Make your own eyelets/grommets for under $5


 
i wen't out to get some of that rod and the only thing i could find was steel even though it was brass colored. i'll keep searching.
 
That is probably what I used on mine. So far I have had mine in for almost a year with absolutely no corrosion issues what so ever. I live in Oregon with lots of moisture in the air year round, but I do have a covered porch. I think one thing that helps is that the metal gets seasoned and protected by the smoke over time.
 
I think (but I'm not sure) that the eyelets from the Guru folks use the existing holes. That way you don't have to worry about drilling metal and chipping porcelain. Nothing wrong with this mod but if you car about a porcelain chip or don't have the tools, it might be worth some money to get the eyelets as opposed to making your own for a lot less.

If you're really cheap, you can do like I do and just run wires under the lid
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Anyway, I like it. Nice mod.
 
Originally posted by Jerry N.:
I think (but I'm not sure) that the eyelets from the Guru folks use the existing holes. That way you don't have to worry about drilling metal and chipping porcelain. Nothing wrong with this mod but if you car about a porcelain chip or don't have the tools, it might be worth some money to get the eyelets as opposed to making your own for a lot less.

If you're really cheap, you can do like I do and just run wires under the lid
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Anyway, I like it. Nice mod.
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I have always ran my under the lid. After 4 years of shutting the lid on the wires, they went out. I use NuTemps, they were fairly cheap to replace.

Definetly going to try this one out
 
Did this last night, but I used a different part. It was in the same lamp section, this way I didn't have to cut the rod.

I definetly needed the nuts to hold it on. The rod threaded in, but was a little loose in the middle.

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My battery in my drill wasn't charged, so I don't have pictures of the second one finished.

One thing I just though about, I wonder if both probes would have fit through 1 hole.
 
I had read someones suggestion on this and just finished completing my mod. Went to Home Depot and got 3/8 brass inserts (bag of 2 for $1.53) and 1/4 E-clips (bag of 2 for $0.50). Removed one top rack bolt and one lower rack bolt (different sides). Since in the other post they talked about the E-clip siding from time to time I marked my insert and with a pair of cutters.I scored a small slot in the insert to hold the clip tight. While doing this I also added 6mm flat washers to my top rack because I have had it fall when removing stuff off. Probe fits perfect and no need to drill any holes. Can't wait to get the grilling started tonight.

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Nice job,
Just curious, will the probe go all the way in side? I temp my meat to to see how things are progressing.
 
The probe I have has a 90 degree angle and won't go all the way in so we are going to feed it through the top vent. If the insert was cut shorter I am sure it would
 
I used the lamp rod as well. Got the lamp rod, nuts, and caps. I want to keep the wasps out. I put two ports in and have plenty of rod and nuts left if I decide I need more.

Use tape to keep the bit from wandering, a sharp drill bit that is the proper size, and drill slow til' you're through the porcelain.
 
Originally posted by Rob Redman:
The probe I have has a 90 degree angle and won't go all the way in so we are going to feed it through the top vent. If the insert was cut shorter I am sure it would
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That is why I picked the size that I did, my probes have that 90° bend as well. I was going to use smaller diameter rod, but the 90° bend wouldn't go through... lol.
 
Just did this mod using the parts suggested from Home Depot. No chipping and it worked out excellent. I did not need to chamfer the hole, the rod threaded in perfectly. I also just used the 3/8 drill bit only instead of drilling a pilot hole and then enlarge. Thanks for the tip.
 
Originally posted by JIRodriguez:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J Reyes:
Not sure if this was mentioned before, but you can also go to your auto parts store and ask for brake line nuts. They come in different sizes and are brass.

Below is an example.

http://www.autozone.com/autozo...ts&fromString=search

John
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Dang! Those are slick, wish I had known about those when I came up with this originally I would have used those in a heartbeat! Nice find! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

i just checked for the 4/16" one, it's like $4.49 for a pair though.
 
Newbie 22.5 owner with naive question...
Will the 1/8 inch grommets work with the ET-732 probes?

I've also seen 1/4 inch lamp kits available as well, but I did not want to make bigger holes than absolutely necessary.

Thanks,
 
Originally posted by David Cleveland:
Newbie 22.5 owner with naive question...
Will the 1/8 inch grommets work with the ET-732 probes?

I've also seen 1/4 inch lamp kits available as well, but I did not want to make bigger holes than absolutely necessary.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

1/8 inner size should work fine.

I did the lamp rod mod and it worked great. I am doing it on both performers and the 22 WSM this weekend. I also picked up the caps for $0.98 per 2 pack to seal them up when not in use.

The pack of lamp rods and bought had them precut. Last night I was in the garage and notice that both the smallest ones (which I used on the 18 WSM) and the 2nd to smallest ones would allow the bend in the probe to go through.
 
Thanks for the great tips all. I did this with the threaded lamp hardware, but decided to use one of the existing holes for the grill strap. I had been using the BBQ Guru eyelet kit, but when my ET-732 arrived, the probes would not fit. I removed the Guru eyelet and drilled out the hole in the middle section and the grill strap just big enough to fit. I like the look and also enlarging an existing hole seemed easier with less chance for error. I used a step bit.

I used heavier duty SS nuts for peace of mind since it is structural. I will try to post a pic soon.

Marcus
 
I was thinking of using the exsting hole(s) as well. Could you post a pic or 2 of how you did it? Btw, the crimp on the ET-732 probes doesn't even come close to fitting through the Guru grommetts. Keep these ideas coming.
 
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