It was free!

[Jon Tofte]

I haven't been able to get started on my grills yet, because of my sincere effort to put family first and, believe it or not, there are still tax clients following up with me...

I passed up on a chance to buy some great Weber GBS parts cheap and, worse yet, a pretty nice Genesis 1 for $40. I didn't go for it because of the long distance - all were on the west coast of Florida. It would have been a six hour round trip, and when you add gas, well...So, I accepted that I already have way too much and don't need to spend more $ or time. But, then this:

A Weber Genesis Silver A - last version - FREE and NOT FAR AWAY! The ad was posted on OfferUp for only a few minutes when I responded. The seller started messaging me and said "Are you sure?" I said absolutely and confirmed that I wasn't that far away. She said she had been bombarded by inquiries in just a few minutes but that she would take down the ad and it was mine.

OK, it was free, so you can't expect everything, but here is what I got:

The cabinet doors were tied shut, but they actually still grip as well as most of this simplistic Weber design. Inside, the cabinet had the to be expected rusty bottom but not as bad as many I have seen. Could be salvageable.

The bad news inside the firebox: This grill didn't get cleaned very often - if ever. Flavorizers completely gone, burners shot, igniter dissolved, porcelain coated cast iron grates chipped and rusting. Good news is that I have a new OEM burners set I got in a trade. Will look for a modest price option on the flavorizers and may even try to take on the cast iron with a grinder bringing the top down to raw metal.

At least the initial investment was as low as can be hoped for! The frame doesn't seem too bad, so hopefully I can breathe some life into this and make a nice smaller grill for someone and a few bucks for myself. I know, I wouldn't put too much stock into that comment, either!

 

[DaveW]

Nice grab. I'm sure you'll have that looking close to factory fresh in no time. Not seeing any obvious holes in the bottom, so you might very well be able to save the bottom pan. Not sure that you'd be able to make it glass smooth without using some filler, but it could still look good.

I was actually thinking about bottom pans last night. Near as I can tell, the solid pan on the open carts prior to 2004ish seem to not have many rust problems at all. On the closed cart models around 2005ish, there started to be some problems. BUT, the ones that had hangers inside for the tanks aren't usually that bad. Where the problems really started, from what I can tell, is when they started putting the cut out for the propane tank in the bottom pan.


Then again, I could be totally and completely wrong

 

[Dave in KC]

No way you can pass up a freebie like that even if it just for the parts.
Hood, black side handles, wheels, knobs all look great.

 

[Bruce]

Free is free. No chance for a mistake other than a bit of time and gas. Good score Jon.

 

[Stefan H]

Great score. One (wo)man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Nothing beats free. But this will take a lot of elbow grease to get it clean. Looking forward to seeing it all sparkling again.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Nice grab. I'm sure you'll have that looking close to factory fresh in no time. Not seeing any obvious holes in the bottom, so you might very well be able to save the bottom pan. Not sure that you'd be able to make it glass smooth without using some filler, but it could still look good.

I was actually thinking about bottom pans last night. Near as I can tell, the solid pan on the open carts prior to 2004ish seem to not have many rust problems at all. On the closed cart models around 2005ish, there started to be some problems. BUT, the ones that had hangers inside for the tanks aren't usually that bad. Where the problems really started, from what I can tell, is when they started putting the cut out for the propane tank in the bottom pan.


Then again, I could be totally and completely wrong

DaveW,
I think you are pretty much dead on. The three-burner E-W Spirit I picked up recently was really nice - except for that atrocity of a bottom with the tank holder hole you mentioned. It is a shame because it was a nice grill in a number of ways - most importantly being the very last with the classic Genesis 3-burner layout. They could have made it a WAY better grill by just making that one piece stainless or even by just using a wire rack design. I dream of having the chance to talk to some Weber designer/engineer people and say “Com’on guys! Fix this one aspect of your grills and your reputation will make a big comeback.”

I am going to give that plain steel bottom a good hard try. Not expecting perfect, but hopefully a thorough sanding and coat of POR-15 will give it a new lease on life.

 

[Jon B in MN]

Nice find, that should clean up nice

 

[TGodsil]

Was the Silver A made in China? I have a Spirit (Made in China), that originally had the same rusty bottom as your grill did.
I've read in a few places that the rust is caused by parking the grill on cement, but I think the powder coating process is to blame. Some of the paint came off just replacing a new bottom pan on my Spirit. It's a very soft paint/coating.
I was going to put truck bed liner on the replacement bottom pan, but figured if the old one lasted 7 years, I can at least enjoy this grill another 3-4.
I'm also theorizing having a cover over the grill an hour after it has cooled is building condensation inside the cabinet, but could be wrong.
That is weird they put hose clamps around the burner tubes.

 

[Dave in KC]

Jon, you can buy a new floor pan for that, for about $40.
I have gone that route a couple of times now.

 

[LMichaels]

Honestly for free pretty hard to go wrong. Looks like a pretty salvageable little grill

 

[DaveW]

Was the Silver A made in China? I have a Spirit (Made in China), that originally had the same rusty bottom as your grill did.
I've read in a few places that the rust is caused by parking the grill on cement, but I think the powder coating process is to blame. Some of the paint came off just replacing a new bottom pan on my Spirit. It's a very soft paint/coating.
I was going to put truck bed liner on the replacement bottom pan, but figured if the old one lasted 7 years, I can at least enjoy this grill another 3-4.
I'm also theorizing having a cover over the grill an hour after it has cooled is building condensation inside the cabinet, but could be wrong.
That is weird they put hose clamps around the burner tubes.

All the Genny's have been made in the US, at least up until recently. I'm not sure where the current ones are made. Somewhere floating around here is a link to the history of Weber and Ducane. From what I recall, Weber bought out Ducane and moved the manufacturing of them to China or something like that. If you look at a 2005 Genny C and a 2006 Spirit they appear to be identical. The Genny was produced in the US, the Spirit (from what I understand) was manufactured in China.

 

[LMichaels]

You are correct. Weber did buy up Ducane and used it as a kind of weird competitor to itself. There were some VERY high quality Ducane grills they sold that were all 304SS and typically had very high end features i.e. rotisserie burners, dual side burners and so on. Typically called "Meridian" and than they had the more mundane models selling about the same price point as Spirits and maybe a little less but very poorly made. Performed very well but very cheap materials and had fire boxes failing within just months Spirit grills were always made in China once they began calling them Spirit. If you recall what became the Spirit was first the Genesis Silver A. When it began being made in China it became the Spirit
Now it appears Weber has moved the bulk of Genesis production to China as well except for the higher end LX series which they have kept SOME of the assembly here in the USA.

 

[Sam Bee]

Just picked up this gem because hey, it was free also!

It's an 05 Platinum B. I do have the hood, just didn't take a pic of it because I was lazy to unload it early this morning. Of course it does have rust in the usual areas, if I can't salvage the cabinet then I'll turn it into an open cart just like the one I did for my C. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do with this one after it's rehabbed because I already have a C but of course my "gotta get it because it's a rare gem" instinct kicked in as soon as I saw it and I'm kind of glad it did because the seller told me she had 5 other people lined up for it and I just happened to be the first one that asked for it. It went up on CL and the posting didn't even last for 30 mins! So after it's rehabbed what do you think is a good asking price for this one assuming this one will have new guts and stuff and, of course, this one has the stainless frame that a lot of people look for...?

 

[Bruce]

Yah, too bad about those bottom panels, but you have the start of a great project there.

 

[DaveW]

You are correct. Weber did buy up Ducane and used it as a kind of weird competitor to itself. There were some VERY high quality Ducane grills they sold that were all 304SS and typically had very high end features i.e. rotisserie burners, dual side burners and so on. Typically called "Meridian" and than they had the more mundane models selling about the same price point as Spirits and maybe a little less but very poorly made. Performed very well but very cheap materials and had fire boxes failing within just months Spirit grills were always made in China once they began calling them Spirit. If you recall what became the Spirit was first the Genesis Silver A. When it began being made in China it became the Spirit
Now it appears Weber has moved the bulk of Genesis production to China as well except for the higher end LX series which they have kept SOME of the assembly here in the USA.

I'd quibble just a bit with a complete history. The first Spirits were made in the US around the time of the 1000 - 5000 Genny generation. When the Gold/Silver gen came out, I could be wrong, but I think the Spirit was discontinued at the time. I'd have to check some old catalogs to be sure. (BTW, I'm piecing this together as opposed to actually knowing/remembering it from back at the time)

Anyways, Weber moved Ducane to China first to experiment with manufacturing there without messing with their main brand, i.e. Weber. Once they were satisfied, they did a redesign of the Genny's introducing the E310 and the E320 (and variants) in 2006 or 2007. The design / form factor that had been the 2005 Genny Silver/Gold A/B was continued as the Spirit line and was manufactured in China I believe. This is the model that from any distance, looks almost identical to the 05 Gennys, save for the Spirit logo emblazoned in the basket.

In 2009, the Spirit line was redesigned and looked more like the current Genesis line at the time.


EDIT: Dang it. I read an article one that went into some of what I mentioned above. I know that a link to it was posted here at TVWBB, but I can't find it. Was a very interesting read.

 

[TonyS T-Bone]

Hey Jon on your free Silver A, do you know if that condiment "rack" would fit nicely on a Silver B? Width-wise? I understand that a hole or two may have to be drilled...

 

[Jon Tofte]

Just picked up this gem because hey, it was free also!

It's an 05 Platinum B. I do have the hood, just didn't take a pic of it because I was lazy to unload it early this morning. Of course it does have rust in the usual areas, if I can't salvage the cabinet then I'll turn it into an open cart just like the one I did for my C. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do with this one after it's rehabbed because I already have a C but of course my "gotta get it because it's a rare gem" instinct kicked in as soon as I saw it and I'm kind of glad it did because the seller told me she had 5 other people lined up for it and I just happened to be the first one that asked for it. It went up on CL and the posting didn't even last for 30 mins! So after it's rehabbed what do you think is a good asking price for this one assuming this one will have new guts and stuff and, of course, this one has the stainless frame that a lot of people look for...?

Sam,

You did really luck out to get a stainless Platinum - a 2 year only model - for FREE!!! I love this version of the Genesis other than that lousy cabinetry. Such a shame that they would make just about a perfect version of the Genesis and mess it up by being cheapskate about using a little more stainless.

That bottom piece is a real drag and expensive to replace with a new piece that will again just rust out in time. I am a slow poke, but I have been working on my Platinum. I am in the middle of replacing that bottom piece with two horizontal stainless square tubes to go back to a real frame like Weber used to use. For the bottom, I have been considering using durawood slat trays with the holders made out of unpainted aluminum. That leaves the back and sides. I am going to at least investigate what a sheet metal shop would charge for making replacement pieces for these, since they would also work on the Silver and Gold B/C models. Probably too much. Maybe I could afford just to make a run of the backs that seem to be the next part to fail after the bottom. It is a relatively simple design. The get a stainless - or aluminum - bottom like Weber made will definitely cost because of all those bends. It might be possible to combine my frame tube idea with a simpler bottom stainless tray that just rests on top of it. A lot less bends to hand make.

Anyway, I hope you can find a way to bring your Platinum back rather than parting it out. These are really nice grills that keep the classic Genesis tradition just dressed in a more modern - and practical style. Much easier to clean. I also like the higher stance compared to my Skyline which is on an old-style Genesis 2000 frame.

 

[Jon Tofte]

It turns out that the Silver A is smaller in both length and width than the Silver B. Thus, parts like the condiment rack are not the same size. The Silver A piece is about 10 1/4" while the Silver B is a full 11". You could try to use the smaller A part on a Silver B, but obviously not the other way around.

I took this picture which shows a Silver B plastic condiment rack sitting on top of my Silver A with one installed. The perspective of the photo exaggerates the difference, but there IS a difference in size.

 

[Sam Bee]

Sam,

You did really luck out to get a stainless Platinum - a 2 year only model - for FREE!!! I love this version of the Genesis other than that lousy cabinetry. Such a shame that they would make just about a perfect version of the Genesis and mess it up by being cheapskate about using a little more stainless.

That bottom piece is a real drag and expensive to replace with a new piece that will again just rust out in time. I am a slow poke, but I have been working on my Platinum. I am in the middle of replacing that bottom piece with two horizontal stainless square tubes to go back to a real frame like Weber used to use. For the bottom, I have been considering using durawood slat trays with the holders made out of unpainted aluminum. That leaves the back and sides. I am going to at least investigate what a sheet metal shop would charge for making replacement pieces for these, since they would also work on the Silver and Gold B/C models. Probably too much. Maybe I could afford just to make a run of the backs that seem to be the next part to fail after the bottom. It is a relatively simple design. The get a stainless - or aluminum - bottom like Weber made will definitely cost because of all those bends. It might be possible to combine my frame tube idea with a simpler bottom stainless tray that just rests on top of it. A lot less bends to hand make.

Anyway, I hope you can find a way to bring your Platinum back rather than parting it out. These are really nice grills that keep the classic Genesis tradition just dressed in a more modern - and practical style. Much easier to clean. I also like the higher stance compared to my Skyline which is on an old-style Genesis 2000 frame.

Jon,

Yup, I did luck out on this grill. What sucks though is that I already have it in a C version so this will probably be rehabbed for sale or for a friend...not too sure yet. As far as the bottom goes I may just get some aluminum tubing and use those for the for the longer cross bars and put a Silver C basket on it and call it good. I'm not so sure though on how I would price this one to sell as it should be worth more than a regular gold B due to the stainless frame but the public doesn't know that kind of stuff or wouldn't even care and would probably back away at the asking price of $350. Of course it should be worth more that that but still...

 

[Sam Bee]

Another one for free...Genesis 3000

This one came with SS grates and an empty propane tank. Frame is still solid, no rust to be seen.

This was a pretty good weekend, as I picked up an 05 platinum B and now this Genesis 3000. I'm also seeing more vintage grills popping up in my area so be on the lookout. Tempted on getting this one...

https://offerup.com/item/detail/669593397/

but I better lay off for now lol.