My eBay deal - 99 Performer Red Head!!


 
Chris Z

Chris Z

TVWBB Member
I was going through my eBay feed last week when a EE Code Performer Touch N Go Red Head popped up. The owner had it listed for "parts or not working". He had it listed for a starting bid of $39.95 or $64.99 Buy it Now. I spoke with him a few times and he said it needed a new lower bowl and one touch system. It was very weird because the pics showed a really nice looking grill. Long story short, the igniter is dead and the OTS was seized up. He called Weber and they told him the OTS was out of production and needed a new bowl to be able to use the current setup. Also kept telling me it needed a regulator. Even though I just bought a very nice Red O Code MT from Greg-S here, I kept telling myself I'd regret it if I didn't buy it. So I did .. for $64.99.

I took the ferry over from Long Island to CT to pick her up last night ... The owner called me on the way and said he sprayed penetrating oil on the OTS and freed it up. Cool! Got there and found the grill to be in amazing shape. The cart is near perfect with no rust whatsoever. Got it in the truck as quick as I could before he changed his mind and high tailed it back to Long Island. We even made the last ferry home! Needs a small but of cleaning and the OTS is definitely going to need to be addressed eventually .... But, she lights right up with a lighter, so the regulator is fine. I'm ordering a new cover and igniter from Weber today. I also noticed the oval holes in the bottom of the kettle are starting to rust, leaving some elongated jagged edges. I figure that's not that big of a deal as she is 15 years old and the holes feel solid... Here's a pic of her...

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Chris, I saw that grill in my ebay feed as well. I was in contact with the seller about the charcoal baskets. So I'll ask you too...Are you interested in selling them if they happen to be a spare set??? BTW, That's one beautiful looking RedHead...
 
Jim Lampe said:
very nice!
haven't seen a grill indoors before tho'... or is that a real nice garage? :D
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LOL .. No, it's my den. Got home late last night and the path into the backyard is full of leaves and branches from the recent wind storm we had ... The quickest way to my backyard is right through the house ... This grill is so clean, I didn't even give it a second thought. Plus, it gave me plenty of lighting to inspect and admire her! However, now that I look at it there is some clay in the wheels that I didn't notice... Probably from wheeling it out from the previous owner's backyard. Oops.. :p Wifey hasn't noticed it either ... Gotta get it out into the shed before she does!! LOL

Scott Zee said:
Chris, I saw that grill in my ebay feed as well. I was in contact with the seller about the charcoal baskets. So I'll ask you too...Are you interested in selling them if they happen to be a spare set??? BTW, That's one beautiful looking RedHead...
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Thanks Scott. I do plan on using the baskets. Sorry :(

Here's a couple of more pics from today ... With the exception of the elongated vent holes on the bowl, I'm amazed how clean this is....

Control panel and char bin...

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Threw a new wood handle and thermometer on the lid ....

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Thanks everyone! Really looking forward to cooking on it! And, yes Greg the cat escaped. He must approve as I caught him sleeping under it the night before I brought it outside.. LOL Thank you for the deal on the MT.

Here's a good outdoor shot next to my 2014 Performer ... I love my Copper Performer, but there's something about the look of these older Webers that's just plain cool.

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Also, here is a pic of the bowl vents ... See how rotted and elongated the edges look? Is there anything I can do to prevent this from getting worse?

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First thing you should do is clean it down to the bare finish - to see JUST how far deep the metal is corroded - if at all. A quick peek underneath the bowl would be the quick way to see how much damage has been done. If it's rusty to the point where the blades won't seal the opening your only option would be to buy a new bowl - probably have to purchase a matching bowl/lid pair if they're no longer manufacturing your color and have none left in stock.

If your vent openings have deep cancer as the pic indicates changes are good your leg mounts have it too.
 
W Tyler said:
First thing you should do is clean it down to the bare finish - to see JUST how far deep the metal is corroded - if at all. A quick peek underneath the bowl would be the quick way to see how much damage has been done. If it's rusty to the point where the blades won't seal the opening your only option would be to buy a new bowl - probably have to purchase a matching bowl/lid pair if they're no longer manufacturing your color and have none left in stock.

If your vent openings have deep cancer as the pic indicates changes are good your leg mounts have it too.
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When I look under the bowl, you see rusty ragged edges to the vent holes. The red porcelain isn't chipped at all. I tapped / poked at them with a flat head screwdriver tip and they seem solid, meaning the edges aren't gone to the point where the corrosion is so bad that they are crumbling. In fact, they are surprisingly solid. When I close the blades, the holes are completely covered with exception a couple of small areas (about 1/4" in length) that have maybe an 1/8" to 1/4" gap past the edge of the blade...

If I understand the operation of these kettles correctly, the only time the vents are completely closed is to shut down the grill. So I am thinking (and hoping real hard) that these gaps wont affect the grill too much, other than lengthening the shutdown time a bit. Does this sound correct? The leg holes are fine by the way. I'm thinking the previous owner must have had a habit of leaving ashes in the bowl for long periods without cleaning.

ChuckO said:
Nice BBQ congrats! Nice yard too
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Thanks Chuck! :wsm:
 
Chris Z said:
If I understand the operation of these kettles correctly, the only time the vents are completely closed is to shut down the grill. So I am thinking (and hoping real hard) that these gaps wont affect the grill too much, other than lengthening the shutdown time a bit. Does this sound correct?
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sounds correct to me. you should be fine. :wsm:
 
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