Is This A Worthwhile Project or An Invitation to Insanity


 
A silver B with cast iron grates for $20? I'd buy it.

BTW, those knobs are only $5 each directly from Weber (you have to phone in and talk to an actual person to order, $7 flat rate shipping).
 
I'd be a little leery of one that's been used as a charcoal grill. Charcoal does burn hotter than gas and if the poster did not use restraint with it I would lay odds the cook box has sustained damages
 
My question is why is he using it as a charcoal grill? Did the gas unit die for some reason? Also charcoal ash is pretty corrosive especially in a damp environment. Bet the burners and FBs are toast if there still in there.
 
Well without actually looking at it, I'm sure it's fine as far as heat goes.

Late 06 into 07 I designed and prototyped a gigantic charcoal grill that was in a Summit cook box and frame. From a few feet away it looked like a gas grill with one control -dual gas assist taken from the Performer torch. Then a 4 bar mechanism on the right and the left to raise and lower the charcoal (all under the standard Summit cook grate positions. The thing was an absolute beast.

There were some issues that could have been worked out as it was only a breadboard/concept. They didn't think people would care for the look of a gasser that was charcoal and vice versa. And into the scrapyard it went.....

At the time, the whole idea of SEAR was seared on everyone's brains. At one point even my oncologist was asking how to get a sear on his grill.

Anyway, heat from charcoal or gas isn't a problem. I send up my gassers to peg the thermometers and burn off the grates and cookbox. Often I just move the charcoal crates or the Q grate over for burn off as well.
 
Summit is a different animal. It has a steel cook box not cast aluminum like a Genesis. Just witness the many damaged cook boxes on a Genesis from nothing more than grease fire. A charcoal fire (especially one with hardwood lump) is even hotter. It CAN be done safely if precautions are taken i.e. a separate steel/stainless steel "enclosure" for the charcoal. I have done this on my own Genesis with no damage BUT the charcoal was contained and this gave air space so as not to damage the aluminum.
 
No. This was when I worked at Weber R&D and used an ACTUAL Summit gas grill cook box with charcoal. It was not damaged and it can be done. Then again, I did engineer it.
 
If you were answering "me" Mike you did not read my post correctly. Look it over carefully where I go over the difference between a steel cook box and a cast aluminum one.
 
I wouldn't bother with it. You can find a lot better situations for fixing up and rehabbing a gas grill that hasn't been converted to coal. You are likely to have to replace the flavorizer bars and burners at the very least and probably the igniter. The cooking grate might be OK, but who knows about the manifold and other parts could need replacing as well. No way to tell with the condition it is in.
 

 

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