Genesis 3100 restoration project help


 
James O'Brien

James O'Brien

TVWBB Fan
I picked this Red Headed Genesis up for $25 on CS this week, click the link for a look. I want to restore it completely and have a few questions.

1. To sandblast or not. I have access to a free sandblast box so I'm considering doing the cook box, the sides of the hood and the OG cast iron grill grates. Is this overkill? Is there anything I should know or be wary of with sandblasting? I know not to do the insides but only because I read that info online, otherwise I have zero sandblast knowledge.

2. I plan on scrubbing out the inside with a stainless steel scouring pad with the assistance of a paint scraper. What is good non toxic degreaser that will assist?

3. There is some of the inside coating warn away to the metal (no rust that I can see). What are my options to fix this? From what I've read only seasoning it the same as the cast iron is it. Anything at all go inside here to fix it?

4. Is the Rust-Oleum Ultra the best paint option? How many cans do I need? I've got extremely minimal spray paint experience.

Today is tear down day so when I'm done I'm sure I'll have more questions and a better idea of exactly what is lacking.

Thanks in advance

James
 
Hi James, how did teardown go?
While I have never sandblasted, I think if you can get it doen for free, why not?
You do not want to blast the inside of the hood. Its porcelain coated. Only the sides and the bootome cook box can be done. I assumee you can get those sides off?
Also, the cast iron grates may be porcelain coated. If they are, don't blast them I don;t know how to tell the differnece. I have had a true piece of cast iron blasted, but you must season it right away to prevent rust.
I use Easy Off oven cleaner from Home Depot. Sorry, It is toxic, but works the best.
The cans says its for Professional Use. I doubt its any stronger than the regular can, but it seems ot work and the cans is larger than a regular one. Just follow the instructions and avoid the fumes. Rinse well.
As for paint, I think any High Heat will work on the box. Not usre if the frame needs high heat or not, but some part of the frame are up against the box. Replace all the hardwarte with Stainless steel The burner tubes shold be an easy clean. I the holes are blugged, you hcan suuslly use a small needle to clear them.
Id be curious to see the worn away metal on the inside. Seems odd to me.
So, show us some pics and lets see the thing..
Hope this helps.
AJ
 
OK, so I went back and looked at the inside pic of your grill I don;t see any worn off metal.
What I do see is a bunch of crud under the hood.
Spray it with the Easy off, let it soak and rinse it off. What doesn't come off on its own, you can try scrubbing with a ss or steel wool. Use the finest grade. It can also be used on the red outside.
As of the inside cook box, sandblast it to a brand new condition.

Check out this rehab. Very nice job.
Weber Rehab
 
Thanks for all the tips AJ.

Here are a few tear down photos Red Head Restore

The inside of the grill box and hood are not as bad as I thought. It's mostly just oxidation and not full blow rust so I should be able to get the inside completely clean (see pics). 2 of the frame pieces have a lot of rust inside but doesn't seem to be any corrosive damage and should clean up and still last a long time. The grates are still up in the air, I really don't have the $$$ to spring for new ones but this one might not be usable. There is not a trace of enamel on the grill grates and some of the bars are very corroded but might blast clean enough to season. I've seasoned raw cast iron before in the oven and it's always worked great for me. I plan on taking the hood apart this weekend so I can start really cleaning it and getting a tally of all the nuts and bolts I need from the bolt store.

Since weber doesn't sell just the center burner alone I had to go to a third party vendor. I have a center burner coming from bbqparts.com in addition to a new ignitor, caster inserts, warm up basket, warming rack and the little mini hubcaps. I figured since I was paying one flat rate for shipping i'd load up on the little stuff. All totalled about $50.

I still need flavorizers which will most likely be the ebay ones as they are the right price. I also might need a grill grate but would like to save the money right now. We'll see about that, for now it's all about getting it ready to cook on.

The durawood will be replaced with some real wood. I'll probably go with the fir as the price is right and with a good stain will look fine. I need a handle and will probably just do a basic wood replacement without the fancy cutouts as I don't have those skills and really...it's just a handle (maybe I'll spring for an oak one).

I'll keep posting pictures and questions as I get them and a breakdown of the $$$ I'm spending on it

thanks again
 
Looks like you are on your way. Be sure to clean out the burner tubes while you have it apart. Be careful of the spider guards as they can break when you try to take them off.
Dirt and crud can still get inside the burner tubes. And I recomend spending the money on SS flavorizer bars. As for the grill grates, if they blast clean, they should be usable.
I prefer the cast over SS. They will leave amazing grill marks on anything you cook on it.
Keep the pictures and progress going.
 
Almost there. It's fully functional and I've officially retired that giant POS in the background forever. I've used the weber 4 nights in a row and couldn't be happier. I have a few things that still need to be fine tuned. The wood slats are next, the tank holder needs to be cleaned and mounted then I'll be done done.

I have a few issues I need some assistance on. The fire is uneven, very hot on the right and not so hot on the left. If it's all the way low it sputters like it's not getting to the end. The burners are all very clean and no holes are blocked. I have not had the time to pull it all out and see if it's a level issue or if I need to adjust things better. Any how, I've had a better grilling experience the last 4 nights even with uneven heat than I've ever had on any other grill so I'm very satisfied.

Here are a few pics, The grill grates were extremely rusty, I scraped the you know what out of them and after grilling on them for 4 nights in a row they look much better. I grill 3-5 nights a week so long term this will not be an issue.

Pic 1
Pic 2
 
You might check that the inside oft he burner tubes are clean and clear, no spider webs.
If that doesn't do it, you may need to adjust the burners. Heres a link to some assistance on it.

Grill Adjustment



And another.
Weber FAQ

Oh yeah, we have help here:
TVWB users
 
The burner tubes are spotless. When I had the grill apart I made sure to clean them out. No plugged holes and I replaced the middle burner with a brand new one. I'm going to take it apart today and see about the connections and look for something that might help. Hopefully that'll do it. Thanks for the links, those were helpful.
 
Hopefully its just a burner adjustment.
I don't know if the regulators can go bad, sohrt of leaking. If you seperate it from the tube, check the inside to make sure they are clear also. Does it have the spider guards? Tise have really timey holes to allow air in. Make sure those are not plugged.
 
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