Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I have been searching for quite a while for a grill I can use to salvage my fiasco purchase of a "Snap-On" grill for $100. The Snap-On look, I think, is kind of cool. The piece of junk grill Snap-On chose to put their faux cabinetry and logo on is a whole different story.
I did a purge a while back, and I sent the junk, rusted-out parts from this stupid purchase to the scrap yard run by the maintenance department in the community I manage.
I kept the Snap-On "tool box" fronts and, of course the logo (cheaply made
). In considering options, I concluded that the 2009-2012 3-burner Spirit was the right grill to try and adapt the leftover parts to create a "Weber Snap-On" grill. I am hoping that if I can get enough of the Snap-On look while using a Weber as the platform that I will create a much more salable grill.
Why this Spirit?
Lurking underneath all that low grade stainless is the very LAST GASP of the original, classic Genesis we all love. Weber carried over the Genesis firebox and the original E-W burner/cross-over ignition configuration for one last run on this grill. Running through 2012 that works out to over a 25 year run for this basic design. WOW, George, that is pretty amazing!
My plan is to replace the cabinet doors with the Snap-On tool box fronts. Then redo everything to make it look as good as possible. This will be aided by the interchangeability of parts of which I have many accumulated. This grill came with Weber OEM stainless rod grates. I will definitely re-use those though probably not on this restore.
The good news, besides the grates, is that this grill has a decent looking side burner, unique knobs, and some other parts.
The bad news is that the bottom of the cabinet is a lost cause. The flavorizers are shot and, of course, the electric start and gas collector, too. I guess you can't get it all for $60. I was able to use more "Amazon Discover points" and get a new igniter set and new burners with no cash outlay. I already have a set or two of new stainless flavorizers, including a set from Qlimetal that I am pretty impressed with.
My plan includes repainting everything that is black Snap-On red. Maybe even swap out the hood with a red one. Hopefully I can finagle a deal from Weber on a replacement for the bottom. I registered the grill already and will call them. If not, I will have to either bite the bullet and raise my price or find a second Spirit that has a usable bottom and other stuff I can part out for further use since many fit Genesis Silver grills.
One last interesting feature of this grill is that the slide out drip tray in this grill was redesigned to work like the one on the Genesis 300 series grills. The drip pan is held in a holder attached to the cabinet and is off to one side.
I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. Probably many would say again to cut my losses and run. I think it will be a fun and unusual project and up my alley. I am also extra glad it is based on a WEBER grill rather than some other brand.
I did a purge a while back, and I sent the junk, rusted-out parts from this stupid purchase to the scrap yard run by the maintenance department in the community I manage.
I kept the Snap-On "tool box" fronts and, of course the logo (cheaply made
). In considering options, I concluded that the 2009-2012 3-burner Spirit was the right grill to try and adapt the leftover parts to create a "Weber Snap-On" grill. I am hoping that if I can get enough of the Snap-On look while using a Weber as the platform that I will create a much more salable grill.Why this Spirit?
Lurking underneath all that low grade stainless is the very LAST GASP of the original, classic Genesis we all love. Weber carried over the Genesis firebox and the original E-W burner/cross-over ignition configuration for one last run on this grill. Running through 2012 that works out to over a 25 year run for this basic design. WOW, George, that is pretty amazing!
My plan is to replace the cabinet doors with the Snap-On tool box fronts. Then redo everything to make it look as good as possible. This will be aided by the interchangeability of parts of which I have many accumulated. This grill came with Weber OEM stainless rod grates. I will definitely re-use those though probably not on this restore.
The good news, besides the grates, is that this grill has a decent looking side burner, unique knobs, and some other parts.
The bad news is that the bottom of the cabinet is a lost cause. The flavorizers are shot and, of course, the electric start and gas collector, too. I guess you can't get it all for $60. I was able to use more "Amazon Discover points" and get a new igniter set and new burners with no cash outlay. I already have a set or two of new stainless flavorizers, including a set from Qlimetal that I am pretty impressed with.
My plan includes repainting everything that is black Snap-On red. Maybe even swap out the hood with a red one. Hopefully I can finagle a deal from Weber on a replacement for the bottom. I registered the grill already and will call them. If not, I will have to either bite the bullet and raise my price or find a second Spirit that has a usable bottom and other stuff I can part out for further use since many fit Genesis Silver grills.
One last interesting feature of this grill is that the slide out drip tray in this grill was redesigned to work like the one on the Genesis 300 series grills. The drip pan is held in a holder attached to the cabinet and is off to one side.
I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. Probably many would say again to cut my losses and run. I think it will be a fun and unusual project and up my alley. I am also extra glad it is based on a WEBER grill rather than some other brand.
Last edited:
in front of the Snapon grill 
