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From Drab to Fab - Putting together a "How-To" Restoration Guide


 
I took the endcaps off tonight. I'm glad I did. It went smoothly. It was much easier to get the final crude off the porcelain. I decided to renovate the emblem. I'll probably sand tomorrow. I'm also going to check my work neighbor who works on race car engines who has a sandblasting booth to see about doing the endcaps. I'll tell you how it goes later. Thanks for the help everyone. Here are a few photos. It's my first grill to take apart...hope it goes back together ok!inbound7809692409006041411.jpginbound2429593274209571847.jpginbound4203428126972309301.jpginbound8117339160497311435.jpginbound4280585670479457107.jpginbound1184161190552083392.jpginbound8254269519779854541.jpginbound7535033779967551769.jpginbound1249241113349622558.jpginbound4120800763873080323.jpginbound7291003510437067487.jpginbound5088622423872904830.jpginbound658156043742682765.jpg
 
Bruce said:
It isn't the regular steel wool Larry. It is the stuff made for kitchen use. Very coarse and stainless steel. It does a good job in a cook box with grill cleaner. I had done rehabs with that method when looking for an alternative to grinding the cook box and before I got to having them sand blasted.


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OK I've seen those. Never used them. But, I know what they are
 
I have those scouring pads. I have used them to clean SS grill grates. But they do leave a remanence of metal in my sink drain stopper.
 
Val Deale said:
I took the endcaps off tonight. I'm glad I did. It went smoothly. It was much easier to get the final crude off the porcelain. I decided to renovate the emblem. I'll probably sand tomorrow. I'm also going to check my work neighbor who works on race car engines who has a sandblasting booth to see about doing the endcaps. I'll tell you how it goes later. Thanks for the help everyone. Here are a few photos. It's my first grill to take apart...hope it goes back together ok!View attachment 115191View attachment 115192View attachment 115193View attachment 115194View attachment 115195View attachment 115196View attachment 115197View attachment 115198View attachment 115199View attachment 115200View attachment 115201View attachment 115202View attachment 115203
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Nice work Val, that's how it's done.
 
Val Deale said:
Sounds good. I have a lot of photos of the project. When I'm done, how do I start a rehab thread? What category do I start it under in the forum. This is the first forum I've ever joined. Thanks.
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I would just start a thread in the "Weber Gas Grills and Griddles" section. Then follow these instructions so that it will show up in the restore threads.

Chris Allingham

Thread 'Restored Gas Grill Threads/Photos'

Click these links to find restored gas grill threads/photos that have been tagged using these categories:

DO YOU HAVE A RESTORATION THREAD YOU'D LIKE TO TAG?...
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Bruce said:
Yah, don't go overboard, just get all the loose stuff off. Leave something for them to blast. LOL

Let us know how it goes.
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I brought the endcaps to the high performance engine shop. He said that his machine only uses small glass balls for the media because they are doing high performance race engines that the don't want to overly abraid and ruin the surface tolrances. He thought the endcaps were "powder coated" and that his sandblasting would not work however it would clean the inside. He did a test on endcap and then found out he could take the exterior paint off. I don't think the exteriors are powder coated from the factory - does anyone know? He wanted $60 which I asked if he would negotiate a lower price and then he said he would just do it for free. I think because we were work neighbors and that I knew his father pretty well before he passed away.
In some ways I'm wondering if I should have just left the outside original black on and hit the interior more with handwork. Well, too late now. I'll see what I get this afternoon.
Is the original factory paint a lot better than a nice can spray paint job in terms of durability? Thanks
 
Val, I like to keep factory paint as much as possible. But if the paint is peeling or chipping on the cook box or end caps, it looks crappy after painting. It is easier to sand and blend paint on the frame and other pieces however and that paint is much more durable than spray paint. My blaster told me that the wire racks and other grill pieces I have brought him are "Powder coated" and says they are very tough to blast. He never complains about the cook boxes and end caps however.
 
Bruce said:
Val, I like to keep factory paint as much as possible. But if the paint is peeling or chipping on the cook box or end caps, it looks crappy after painting. It is easier to sand and blend paint on the frame and other pieces however and that paint is much more durable than spray paint. My blaster told me that the wire racks and other grill pieces I have brought him are "Powder coated" and says they are very tough to blast. He never complains about the cook boxes and end caps however.
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I think he's correct. The amount of wasted paint blown into the air versus the cost of powder coating is probably pretty substantial from a mass-production standpoint. Not to mention the quality of the finish, especially at the intersections of the wire. The last wire rack I did nearly took a whole can of paint. It was totally worth it though. It looked great when it was done.
 
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