S-320 Re-Freshening

[DrewZ]

After finishing up the Genesis Junior, I spent a good amount of time browsing ads to find The Next Project. Instead, The Next Project was right under my nose the whole time. It's time to pay some long-overdue attention to my S-320 Natural Gasser. I bought it new in March 2008 as a belated 40th birthday gift. It has spent most of its life outside and covered, but outside is outside and Central NJ ain't San Diego. A few years ago, I got new burners under warranty. At that time, I also invested in stainless flavorizers, cleaned the valves and gave it a thorough cleaning. Running like a champ. Last year, the floor finally gave out after quietly rusting away. I cut some pressure treated lumber and used that as a long-term temporary fix to keep the grill stable. (Not pretty, but it has worked very well--no sign of rust on the lumber . A few weeks ago, I noticed the lid liner had rusted. Weber sent out a brand new one, and I promptly painted the kettle on the emblem red.

Unfortunately, that did nothing to fix the lower cabinet rust or make the casters roll.

Today I bought a used floor panel for $40. It has only a little surface rust that I will treat, and probably add a few layers of paint over.

Oh, and the floor panel came with a complete E-310 natural gasser. I plan on putting the best bits of both grills together, and selling off the 2nd-best as a complete running driving grill. More to come . . .

 

[Bruce]

That sounds great. I just hate that rust on those grills.

 

[Jeff MA]

Drew,
Nice find for $40. I know what you mean about sitting outside, especially on the East Coast with all the elements.

Don't tell me... you're turning the 320 into a 4-burner unit

Jeff

 

[Dan Leighton]

A couple of fittings and a used side burner will get it to 4 burners like mine. What would that be? a S-340?

 

[DrewZ]

Don't tell me... you're turning the 320 into a 4-burner unit

Jeff

Ha! Not this time. Pretty sure I'm going to keep this as vanilla as possible.

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

You might want to go ahead and throw a few coats of paint on that new used floor pan. It'll rust eventually like your old one.

 

[DrewZ]

You might want to go ahead and throw a few coats of paint on that new used floor pan. It'll rust eventually like your old one.

Roger that

 

[JimK]

Great idea! I've got some light rust on the floor of my EP330 and I'm looking for a donor grill. Also on the east coast but a little south of you in the DC suburbs. Problem is, everything around here has rust in the cabinet and folks want $400 for 'em.

 

[DrewZ]

Since my initial post, I replaced the cut natural gas line on the E-310 and resurrected one of my old igniters. I tested the burners and found only the center burner was not working.

Today I broke it down to prepare the frame for transplant. Not too much drama--I was even able to get one of the firebox bolts out No real surprises either. The center burner orifice was clogged, so I'm hoping that was the only issue. The frame and panels have only minor surface rust. All visible rust will be sanded and treated. I also splurged for a can of Eastwood Internal Frame Coating to treat the insides of the frame tubing.

A couple of questions before I move on: 1) What color/brand of paint should I use to match the original grey? Ordinarily, I'd think about trying a different color (black?), but I think the grey is a better match for the stainless hood, doors and shelves. 2) Has anyone removed the drip tray rails, and if so, how did you refasten them? (They're riveted to the side panels.)

More to come . . .

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

Since my initial post, I replaced the cut natural gas line on the E-310 and resurrected one of my old igniters. I tested the burners and found only the center burner was not working.

Today I broke it down to prepare the frame for transplant. Not too much drama--I was even able to get one of the firebox bolts out No real surprises either. The center burner orifice was clogged, so I'm hoping that was the only issue. The frame and panels have only minor surface rust. All visible rust will be sanded and treated. I also splurged for a can of Eastwood Internal Frame Coating to treat the insides of the frame tubing.

A couple of questions before I move on: 1) What color/brand of paint should I use to match the original grey? Ordinarily, I'd think about trying a different color (black?), but I think the grey is a better match for the stainless hood, doors and shelves. 2) Has anyone removed the drip tray rails, and if so, how did you refasten them? (They're riveted to the side panels.)

More to come . . .

I've used this paint on the frame, and it looks great. Buy it at Home Depot in 6-pack and it's much cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079H39ZG2/?tag=tvwb-20

I have drilled out the drip pan rails, just used some 1/4-20 bolts to put it back on, very easy. You'll have to drill out the holes a little bigger.

 

[Dan Leighton]

Let me guess.... Front firebox bolt was the one than came out easy while the rear was gunked in.

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

Let me guess.... Front firebox bolt was the one than came out easy while the rear was gunked in.

That rear one gave me hell too. Had to use a combo of heating it with a propane torch and drilling it out.

 

[J Grotz]

A couple of questions before I move on: 1) What color/brand of paint should I use to match the original grey? Ordinarily, I'd think about trying a different color (black?), but I think the grey is a better match for the stainless hood, doors and shelves. 2) Has anyone removed the drip tray rails, and if so, how did you refasten them? (They're riveted to the side panels.)

Check out this thread from last year. Ralph Meyer did a nice test of different gray paints for the 3xx series grills.
https://tvwbb.com/threads/gray-paint-options-for-3xx-grills.78775/

Edit: And the thread by Bruce that Ralph referenced:
https://tvwbb.com/threads/cook-box-paint.78583/

 

[DrewZ]

Let me guess.... Front firebox bolt was the one than came out easy while the rear was gunked in.

Actually, it was the other way around -- and the front one came out after a soak with PB Blaster.

The firebox bolts on my S-320 are another story. They'll need to be cut / drilled out.

 

[DrewZ]

Check out this thread from last year. Ralph Meyer did a nice test of different gray paints for the 3xx series grills.
https://tvwbb.com/threads/gray-paint-options-for-3xx-grills.78775/

Edit: And the thread by Bruce that Ralph referenced:
https://tvwbb.com/threads/cook-box-paint.78583/

Perfect. To continue Ralph's experimentation, I ordered a can of VHT Flameproof Flat Aluminum from Advance Auto. After a speed perks coupon, it was only $5.99 delivered to my door. Since I just got a new lid, I don't need to paint the end caps--only the firebox. If it doesn't work out, I can head to NAPA and get the Cast Iron.

I broke down the S-320 yesterday. Here's what my garage looks like this morning with the rest of the S-320 frame drying outside after a quick cleaning. Two Genny 300s and a 1000, plus a grey Smokey Joe Gold. I hope to reassemble the S-320 frame with the E-310 cookbox, lid, doors and guts today and get it listed for sale. I need some room to work

 

[LMichaels]

I honestly don't get why some are so bent on "matching" the Weber gray exactly on these. IF you like gray then simply buy something close and paint all of it the same. I guarantee people are not out there with a color wheel analyzing if your color is spot on. As long as it's all the same use it

 

[Bruce]

Yah, especially if you are painting the entire cabinet, just find a shade you like. Actually, it probably wouldn't look bad if you went black.

Or if you are doing just the inside you could go with a slightly different shade and no one would be able to tell.

 

[LMichaels]

Actually doing the inside in say a gray shade and the outside in a dark charcoal (not quite black) would look quite sharp

 

[DrewZ]

I honestly don't get why some are so bent on "matching" the Weber gray exactly on these. IF you like gray then simply buy something close and paint all of it the same. I guarantee people are not out there with a color wheel analyzing if your color is spot on. As long as it's all the same use it

I can't speak for everyone, but I've grown accustomed to the grey frame on my S-320. It seems like the right color grey--just different enough from the stainless without being distractingly different. There's a lot of bright shiny stainless going on with the hood, side table and doors all being in-your-face stainless. I have a hard time picturing a blacker (or whiter) shade of grey looking good on the parts of the frame that are visible.

That said, if I were re-doing the black E-310, I'd be very tempted to go with a black frame.

 

[DrewZ]

I spent the weekend strongly considering a change in plans for the E-310 "donor" grill -- up to and including a full rehab with a custom wood floor and an all-black cabinet to go with the existing black doors and hood. Today, I backed off that ledge and moved forward with the original plan -- transplant the E-310's guts into my rusty S-320 frame.

Here's the wood floor I had put into my S-320 last year. As I warned, it is not pretty, but it makes for a very stable frame.

But how the heck are the doors going to close with that big gap at the bottom? Well, I had previously MacGyver'ed a Harbor Freight magnetic tool strip onto the top trim piece of my S-320. The magnet is very strong and holds the doors shut.

And here's the worst part of the E-310: the cookbox was warped to the point where it interfered with removing the drip tray. When I tried the gentlest of persuasion to un-warp it, it cracked.

At this point, I've pretty much got all of the lower parts together. I'll need to clean the burners, hood and side shelves before I finish reassembly. I should have the E-310 put back together and listed for sale before the weekend. Then I can focus on the S-320.