Jason in CA
TVWBB All-Star
I'd like a Skyline sticker. O drat, I sold one and gifted the other. But at least I can go to my sister's house and use her gift. I'm thinking about doing that today. 
LarryS Genesis Platinum C resto-mod thread
- Thread starter LarryS
- Start date
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I can't take credit for the design on those, Bruce. The artistic guy in AZ made the artwork. He was kind enough to share, so I had my printer friend print them on vinyl type paper. I have tried contacting the guy in AZ, but he seems to have dropped of TVWBB.
After tax season, though, I might take a stab at seeing what this CPA can come up with for a "TVWBB gas grill section" sticker and a "Skyline Club" sticker. Chris does have "bullet" stickers already.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Club Stickers...Just Doodling
I try to take Sunday off from tax returns and trolling for grills on CL, OfferUp, etc. However, I thought it would be fun to just doodle a little with the idea of stickers for our TVWBB favorite grill clubs. Kind of started with the "Skyline Club" but other ideas could easily be added. I am NOT an artist, so I would welcome creative ideas to make these better.
One unfortunate thing is that there aren't many places on an open cart Genesis that would allow a decal to be placed should you be so inclined. Most of the flat metal gets too hot. Maybe some of you have ideas for that, too. Of course, you could also make badges or other uses for club logos.
I try to take Sunday off from tax returns and trolling for grills on CL, OfferUp, etc. However, I thought it would be fun to just doodle a little with the idea of stickers for our TVWBB favorite grill clubs. Kind of started with the "Skyline Club" but other ideas could easily be added. I am NOT an artist, so I would welcome creative ideas to make these better.
One unfortunate thing is that there aren't many places on an open cart Genesis that would allow a decal to be placed should you be so inclined. Most of the flat metal gets too hot. Maybe some of you have ideas for that, too. Of course, you could also make badges or other uses for club logos.
Entering the final stretch on this restoration job...
I used Chris A's excellent video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC0_5Uo2ueY that explains how to clean the valves. Mine were pretty grimy after 15 years, and the whole thing went very smoothly.
One thing I missed about the grill I had before this one is that the other one got hotter. So, I figured since everything is apart, I'd take Jon Tofte's advice in this post https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?76767-Genesis-II-E410-vs-LX-E440&p=844391&viewfull=1#post844391 and try to squeeze some more BTUs out.
LMicheals posted this link https://andersonforrester.com/conversion-chart/ which provides a mapping of orifice diameter to BTU output so I started math-ing. Spec on my grill says 36,000 BTUs, so the orifice diameter for each of the three burners should supply 1/3 of that, and according to the table should be 0.041" aka a #59 drill bit.
I took some numbered drill bits to see what one fit with almost no resistance to see where things were now, and it was a #60 bit or .040, yielding 11176 BTU per tube for a total of 33,528 BTU, a bit less than the rated specs. According to the chart, a #58 bit, 0.042 would yield 12,322 per burner, or 36,966 overall. I figured I'd go for that and see how that works out.
I ran the #59 then the #58 bits and they definitely took off some material. If you do this, make sure you have some compressed air available to shoot through the orifice from the outside in to clear out the brass shavings, and clean them out with a QTip dunked in solvent. I got plenty out and you don't want those guys grinding into your valves or clogging an orifice.
First pic below is one burner without any orifice mods. Second pic is the orifice reamed out to 0.042. I could see a difference, hopefully the pics show it. I'll cook with this for a while and see how it works. I can always go wider if I need to. Third pic is all burners on with the 0.042 orifices.
I need those extra BTUs to heat up my RCPlanebuyer 9mm grates!
I used Chris A's excellent video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC0_5Uo2ueY that explains how to clean the valves. Mine were pretty grimy after 15 years, and the whole thing went very smoothly.
One thing I missed about the grill I had before this one is that the other one got hotter. So, I figured since everything is apart, I'd take Jon Tofte's advice in this post https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?76767-Genesis-II-E410-vs-LX-E440&p=844391&viewfull=1#post844391 and try to squeeze some more BTUs out.
LMicheals posted this link https://andersonforrester.com/conversion-chart/ which provides a mapping of orifice diameter to BTU output so I started math-ing. Spec on my grill says 36,000 BTUs, so the orifice diameter for each of the three burners should supply 1/3 of that, and according to the table should be 0.041" aka a #59 drill bit.
I took some numbered drill bits to see what one fit with almost no resistance to see where things were now, and it was a #60 bit or .040, yielding 11176 BTU per tube for a total of 33,528 BTU, a bit less than the rated specs. According to the chart, a #58 bit, 0.042 would yield 12,322 per burner, or 36,966 overall. I figured I'd go for that and see how that works out.
I ran the #59 then the #58 bits and they definitely took off some material. If you do this, make sure you have some compressed air available to shoot through the orifice from the outside in to clear out the brass shavings, and clean them out with a QTip dunked in solvent. I got plenty out and you don't want those guys grinding into your valves or clogging an orifice.
First pic below is one burner without any orifice mods. Second pic is the orifice reamed out to 0.042. I could see a difference, hopefully the pics show it. I'll cook with this for a while and see how it works. I can always go wider if I need to. Third pic is all burners on with the 0.042 orifices.
I need those extra BTUs to heat up my RCPlanebuyer 9mm grates!
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Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I think you just demonstrated how you can pretty simply get around the de-tuning of grills by manufacturers. It would be especially appropriate to the Genesis II line, where Weber seems to clearly use the exact same burners but makes you pay a lot more to get 10% extra power on the LX models.
My only word of caution to us all is that a little goes a long ways as LarryS's pictures show. There are reasons they tune these grills down. If you get carried away - like I did on my The Judge "muscle grill" - you will have a potentially dangerous grill on your hands. No one wants a grill fire/melt-down on their deck!
My only word of caution to us all is that a little goes a long ways as LarryS's pictures show. There are reasons they tune these grills down. If you get carried away - like I did on my The Judge "muscle grill" - you will have a potentially dangerous grill on your hands. No one wants a grill fire/melt-down on their deck
!
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Upon closer look, the flavorizer bars are not looking so good, so placed another RCPlanebuyer order. They'll be here Wednesday.
LarryS,
You are going all out! It will be an extra nice grill and last you for years...plus it will have some umph!!!
If you'll recall, I was lamenting that the new lid that Weber sent me under warrantee was black instead of stainless. I just really like the all-stainless look, so today I undertook figuring out how to take the stainless shell and wrap it around the new black enamel hood.
First was to separate the rusted out liner from the stainless shell.
Most of the spot welds holding them together had come apart. One or two were still holding on for dear life, but it didn't take much to pry them apart. Here's the rusted out liner.
And here's the inside of the stainless shell, blackened from 15 years of use.
But some stainless is peaking out of that built up carbon.
So I took a paint scraper to it and yes, it looks like it might be worth cleaning up, so I clamped it to some sawhorses so I can take an angle grinder to it with a sanding disk.
At this point my wife comes outside and sees this and says "Larry, you really should wear some gloves so you don't cut your hands." You know, she's right so I go get some before taking to it. This will be important later....
Here it is sanded down - not pretty and the corners need some hand work but the inside won't ever be seen.
Here's the outside before refinishing.
In progress shot using the Klingspor sanding blocks mentioned earlier.
And the final result
Next up - wrapping the stainless skin around the new lid.
First was to separate the rusted out liner from the stainless shell.
Most of the spot welds holding them together had come apart. One or two were still holding on for dear life, but it didn't take much to pry them apart. Here's the rusted out liner.
And here's the inside of the stainless shell, blackened from 15 years of use.
But some stainless is peaking out of that built up carbon.
So I took a paint scraper to it and yes, it looks like it might be worth cleaning up, so I clamped it to some sawhorses so I can take an angle grinder to it with a sanding disk.
At this point my wife comes outside and sees this and says "Larry, you really should wear some gloves so you don't cut your hands." You know, she's right so I go get some before taking to it. This will be important later....
Here it is sanded down - not pretty and the corners need some hand work but the inside won't ever be seen.
Here's the outside before refinishing.
In progress shot using the Klingspor sanding blocks mentioned earlier.
And the final result
Next up - wrapping the stainless skin around the new lid.
LarryS,
You are going all out! It will be an extra nice grill and last you for years...plus it will have some umph!!!
Thanks Jon - hoping to make it better than new!
Lid wrapping part deux. Time to go all in.
I disassembled the new lid and removed the thermometer and nameplate. To get a feel for what I am up against, I just placed the stainless skin onto the new black lid. As you might expect, they are the same dimensions, so it's not going to just slide right on given the curved tabs that wrap around. I applied some pressure and heard some crunching noises, which turned out to be some of the ceramic coating of the new lid chipping off.
Ugh.
I lifted the stainless off to see what the damage was and the good news was that it was only on the edges, and would be covered by the sides in case I abandon this quest and keep the new lid as is. The bad news is those chips are really really sharp. The really bad news is I took my gloves off a few minutes before, and when I picked up the new lid I cut my fingers. Bleeding, I walk into the house to get some bandages, and my wife sees me and with some enjoyment says "So you didn't wear those gloves like I told you?". At this point in the day and in my marriage, I have learned not to throw facts out there like "it wasn't the stainless it was the ceramic", but I knew that fact would fall on deaf ears, so I bandaged my fingers up and got back to work.
So what to do about those tabs that wrap around at the exact same dimensions and radius as the new lid? I decided to cut most of them off, my logic being that I only need a couple to keep the stainless skin in place:
A sawzall was too big to use to cut the tabs off, and a jigsaw with a metal blade was causing the thin stainless to flap around, so I used tin snips and man was it a pain, especially with a couple fingers being messed up. Making these scraps made my forearms dang sore.
Next I placed one of the sides back on, and it was a real tight fit. Turns out even the small tabs I left on were unnecessary and were complicating the fitment, so on the second side I cut those off too. It definitely took some persuasion with that extra thickness, and I heard a little more ceramic crunching as I muscled them together. But I got it done! With gloves on of course.
The holes for the thermometer and nameplate didn't line up perfectly, so I had to ream them out to accept the trim.
And here's the end result - very happy with how it looks, and not too much ceramic was lost. Only thing making me a little nervous is what happens when this whole thing heats up and all that metal I forced together starts to expand....
I disassembled the new lid and removed the thermometer and nameplate. To get a feel for what I am up against, I just placed the stainless skin onto the new black lid. As you might expect, they are the same dimensions, so it's not going to just slide right on given the curved tabs that wrap around. I applied some pressure and heard some crunching noises, which turned out to be some of the ceramic coating of the new lid chipping off.
Ugh.
I lifted the stainless off to see what the damage was and the good news was that it was only on the edges, and would be covered by the sides in case I abandon this quest and keep the new lid as is. The bad news is those chips are really really sharp. The really bad news is I took my gloves off a few minutes before, and when I picked up the new lid I cut my fingers. Bleeding, I walk into the house to get some bandages, and my wife sees me and with some enjoyment says "So you didn't wear those gloves like I told you?". At this point in the day and in my marriage, I have learned not to throw facts out there like "it wasn't the stainless it was the ceramic", but I knew that fact would fall on deaf ears, so I bandaged my fingers up and got back to work.
So what to do about those tabs that wrap around at the exact same dimensions and radius as the new lid? I decided to cut most of them off, my logic being that I only need a couple to keep the stainless skin in place:
A sawzall was too big to use to cut the tabs off, and a jigsaw with a metal blade was causing the thin stainless to flap around, so I used tin snips and man was it a pain, especially with a couple fingers being messed up. Making these scraps made my forearms dang sore.
Next I placed one of the sides back on, and it was a real tight fit. Turns out even the small tabs I left on were unnecessary and were complicating the fitment, so on the second side I cut those off too. It definitely took some persuasion with that extra thickness, and I heard a little more ceramic crunching as I muscled them together. But I got it done! With gloves on of course.
The holes for the thermometer and nameplate didn't line up perfectly, so I had to ream them out to accept the trim.
And here's the end result - very happy with how it looks, and not too much ceramic was lost. Only thing making me a little nervous is what happens when this whole thing heats up and all that metal I forced together starts to expand....
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Phew - you scared me man!
And thanks for the compliment. I deleted my post.In your defense though, the original had an air gap between the liner and the stainless skin, where now there is not very much of one. Time will tell I guess.
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Well, she's done! Other than the new flavorizer bars coming this week.
I want to thank everyone who's been following along, for the advice and encouragement. You helped make it a fun project for me.
Below is a walkaround video of the finished product. The occasional blotchiness on the stainless is a result of the lighting - it looks a lot better in person.
Now I kinda wish I would have done more work on the firebox. Hmmm, maybe not to late? Wait - no - I need to cook some steaks - this job is done.
https://vimeo.com/324766442
I want to thank everyone who's been following along, for the advice and encouragement. You helped make it a fun project for me.
Below is a walkaround video of the finished product. The occasional blotchiness on the stainless is a result of the lighting - it looks a lot better in person.
Now I kinda wish I would have done more work on the firebox. Hmmm, maybe not to late? Wait - no - I need to cook some steaks - this job is done.
https://vimeo.com/324766442
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Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
LarryS,
I got to tell you, that is one really creative solution. I don't think I would ever have thought about wrapping a stainless hood around another regular hood. Wow! Sorry it cost you some blood, along with sweat and maybe tears. But, you have a grill that most anyone would envy in return for your sacrifice.
My Platinum inner shield is messed up like they all get. Since the grill is slated to be a "daily driver," I decided I would just have to live with it. You are doing the first class treatment - and then some - with yours!
CONGRATS on a truly excellent job.
I got to tell you, that is one really creative solution. I don't think I would ever have thought about wrapping a stainless hood around another regular hood. Wow! Sorry it cost you some blood, along with sweat and maybe tears. But, you have a grill that most anyone would envy in return for your sacrifice.
My Platinum inner shield is messed up like they all get. Since the grill is slated to be a "daily driver," I decided I would just have to live with it. You are doing the first class treatment - and then some - with yours!
CONGRATS on a truly excellent job.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Phew - you scared me man!
In your defense though, the original had an air gap between the liner and the stainless skin, where now there is not very much of one. Time will tell I guess.
I think you will be OK as far as expansion or too much heat getting to the stainless. The only thing I can say in defense of the inner shields that Weber uses is that, while they turn ugly way too fast, they do not seem to be susceptible to flaking carbon build-up. That is my one dislike of porcelain hoods. They are really good for that and require regular attention to avoid what inexperienced users think is paint pealing off. I think the constant barrage of phone calls to their customer service about this issue led to Weber putting heat shields on porcelain as well as stainless hoods.
