Flipping Weber Genesis grills

[_Branden_]

I would like to start this thread to get some input from those of you that have some experience flipping these awesome Weber Genesis grills. I know there’s not a ton of profit involved but it’s fun nonetheless and some tips of how much or how little effort to put into a flip would be great to discuss.

I have several questions I’ve wondered about so any tips or tricks you can share would be good info for me or anybody else that might pick up a grill to restore and flip. Basically I’m just looking at everyone’s process for restoring a grill they don’t intend to keep for themselves.

Feel free to post pictures of before/after of grills you restored to flip.

Thanks in advance for any positive contribution to this thread.

1. Do you always replace the grates and flavorizer bars?
2. Do you always paint the frame?
3. Do you always paint the cook box and hood side panels?
4. What grills are easiest/hardest to flip?
5. Do you always scrub the inside of the lid so it’s shiny and purty porcelain?
6. How much time does it usually take to get a grill ready to sell?
7. What parts do you always or never change?
8. How much is to much to put into a flip grill?

 

[Horace P]

I just posted how many Webers I have refurbished and flipped. 175 in 2 years. It is a fun hobby. For me i always strip everything out of the grill, burners, igniter on up. As for replacing most of the time I replace the flavor bars and depending on the condition of the grates, if they are chipping, rusted or just to damn cruddy I replace. If igniter works I might just replace the collection box or wire. The burners sometimes look worst then they are.. i tap on them one at a time with large screwdriver to see if they rust through. They can be cleaned. Cross burners usually go bad quick.
As for cleaning the firebox and lid, I scrape all the grease I can out with a metal scrapper, then I spray with oven cleaner, let it soak, then spray the whole grill with a degreaser. I like to use Awesome. I get it from dollar general. Then the grill is pressure washed. Do the same thing with the grates and burners, but use copper scruber to clean them then even use sandpaper sponge on burners.
The lid if it still has stuck on hard grease, I use a razor blade to get it off. Works great on the kettle grills too. The firebox and the sides of the lid if needed get painted with high heat grill paint a couple coats. I buy from ACE. After dried, and grill reassemble I do three 1 hour burns to ops check. Sounds like a lot but I flip from 3 or 4 a week.

 

[BPratt]

In my opinion...

The people interested in the used Weber grills already have or had one. They love the older grills and want a turn-key solution.

First and foremost - make sure the grill is safe to use.

Gas flows properly with no leaks
Valves turn easily and can be shut off
Burner tubes are solid with clear orifices
Grill is safe to light manually
Temperature should get up to 500-550f in a reasonable time
Frame is sturdy and solid
Firebox is solid and holds cooking grids, lids and catch pans in place
Functional lid that can stay open on its own with no interior rot that can drop metal onto food
Touch points on the grill are clean and safe to touch

Once it is safe to use the rest is marketing. Detail cleaning, painting and new parts have to be balanced with what the market will bear in your local area. You can put 20 hours into cosmetics with little monetary return. New parts can't be marked up much on items like cooking grids and flavor bars since anyone can buy them and install them.

Overall a good hobby. You can cover your costs and you meet nice people that share your interest in Weber grills.

 

[Bruce]

I would like to start this thread to get some input from those of you that have some experience flipping these awesome Weber Genesis grills. I know there’s not a ton of profit involved but it’s fun nonetheless and some tips of how much or how little effort to put into a flip would be great to discuss.

I have several questions I’ve wondered about so any tips or tricks you can share would be good info for me or anybody else that might pick up a grill to restore and flip. Basically I’m just looking at everyone’s process for restoring a grill they don’t intend to keep for themselves.

Feel free to post pictures of before/after of grills you restored to flip.

Thanks in advance for any positive contribution to this thread.

1. Do you always replace the grates and flavorizer bars?

Yes, for flip grills I do.

1. Do you always paint the frame?

Yes.

1. Do you always paint the cook box and hood side panels?

Yes

1. What grills are easiest/hardest to flip?

The flippability generally goes with age. The older ones are harder to flip because they just look old. Doesn't mean a real discerning buyer feels that way, but the younger BLING crowd seems to like the more modern designs.

1. Do you always scrub the inside of the lid so it’s shiny and purty porcelain?

Yes

1. How much time does it usually take to get a grill ready to sell?

Depends on the grill, but I figure I might make about $10 an hour on the grills I sell with everything figured in.

1. What parts do you always or never change?

I almost always change out the flavo bars and cooking grates. Burners depend on condition. The rest is usually just refurbishing to get it ready to sell.

1. How much is to much to put into a flip grill?

I have a hard time doing "quicky" rehabs. I like them to be completely cleaned up and repaired before I sell them.

 

[Bruce]

Here is one of my flip grills:

***SOLD*** Weber Genesis Silver B - 3 Burner Propane LP gas grill -...

***SOLD*** I have a completely refurbished three burner Weber Genesis Silver B propane gas grill...

madison.craigslist.org

here is another:

***SOLD***Weber Genesis Silver C - 3 Burner w/side burner LP gas...

***SOLD*** I have a completely refurbished three burner Weber Genesis Silver C propane gas grill...

madison.craigslist.org

 

[_Branden_]

I just posted how many Webers I have refurbished and flipped. 175 in 2 years. It is a fun hobby. For me i always strip everything out of the grill, burners, igniter on up. As for replacing most of the time I replace the flavor bars and depending on the condition of the grates, if they are chipping, rusted or just to damn cruddy I replace. If igniter works I might just replace the collection box or wire. The burners sometimes look worst then they are.. i tap on them one at a time with large screwdriver to see if they rust through. They can be cleaned. Cross burners usually go bad quick.
As for cleaning the firebox and lid, I scrape all the grease I can out with a metal scrapper, then I spray with oven cleaner, let it soak, then spray the whole grill with a degreaser. I like to use Awesome. I get it from dollar general. Then the grill is pressure washed. Do the same thing with the grates and burners, but use copper scruber to clean them then even use sandpaper sponge on burners.
The lid if it still has stuck on hard grease, I use a razor blade to get it off. Works great on the kettle grills too. The firebox and the sides of the lid if needed get painted with high heat grill paint a couple coats. I buy from ACE. After dried, and grill reassemble I do three 1 hour burns to ops check. Sounds like a lot but I flip from 3 or 4 a week.

Thank you! WOW 175!!!! That’s awesome.

 

[_Branden_]

In my opinion...

The people interested in the used Weber grills already have or had one. They love the older grills and want a turn-key solution.

First and foremost - make sure the grill is safe to use.

Gas flows properly with no leaks
Valves turn easily and can be shut off
Burner tubes are solid with clear orifices
Grill is safe to light manually
Temperature should get up to 500-550f in a reasonable time
Frame is sturdy and solid
Firebox is solid and holds cooking grids, lids and catch pans in place
Functional lid that can stay open on its own with no interior rot that can drop metal onto food
Touch points on the grill are clean and safe to touch

Once it is safe to use the rest is marketing. Detail cleaning, painting and new parts have to be balanced with what the market will bear in your local area. You can put 20 hours into cosmetics with little monetary return. New parts can't be marked up much on items like cooking grids and flavor bars since anyone can buy them and install them.

Overall a good hobby. You can cover your costs and you meet nice people that share your interest in Weber grills.

Thank you!

 

[_Branden_]

Thanks for the detailed reply Bruce!
Those grills look great!
I will post those pictures in this thread before they disappear from Craigslist.

I want to get a black handle, knobs, and end caps like the ones on that red grill you posted. Did you dye those? That’s a nice grill.

 

[_Branden_]

Bruce’s flip grills he mentioned above.

Bruce I will delete if you don’t like me reposting these.

 

[_Branden_]

One more.

 

[Bruce]

I dont mind and yes, those knobs and end handles were dyed. Weber did not make that style of end handles in black.

 

[Horace P]

Absolutely beautiful. How much work goes into stripping it down to original firebox look? What do you use?

 

[Jon Tofte]

I will let Bruce confirm, but those really stunning insides I believe are all from a media blaster guy that Bruce found who will do grill parts at a reasonable rate. You can bet I am looking for someone like that now that I have moved to Indiana. That said, if you can tolerate the mess - and elements of risk from stuff getting past your mask and eye protection (not to mention flying metal shards and the inherent risks of using a power tools)- well, then, you CAN get very nice results with a grinder and cup brush. It will have some swirl marks and not the uniform look of media blasting. On the other hand the aluminum tends to look shinier with wire brushing. If I can find the right media blaster, I won't be doing near as much grinding in the future. Even with a good mask - if you can find one now - you still are breathing some really bad stuff.

 

[Joshua O]

Bruce, what media are you using for sandblasting? Your grills come out so clean!

 

[Bruce]

I will confirm everything Jon says. I don't personally blast my grills. I have a guy do it. I am not sure what he uses. But it seems like a darker colored media. There has been some left on some of the grills I had done. Sand? Maybe, but I know there are other media out there and I am not well versed on them all. I do know that some use Walnut shells....hahaha and I think there is a silica or something like that.

 

[Ed P]

Something I've wondered...those that have sandblasting done, do you do some cleaning before taking your parts to the blaster? My experience is that blasting doesn't work so well on soft, greasy, or oily objects, so I think some sort of pre-cleaning is required. Or does your blaster do it all for one price?

 

[Bruce]

Ed, I have done little to no cleaning before dropping off my cook boxes. I probably should take a few minutes and scrape the easy stuff off. Also, I would probably do a bit of scrubbing on liquid greasy ones. That stuff comes off easy with some grill cleaner and like you say, probably is a b1tch to sand blast.

 

[_Branden_]

My sand blaster uses Dawn Power Dissolver and a pressure washer before sandblasting. He doesn’t want the grease from the grills contaminating his blasting media. He said the grease in the media could transfer into other parts he blasts. I’m hoping to save a few bucks next time by doing that step first so he doesn’t have to. I bought some and it should be here next week.

 

[Ross W]

You guys are all doing God's work. You are showing the importance of American manufacturing, helping the environment, and doing a service to grillers everywhere.

 

[_Branden_]

I seriously appreciate all the helpful replies so far!

Please keep em coming.