Summit Platinum D6 Restoration

[MGoldfinger]

This week picked up a Summit Platinum D6 in "fairly" good condition. paid Eur 100 (usd 109,-) for it, including delivery. I intend to restore it over the coming months; no rush. Happy to receive some tips and tricks!

First observations:

The Bad (worst one first)
- Bottom tray is missing (part 63630). Honestly did not notice it when I got the unit This one is going to be a headache to replace/solve....
- Ignition not working, will need to figure that one out or replace. The ignition switch is also broken. Replacing that one first to see if it solves the issue
- Side table missing on the left side. Thinking of putting a custom wood table instead
- Flip table missing on the right side. Not sure yet what to do with that....
- Some rust on the inside of the front panel of the cookbox. Doesn't seem that bad though (see fotos). Think i can salvage.
- Burners intact, but rusty and connect burners are broken/missing. Any thoughts if these can be salvaged, or just replace (see fotos)?
- Rust on the Flavour bars, but still intact. Thinking if I can salvage them, or replace? What do you think (see fotos)? very expensive part, so would like to avoid replacement.
- Ignition boxes are gone / burnt through. Replace.
- Some paint chipping on the outside of the lid. Will probably just sand it down and paint again (black)
- Some scratches on the lid. Accept and move on.
- Smoke box and rotisserie missing.
- Some screws seem rusty. Will replace.

The Good:
- It fires up and burns, knobs function ok (albeit with manual ignition)
- No signs of a flame out or tons of old grease. Honestly looks like it hasn't been used that much over the years.
- Cookbox looks surprisingly ok, except for some rust on the front panel. deep clean and paint outside black
- Grills are in good condition. Just need a deep clean.
- Frame and housing are intact. One screw missing. not a biggy
- Gas hose is new.

Pictures attached. Suggestions are more than welcome!

 

[LMichaels]

Firebox rust is the big enemy of those grills and expense of parts i.e. flavorizer bars. The ones on yours do not appear to be actual Weber (or even Weber imitation) parts. Odds are the PO found out how expensive they are and jury rigged something. But firebox rust is the downfall of Summits from the 1st generation onward. Look at Jon's posts about his (used to be mine). These things can be a really bad rabbit hole. They cook nicely though

 

[Bruce]

Yep, before you start buying a lot of parts and putting too much time into cleaning it up, do your research. You may find that it isn't something you really want to take on. That little bit of rust on the front panel where the burners come through is an area that the rust starts. Once it starts, it doesn't take long to get bad to the point that the burner holes become bigger and you risk flames escaping back outside and into the control panel/manifold area. Which is a huge safety issue. Weber just doesn't make those panels any longer and no one else does either.

 

[Jon Tofte]

I hope someday - as in a good while from now - to take on one of these 2nd generation Summits and see if I can get the sheet metal shop that helped me with my 1st generation Summit to come up with a similar fix.

 

[MGoldfinger]

Firebox rust is the big enemy of those grills and expense of parts i.e. flavorizer bars. The ones on yours do not appear to be actual Weber (or even Weber imitation) parts. Odds are the PO found out how expensive they are and jury rigged something. But firebox rust is the downfall of Summits from the 1st generation onward. Look at Jon's posts about his (used to be mine). These things can be a really bad rabbit hole. They cook nicely though

Hi Michaels,

out of curiosity: how can you tell the flavorer are not original? I gave them a first clean yesterday and they are actually in good shape. Some minor surface rust on the top. Touch of vinegar/soda should fix that. As for the rest, they are structurally sound and heavy/thick steel. Should last for a decent amount of time.

 

[MGoldfinger]

Yep, before you start buying a lot of parts and putting too much time into cleaning it up, do your research. You may find that it isn't something you really want to take on. That little bit of rust on the front panel where the burners come through is an area that the rust starts. Once it starts, it doesn't take long to get bad to the point that the burner holes become bigger and you risk flames escaping back outside and into the control panel/manifold area. Which is a huge safety issue. Weber just doesn't make those panels any longer and no one else does either.

Fully agree, need to proceed with caution. First 2 prios are to see if can find a replacement bottom tray and see the exact extent of the damage on the front panel of the Grillbox. Looking at it, it seems for the front panel rust is only at the bottom, but still need to take a closer look at it. Going to see if a local metal shop can help me with that. As for the bottom tray, it seems I found a store that is still able to source an original replacement (TBC) and it is only 50 Eur or so. Worth the risk.

Either way, if I can't resolve above 2 prios, this project will likely end in a scrap job .

For the record: if I can get at least 2 years of life out of this unit with cheap repairs, I will be happy.

 

[LMichaels]

Hi Michaels,

out of curiosity: how can you tell the flavorer are not original? I gave them a first clean yesterday and they are actually in good shape. Some minor surface rust on the top. Touch of vinegar/soda should fix that. As for the rest, they are structurally sound and heavy/thick steel. Should last for a decent amount of time.

Because OEM ones don't have holes in them, and they're made with a cross bar welded in the middle (front to back)

 

[MGoldfinger]

Because OEM ones don't have holes in them, and they're made with a cross bar welded in the middle (front to back)

ah, that may be on me then (bad photos). See the pictures of the fill units attached. the bar with the holes was placed far left in the cook box, where you would put the smoker

 

[LMichaels]

Good. It was just the way it was photographed. However still bare in mind, the main bars cost an arm and a leg and don't hold up the way you think they would. That center bar is crucial and they constantly break off. On the original Summit Weber put the Xover tubes way in the back and out of harm's way. On this gen, they moved them to the center of the grill. I think to even out heat distribution but the bars became EXTREMELY expensive. IIRC the ones on my brothers Summit 4 burner run about $250 and he's had to replace 3 sets IIRC.

 

[Bill Pudim]

After a lengthy rebuild, fabricating parts, it performs great. 2005 Summit Platinum D6.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Here’s a relatively decent price on the 2nd generation 4-burner flavorizer bars. Didn’t look closely at the gauge or material used.

Grill Flavorizer Bars Stainless For Weber 9896 Summit Silver Gold Platinum A4 B4 | eBay

【EASY TO CLEAN】Wipe off excess oil and food residue with a paper towel or cloth. Then preheat the grill about 15 minutes, using a grill brush with soap and water to clean. We will reply to you within 24 hours and give you a satisfactory solution.

www.ebay.com

 

[Bill Pudim]

He has a D6

 

[Jon Tofte]

Well it does show that there now might be some lower cost options than what Larry experienced back in the time he referenced.

 

[LMichaels]

Yeah, those are about $80 or $100 less than my brother paid for his from Grill Parts. But then he bought OEM Weber. Which may be higher quality material, heavier construction. A lot we don't know about the Flea Bay stuff

 

[MGoldfinger]

And one major issue solved: brand new, original bottom tray delivered, at a price of 55 USD incl. shipping. Tx to Weber Germany for sourcing the part!

Next up going to take the front panel of the cookbox to a local metal shop for restauration/replacement.

Haven't done much else yet, except some initial deep cleaning. Going to give the flavour bars a vinigair bath soon and decide what to do with those after. A new ignition switch should come in soon also, at which point i can get to work on the ignition system.

Will keep you all posted.

Tx for all the suggestions so far!

 

[Jon Tofte]

Glad to hear you are plugging away on that one. I am especially interested to hear what your sheet metal shop says. It would be great if a fix for this otherwise extremely nice grill could be found. With the fix my shop came up with for the 1st generation Summits, that would put both 1st and 2nd gen versions of these grills within reach of being restored and safely used again.

I love my 1998 Summit, but I also appreciate the all-stainless construction of your Summit. That model always reminds me of a Genesis Silver/Gold/Platinum on steroids!