• Enter the TVWB 27th Anniversary Prize Drawing for a chance to win a Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill! Click here to enter!

Genesis Grease Tray Rail Repair Options


 
E

EricGee

New member
Hi all,

New member who came across the site while fixing an old Genesis (I think (?) ca. late 80s/early 90s) I inherited. See pics - not sure of model. Side burner removed.

IMG_2527.jpeg

IMG_2526.jpeg

Grease tray rails rusted and broke. The bolts were in terrible shape and, long story short, everything I could have done wrong I did while removing them. Effort was there, unfortunately combined with zero skills. At this point, I have hardened drill bits broken in the bolt posts or the posts themselves are now short and cracked. The bolts for the manifold brackets also sheared and the washers to lock down the burners as well.

Cutting my loses, I took it to a welding shop to see if new posts could be welded on. The foreman was reluctant to mess around welding new posts with the firebox being cast aluminum. I asked if he could drill holes to bolt an angle bar that the grease tray could sit on, using the inch or so of metal just to the outside of the rail posts. He preferred to instead weld the angle bar. I’ve left the firebox with him, but I’m curious of your thoughts on best way to approach this. I came across a thread where broken rail posts were mentioned and another member noted there were a couple way of resolving this.

With the posts unusable in their current state, I don’t know how much gap there should be between the grease tray and the firebox (I seem to recall it was maybe between 1/2” to 1”, possibly a little less?). Is this gap important from a functional and/or safety perspective?

Great site and the restoration threads are encouraging me to get this grill looking sharp again.

Cheers and thanking you in advance.

Eric.
 
If your slide out grease try is in good shape, that is probably the best case scenario. As for remounting the grease try rails, that could be tricky. I would think a welder would be able to weld aluminum to the bottom to be a permanent grease tray rail(s).

The grease tray is right at 1/2" below the very bottom of the furthest outside edge of the cookbox. Note that this is on a Genesis 1000, but I would assume it is the same as the 1/2/3 models like what you have. I don't have easy access to my 1 or 2 for that measurement.

That being said, you can always keep your eyes out for a 1/1000 on marketplace if the welder cannot figure out a viable fix to get for the cookbox, and other parts you may end up needing.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9526.jpeg
    IMG_9526.jpeg
    188.3 KB · Views: 1
I think you have too many things to fix on that cookbox, with sheared bolts at three different important locations. You haven't even touched on the mounts for both the manifold and the burners., and they are more significant problems than mounting the drip tray..... I agree with Cory, any x or x000 box will fit, and a later one doesn't have the issue with burner thumb screws.....
 
I would think absolute worst case you could drill through the firebox, use threaded rod and make your own stanchions for it
BTW it is an old Genesis 1 likely pre-1990
 
LMichaels said:
I would think absolute worst case you could drill through the firebox, use threaded rod and make your own stanchions for it
BTW it is an old Genesis 1 likely pre-1990
Click to expand...
I recall someone doing just that posted somewhere along the way. And it seemed like a viable fix. Even cut some tube at the proper angle and it looked good to me. Just depends on how far you are willing to go.
 
This should be a Genny 3 since it has the frame for a side burner. You could try some high temp jbweld as a temporary solution and somehow recreate the post and add the rails. That should buy you some time while you look for another x000 fire box.

The washers that hold down the burners will never come out. Just GENTLY tap the burners back in place with a rubber hammer.

You're also missing some hardware for the flip table on the left. Might be best to get a complete x1000 and harvest the parts.

Keep in mind that if you need to cap the side burner port on the manifold if you decide to cover it to another side table. That's what I did on my Genesis 3.
 
I sincerely appreciate the comments. I'd say the grease tray is functional, but the edge that sits on the rail isn't in great shape.

The hope was to drill out the manifold mounting holes, and re-drill and install a washer for the burner. Frankly, the quoted price from the welding shop is likely going to be a chunk more than a used firebox/complete grill. More of those for sale than I expected, depending on how far I want to drive.

Picked up new flavorizer bars, burners and a manifold before everything went south. The manifold does come with a plug for the side burner port. Read elsewhere that Weber no longer makes the side burner hose. Options to replace?

Trying to wrap my head around the model differences. Another thread had a helpful brochure on the 1/2/3/4/5. What's the difference vs. 1000/2000/etc.?

Quick search brings up for sale nearby a Spirit 700 (which looks fairly similar to the Genesis, assuming the seller has ID'd the model correctly): is the firebox different? There also a Silver Series 3 (see pic).

Thanks again, it's much appreciated.

Weber 3.jpg
 
The best way I can say without getting super deep into the weeds for a quick ID, is by looking at the side tables. If it has wood or plastic slats, then you should do a bit more digging. Obviously it would have to have 3 burners (though the 900's did, but used a shallow box. But, if the bottom has 2 cross bars, with wood or plastic slats, the firebox should be what you are looking for. Someone correct me if I am wrong here. Those are the quickest/easiest identifier on the x000 models that I look at in pics. I think maybe the Genesis 1's may have only had the center crossbar, in which case the box would still be correct.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top