and out now. I am still trashing the cook box because it has a bowed front as well and there is what looks like a jelly bean sized bubble on the front just above where the sagging edge was. So, I am just getting rid of a big headache. It was a spare anyway.
 
Maybe you should keep it and use it to experiment with more aggressive repairs. If it is doomed to the scrap pile it wouldn’t matter if you got carried away and busted it.
 
Have you heard of using bar soap on aluminum, when heated to the right temp for bending it turns black? I've used it for bar stock but never tried it on cast aluminum.
 
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