How old is this cute little grill?

[Bruce]

If I was going to rehab a Genesis JR, I would probably convert to the plastic insert unless originality was a big issue.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Yep, I think Weber used a metal bracket on the earlier Genesis 1-5 grills and switched to the plastic one later.

Yes, that is absolutely correct. I have seen - and own - several very early Genesis and Jr. grills. They all used that metal bracket which makes sense in the old days of Weber. Whether Weber bought them (from that place mentioned?) or if they made them, I don't know. Replacing with plastic was a later addition, although it is also cleaner looking and easier.

 

[John G (Boston)]

Yep, I think Weber used a metal bracket on the earlier Genesis 1-5 grills and switched to the plastic one later.

Yes, the Genesis 2 that Hank stripped (and I continued stripping) seems to be a pretty early example. It had a few other oddities which I will post in a different thread.

-John (Boston)

 

[John G (Boston)]

Thank You everyone for providing all of this information. What a neat piece of Weber history.

I talked to the guy who has the Junior today and if all goes well I'm going to go get it. Way too cool to pass up. He said the frame is not rusted but that the lower cross member bolts rusted and let go. Then, after a few moves without the cross members, the welds at the top broke and the legs started to come off. Sadly, as can be seen, he drilled a lot of holes to kludge it together. He does not have the missing fold up table. He said the grill works great and he is getting rid of it because he has trouble fitting racks of ribs.

-John (Boston)

 

[Bruce]

I would probably not pay much for that grill. It is going to take some work to get it back into shape. Probably some welding at the least. The bottom cross members can usually be fixed with tube connecting nuts if they are not too rusted out, but the upper welds that seem to have broke will likely need re-welding. The drilled holes for his "Kludging" are what they are. You can maybe have the welder fill them in and grind off the excess. I am not sure if the side table is unique to the JR. If it is, that is going to be a tough replacement. If it uses the same swing table as the Genesis 1-5 grills of that era, then you should be able to find one of those fairly easily.

 

[Jon Tofte]

It won't be easy, that's for sure. But it CAN be done and will be a very cool survivor if given a new lease on life!

 

[John G (Boston)]

Well, it was a long drive out to Enfield CT and back due to the heavy thunderstorms. I will say that there was some pretty spectacular lightning. I did not have any time at all to look at the Junior when I got there. We were about to get nailed by one of the storms just as I got to the guy's house. So I paid the guy (45 bucks), took off the top (yup it's been painted), pulled the grills and flavorizers - put them in the tool bucket, and slid out the grease pan (wow, seemed to be pristine).

I loaded everything up in the little Prius, thanked the guy, and drove off just as the skies opened. Funny thing is no rain had fallen yet at the guy's house so the grill stayed dry. I was so tired when I got home that I just left everything in the car until today (and it was still raining anyway).

This morning I carefully unloaded all the goodies and looked everything over. I will post some pictures with descriptions...

-John (Boston)

 

[Jon Tofte]

Glad you rescued it! Look forward to pictures and seeing it come back to life. You have friends here also with Weberitis, so you will have help along the way as you need it.

 

[John G (Boston)]

First photo is the cookbox crossmember. Looks pretty good on the outside. Second photo is the cookbox mounting bolt nut. Not only is it still there but it is not a Kep nut. It appears to be a self locking nut. Clearly if this was an aircraft nut (nylon insert) it would have burnt up. Not sure what it is just yet.

Next photos are the worst rust areas. One is a lower crossmember and the other is one of the legs.

 

[John G (Boston)]

Here is the control panel and the way it mounts (two plastic buttons like some of the old Genesis). There appears to be oversplay on the control panel - hoping that's what it is and maybe it will clean up. We'll see...

Also, the serial number sticker (can't quite read it but it's still stuck on there). And, the data tag (which you CAN read). Pretty cool - there is the serial number

 

[John G (Boston)]

Check out the grease tray. These must be pretty hard to come by. It seems to be nearly perfect. I found a couple of little rust dots but hardly anything. And, look at that early style grease cup holder. The Genesis 2 that Hank stripped had the same type.

And, the wood shelves... The wood seems to be good and the Z bars are in great shape.

 

[John G (Boston)]

The manifold is mounted with thumbscrews that thread into the cookbox (like the Genesis 2 that Hank stripped). I expected a Genesis 1 manifold with a plug in the center port but NOPE - this manifold was made special for the Junior with just two ports (front and rear).

Next is a comparison between the manifold hanger from the Junior (left) and one from a Silver. The upper hook is totally different and check out how far UP the curved fingers go.

Third photo shows the slot cut in the front burner, lined up with both the match hole and the sparker. The spider screens are plastic just like a 1000.

Fourth photo is the tank gauge. The pointer is straight instead of zigzag like a 1000.

 

[John G (Boston)]

Check out these odd wheels - maybe early production?

 

[Steve Hoch]

Check out these odd wheels - maybe early production?

Yep, that's what all the wheels looked like on the Gen 1-5 models. I think you may have a diamond in the rough there despite the frame issues.

 

[LMichaels]

That nut did not have nylon in it. I remember from my original Genesis 2. It was sort of "cone" shaped. Because there were "slots" in it and they were compressed. This way when the nut went on the bolt they "gripped" the threads. What's funny is I have no clue why Weber used hardware like that on a piece that clearly did not vibrate or would ever come loose on it's own, let alone after years of carbon buildup

 

[Bruce]

Yep, you will likely have to just twist that bolt off and hopefully the other end is not frozen in the cook box. I agree, you have a restorable grill there. The biggest issues will be fixing up the frame. But that is doable. Good luck. Thanks for the pictures and keep us apprised of your rebuild.

 

[THyde]

Great save, nothing looks too far gone.

The hood is painted, is it black underneath or will we be thrilled with red when you get to it?

 

[John G (Boston)]

Yep, you will likely have to just twist that bolt off and hopefully the other end is not frozen in the cook box. I agree, you have a restorable grill there. The biggest issues will be fixing up the frame. But that is doable. Good luck. Thanks for the pictures and keep us apprised of your rebuild.

Believe it or not, the nut and bolt came right out. I hit it with PB blaster, waited a while, and then gave it a light try. So many I've seen where the bolt shank is rusted away and thinned down (inside the frame tube) that they just snap off. Nut came right off. And, I soon saw why. The nut is a spring-steel, formed acorn nut (with a through-hole).

The bolt is not even rusted where it goes through the frame. So far I was able to get one of the manifold mounting thumbscrews out but the other one is stuck. I'm feeding it a steady diet of PB blaster - I'm in no hurry - don't want to cause any unnecessary damage. I'll add pics...

 

[John G (Boston)]

Great save, nothing looks too far gone.

The hood is painted, is it black underneath or will we be thrilled with red when you get to it?

I'm itching to know as well. I might have to clean off a little spot and see.

 

[John G (Boston)]

Here's the cookbox mounting bolt and the formed spring-steel nut. Not even rusted at all where it goes through the frame.

The igniter looks untouched (of course, we can't really tell). But the dust covering everything under the control panel was pretty uniform, including on the igniter and the wires. Note the rubber washer, which was installed between the igniter and the painted front panel. I've not seen that before - maybe only used on these little grills.

Last photo... Here she is all in pieces.