Question about Legs for Weber Smokey Joe (Pre-90s)

[JoeyRoland]

Hi all! First post and just discovering this whole world of Weber enthusiasts! I've always associated Weber with that classic Kettle and their upper-scale gas grills. After finding a little "picnic" grill, I think I'm jumping down this rabbit hole.

My Dad has been going through his garage and came across an old Smokey Joe. I'm really trying to get him to let things go and took it to find out what this thing is all about. He doesn't remember how he got it and it looked pretty old. In the end, found out it was a Smokey Joe Silver from 1986. I told him new ones were around $45 and it wasn't worth the TLC to keep something he doesn't even remember. Fine. But now I can't let it go...

I started working on the interior with a razor blade and steel wool and was blown away with the results. I soaked the wing nuts to the legs as well as the actual legs in Evaporust and got them up to par. But now I've hit a roadblock. My Dad never found the ash catcher and without it, the little grill just isn't stable. I don't have any metal lying around as a make-shift ash catcher so I started looking on the internet for a replacement. It must be a unicorn. All I can find are complete grills from that era or legs for the 93 and up series.

My question is, if I purchased legs for the current generation, would I need to modify the kettle in any way or is it just plug and play? I don't want to come off as cheap, but given a new WSJ is already under $50 heading into Black Friday, I'm looking to only spend about $20 to get this one back into shape and I'd love to replace at least the top grill grate, (I've gotten it pretty clean, but not completely happy on that front just yet). Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DanHoo]

Welcome Joey,

I was given a Smokey Joe in 1981. I recall the legs attached with wing nuts and there was no ash catcher. The legs could be removed and stored inside.

I kept it for 20 years until the bottom was rusting out.

Can you post pics of yours?

 

[DanHoo]

found this on weber kettle club. MIne was exactly like this.

1981 Smokey Joe - NIB - Weber Kettle Club

This nice old SJ belong to WKC member MartyG. Here’s the story to go with the pics: Thanks to a fellow member here in Chicago, (Thin Blue Smoke aka: Todd) I was able to secure this fine example of a Smokey Joe from the year my son was born – 1981. Finding an old kettle […]

weberkettleclub.com

 

[JoeyRoland]

Thanks for the reply - and welcoming Dan! My little guy has a different setup. I'm still learning about all the various models and Google just ain't what it used to be, but it looks like this '86, (H date code), is super similar to the current generation except that the legs are "rolled" steel instead of the flatter aluminum they use now. I tried taking a few pics. The inner pic kind of shows the wing nuts.

What's misleading is the upright pic of the legs. Trying to avoid spending too much, I figured I wouldn't need to worry about a traditional ash catcher and just get a disposable pie plate or something. Nope. Those legs don't stay still even with the wingnuts completely tightened. Seems like the ash catcher also acts like a form of stability. If the stock holes lineup, I'd definitely spring for the 90s-to-current-gen replacement kit.

 

[Kelly C]

Welcome to the forum Joey! Looks like you have a missing ash pan that could be obtained for little money from either Weber or a donor grill to put it back to how it was when your dad got it. I know dimensions of WSJ grates have not changed over the years so I presume they have not for the size and location of legs. It just depends on the look you are after. Someone here may even have a spare that you could get cheap.

 

[Richard in NS]

Welcome Joey. You could drill a hole in each of the leg tabs and screw or bolt a metal pie plate to them. That would probably give the rigidity you need. Also I would put small flat washers on the outside where the legs go through the bowl and fender washers on the inside to spread out the force on the rusted bowl. These pics are on a newer model but will give you the idea