Questions on restoring an SS performer


 
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Eric Deeds

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It seems as if lots of people on the forum have been scoring SS performers lately. This weekend, the same thing happened to me! My wife found a Green SS performer at the "swap shop" at the local dump; it is in pretty good shape, especially given the fact that it was free!

It is a "DD," or year 2000, model. It is missing the 5 lb propane tank, and it needs a new charcoal grate and one-touch cleaning system. I have been searching around the forum for advice on how to replace these components, but I still have a couple of questions.

First, since I have a post-2000 performer, it seems I can't use the general one-touch cleaning system replacement you can find on amazon and elsewhere; that replacement unit explicitly says it is intended for pre-2000 models. As far as I can tell, I may need something called a "hardware pack," but I can't seem to find this anywhere online. What exactly do I need, and where can I get it?

Secondly, I am thinking of converting the gas system to use a 20 lb tank, since these are cheaper and more readily available. I found posts recommending the Hansen Gas-Mate II:

Hansen Gas-Mate II

Would this work? Are there any other options? I have read that the gas-mate is often difficult to extract from a tank once installed, so I was wondering if there were another way to do the conversion.

Is there anything else I should watch out for?

I've been reading this forum and website for a long time (especially while learning how to smoke things in my Weber OTS), so thanks to everyone for all of their advice!!
 
I've found that I like to be able to quickly move the Performer (very easy with four wheels). I originally thought it would be a sure thing to use a 20# tank. I've since re-thought this, especially since the little camper tank lasts so long. Remember, you're only gonna have it on for a couple minutes to light the charcoal/wood. Use a small camper tank first and see what you think.
 
I picked up the Weber brand quick connect adapter for the 20lb tank at OSH for about 12 bucks. But I agree with Chris that the smaller tank is much more practical. I believe that Weber Customer Support sells brand new 5 lb tanks for 50 bucks -- which is unfortunately a little pricey (but you did get the grill for free, so...). The replacement blades for the one-touch cleaning system should cost between 10 and 15 bucks and the charcoal grate should be about the same. You can get those from Weber Customer Support but OSH and Home Depot should carry those as well.

Bill
 
I agree that the 5 lb tank would help with portability, but the set up I have right now doesn't really allow me to move the grill around much anyway. I'll probably eventually spring for the 5lb tank (it does fit nicely on the grill and it looks very cool), but for now I'd like to use the 20 lb option.

Bill, do you know what the part that you got from OHS is called? I'm not sure exactly what I need to get! Is the part you have like the gas-mate II that I linked to?

Finally, as I mentioned before, my grill seems to be a 2000 model based on the date code on the lid damper. The ash catcher assembly, however, uses the bar brace to attach to the grill, rather than the newer tab-in-the-legs style. As far as I can tell looking at the manuals on the Weber web site, it seems that 2000-year performers came with the newer style ash catcher. It is conceivable that the lid and the grill are from different years, although the green color on both matches perfectly, and they seem to be about the same age. Does anyone know how I could check the age of the bottom part of the grill?
 
The part I got from OSH is, in fact, the Hansen Gas-Mate II. It came in a Weber package with the bar code number 0 77924 09800 0. I remember it costing in the 15 dollar price range.

My performer (blue and pictured in another thread) is also the old style that uses the bar to attach the ash catcher. I replaced the rusted out blades on mine with a brand new set and the fact that it was the older style with the bar didn't matter. The system works perfectly with the new blades.

Bill
 
It seems like the Gas-Mate II will work...thanks for the info! Do you have any trouble getting it in and out of the 20 lb tank?

The one-touch system on this grill is completely rusted together. The ash catcher bar itself is probably salvageable (I went at it with some steel wool this weekend, and I think there is enough material there), but I'm not sure at this point how to actually get the blades and the one-touch handle off since the bar, the handle, and the nut that the handle goes through beneath the bar are all solidly rusted together. Any thoughts on how I might be able to separate these parts so I can take out the old system and install a new one? I can see the thumb screw that secures everything together on the bottom, but there is no hope of getting that out--it is mostly broken, and it is so rusted I doubt it will be any help.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far!
 
You need to cut the handle on both sides of the nut as close to the nut as possible. The blades and nut will then push through the big hole in the bottom of the grill.

I had to do this on both of my SS Performers. I used a dremel tool with a cut off disc.

Wayne
 
The Gas-Mate II comes with a tool to install and remove it from the tank.

When I had to remove the blade assembly from my Performer I drilled down through it from inside the bowl and it eventually fell off.

Bill
 
Thanks for the replies guys--it seems I would have had to cut that piece off in some way, as you suggested.

It turns out, however, that I saw the following ad on Monday night:

Performer for sale

I emailed Justin and bought his grill--he had basically every piece I was missing, including the 5 lb tank. The grill that he had had a great bowl, with the new style ash catcher attachment (i.e. no bar to rust out). The bowl on my "found" performer really was in so-so shape (a fair amount of dings and rust on the outside), so I am pretty happy to get this new bowl in pretty much perfect condition. As a bonus, it is a "DD" and thus matches my lid (which I suspect was a replacement for a clearly petty old performer).

I'm now working on putting together a "Frankenformer" using the best parts of each! I'll post some pics when its complete...
 
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