It appears that some grease had spilled over from the drip trays onto the bottom of the cabinet which doesn't look great, but probably helps keep the rust away. I'll keep my eyes open for an enamel lid too.
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New member with some inquiries
- Thread starter Brendan
- Start date
Attempting to remove the firebox from the frame for transporting/cleaning:
I see a single bolt on the side opposite the burner control dials that needs to be removed. It appears to be the only one, but is quite rusted. I guess not a big deal if I break it as I should replace it with stainless anyways. I'm thinking the burners will need to be removed with the firebox, but do they slide off their "holders" (for lack of a better term) under the control dials or do they need to be unfastened?
I see a single bolt on the side opposite the burner control dials that needs to be removed. It appears to be the only one, but is quite rusted. I guess not a big deal if I break it as I should replace it with stainless anyways. I'm thinking the burners will need to be removed with the firebox, but do they slide off their "holders" (for lack of a better term) under the control dials or do they need to be unfastened?
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Yes, you can just twist that bolt off and replace it. You will also want to remove the manifold from the cook box on the other side in order to get the burners out. Do not remove the screws on the left side of the cook box that hold down the ends of the burners. They are place holders and not intended to ever be removed.
Thank you. Regarding that single bolt, is the inside threaded portion fixed to the cook box or just a loose nut that has rusted itself to the cook box? I've been spraying it with PB Blaster and giving it some small tweaks with the socket wrench, but it doesn't want to budge without snapping.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Very common Brendan.
Here is how I typically remove those frozen cook box bolts. But one disclaimer: There is the chance of ruining your cook box using this method. I have never had a problem and have used this method on probably a dozen cook boxes, but there is the chance of cracking the cook box. Since I usually have spares laying around, it is not a total disaster if I ruin one.
So, with that being said, this is how I do it. At least it is my first choice.
tvwbb.com
Here is how I typically remove those frozen cook box bolts. But one disclaimer: There is the chance of ruining your cook box using this method. I have never had a problem and have used this method on probably a dozen cook boxes, but there is the chance of cracking the cook box. Since I usually have spares laying around, it is not a total disaster if I ruin one.
So, with that being said, this is how I do it. At least it is my first choice.
HOW TO: Cook Box Frozen Bolt Removal
WHAT: This is a How To on one method of removing the frozen bolt in the cast aluminum cook boxes of various Weber grills. WHY: The cook box mounting bolt as well as the manifold mounting bolts tend to corrode due to aluminum and steel being in close proximity to each other. The dissimilar...
tvwbb.com
Thank you for that. I was actually able to arrange another way to get it home so I don't NEED to remove the cook box from the frame now, but if I do decide to do a proper restoration, I may give your method a go.Very common Brendan.
Here is how I typically remove those frozen cook box bolts. But one disclaimer: There is the chance of ruining your cook box using this method. I have never had a problem and have used this method on probably a dozen cook boxes, but there is the chance of cracking the cook box. Since I usually have spares laying around, it is not a total disaster if I ruin one.
So, with that being said, this is how I do it. At least it is my first choice.
HOW TO: Cook Box Frozen Bolt Removal
WHAT: This is a How To on one method of removing the frozen bolt in the cast aluminum cook boxes of various Weber grills. WHY: The cook box mounting bolt as well as the manifold mounting bolts tend to corrode due to aluminum and steel being in close proximity to each other. The dissimilar...
So I finally got it home and did a quick burger cook and so far so good. This is my first big boy BBQ and I noticed that the grates are much lighter weight than I expected. They are cast iron right? Also, is there a third-party cover that is recommended to fit this particular model? I don't have much interest in spending $100+ just to buy one with a Weber logo on it.
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Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I was trying to follow the trail of grills you were looking at. Could you post pictures of the grill and the grates? I am betting you have stamped stainless rather than cast iron.
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Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Brandon,
Those are stamped stainless grates (on a Gold model I wouldn't expect stamped regular steel with porcelain coating). So, yes, they are pretty lightweight. Some people really like cooking with these, and others do not. They don't retain heat like cast iron or thick stainless, but if they are, in fact, stamped stainless, other than weld failures they will last you a long time.
As far as covers, of course there is the Weber version, which I once had and liked very much:
King Kong is a favorite of many users looking for a better deal but still a quality product. The only negative I have heard is that they are kind of rubbery:
Here's another one on Amazon that gets pretty good reviews and is even cheaper. It appears it may be more breathable fabric like the Weber OEM cover:
Those are stamped stainless grates (on a Gold model I wouldn't expect stamped regular steel with porcelain coating). So, yes, they are pretty lightweight. Some people really like cooking with these, and others do not. They don't retain heat like cast iron or thick stainless, but if they are, in fact, stamped stainless, other than weld failures they will last you a long time.
As far as covers, of course there is the Weber version, which I once had and liked very much:
King Kong is a favorite of many users looking for a better deal but still a quality product. The only negative I have heard is that they are kind of rubbery:
Here's another one on Amazon that gets pretty good reviews and is even cheaper. It appears it may be more breathable fabric like the Weber OEM cover:
Thanks for the info. There is one weld failure on the grates. I'm in Canada. The covers you recommended are considerably more expensive on amazon.ca even with the exchange rate factored in. Home Depot has a cover for $20 with lots of positive reviews, but the measurements are 70x24x47.5 so it would likely be contacting the ground. Still might be worth a try though.