Start Stock or Modded


 
Chris Allingham said:
while there are some folks that really like the CB stainless steel door and especially the latching mechanism, there are others who buy it and find that it doesn't fit that well, either.
Click to expand...

^^^ I'm one. I purchased a CB door for both my 18" and 22". If I were to do it over again I wouldn't spend the money. I find they leak as much as the aluminum door did and Chris is right, it's easy to re-form the aluminum door. But even with the leaks it still holds temps very well. I've never been tempted to install a gasket.

After using my WSM for several years, I can't say I've had the urge to do any additional mods. It's a great smoker as-is.
 
Yes, no dome thermometer, no silicone grommet. Paid $80 for it, which I though was kind of high considering the steals some folks have found. I'm not looking to be a collector (I have way too many other things I collect) so maybe I should give more thought to the future of my WSM.

Interesting.. I was just watching one of your 2005 vid's where-in you mentioned the change from wood handle to plastic. I thought you said it was 2000. I hadn't considered the absence of the grommet and thermometer dating the unit back farther. Either way, I agree with you that modding a vintage unit might be a poor strategy.

Hadn't thought of the impact of restoring the damaged porcelain... at least not from a nostalgic collectors perspective. Fortunately the damage is limited to a bunch of chips on the bottom bulge where the cooking section meets the charcoal bowl.
 
MichaelM said:
Yes, no dome thermometer, no silicone grommet. Paid $80 for it, which I though was kind of high considering the steals some folks have found. I'm not looking to be a collector (I have way too many other things I collect) so maybe I should give more thought to the future of my WSM.

Interesting.. I was just watching one of your 2005 vid's where-in you mentioned the change from wood handle to plastic. I thought you said it was 2000. I hadn't considered the absence of the grommet and thermometer dating the unit back farther. Either way, I agree with you that modding a vintage unit might be a poor strategy.

Hadn't thought of the impact of restoring the damaged porcelain... at least not from a nostalgic collectors perspective. Fortunately the damage is limited to a bunch of chips on the bottom bulge where the cooking section meets the charcoal bowl.
Click to expand...

Post some pictures!
 
AlbertHui said:
I just bought my WSM and burned a chimney of charcoal in it this past weekend to get any factory oils out.

A couple mods that i did decide to do was to buy a 2nd charcoal grate, then crisscross it with the original. It keeps the little pieces of coal that have burned down from falling into the bottom. $11 mod that I think will save me money in the long run with conserving coal during a cook. Next I had some extra gasket material that I used to seal the lid on my kettle. I put a few strips of it on the door to prevent smoke leakage. I did not bother sealing the sections though, as I didn’t see any smoke leaking from there during my burn test.
Click to expand...

Charcoal grate for $11? For the 22, it’s $35. Where did you get it from?
 
Get the handles on center shell
Add handle thingys to dampers
cut slot for probe wires

Then do a few manual cooks to get a feel for it

Then go ahead and get an ATC and don't look back. It makes it so much easier, you'll use it much more.
 
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