Weber Genesis Needs Some Love


 
J

John - Kiwi BBQ Boy

New member
Hi All,

Greetings from New Zealand. After coming across this forum and seeing some of the amazing restore jobs here, I saw this old genesis online and thought I'd take it on as a little project.
It's too big for my place but I plan on giving it to my parents to use.

Generally speaking I think this grill is in reasonable condition - except for the frame, which is pretty much ruined..

I thought I'd post some pics and see what your thoughts are.

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Here she is!

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This model has the Flamecheck feature which I believe was present on Genesis export models, I took it apart and the diaphragm seems to be in good condition, but I hear they often fail so I will likely end up bypassing this. (Anyone done this before?)
It also has a sideburner which is handy.

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Grates and Flavorizer bars seem to be in reasonable condition. Need cleaning.


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Serial no. etc - I think it's a 1993 model?
Part# 221034
EK2 86453
Model No 220000
Series ID EH75815


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Burners look OK, don't burn great at the moment, I think this is due to them needing a good cleaning inside, or perhaps the regulator needs replacing. Could also have been something to do with the flamecheck. I'll get a new set if I can't get them going well.

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Firebox is good, needs a hell of a good clean inside and some paint on the sides, logo, and some restoration on the handle.

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Ignition unit works but the metal gas collector is in need of replacement. Not sure if it's possible to get this exact part anymore?

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And here we have what i think is the major problem - RUST and a whole lot of it!
This is where I think I might struggle a bit. I don't have a MIG welder, but may be able to use a workshop through a work contact. My first thought was to strip it down as much as possible, spray some Rust-oleum Reformer all over it/inside it, then reinforce with some lengths of angle steel JB Welded on and see if that works. But perhaps it's best to go all in from the start and do it all properly.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this grill. I know I'm in for a fair bit of work, my Dad thinks it's beyond repair and I'm wasting my time, which has made me more determined to fix the old girl up!

Cheers
 
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The igniter is about $20 and all over amazon and eBay, at least here in the states.

That frame is rough. Maybe start by grinding it down with a cup brush to see what you have to work with. Depending on what pieces are solid you could possibly fabricate some pieces out of wood. At least some pieces that aren’t near the firebox.

For the grinding, angle grinder will be your best bet.

You might be better off searching for another grill. Then combine the good parts from both to make one nice grill
 
Igniter is $8 on Amazon....but since you are in NZ, I don't know if that would work for you.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B076GYMZ68/tvwb-20

I am going to call the frame a total loss from what I can see. I would look for a donor grill to grab the frame from. You could probably replace parts of the frame, but I just don't think it is worth the effort and expense. If you want to keep the spare side burner, you will need a frame from a Genesis 2000/3000/4000. It doesn't matter if it is the older wood shelf grill like yours or the newer durawood grill. Hopefully it would have other missing pieces from your current grill such as the left hand swing table as well.
 
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I have to agree the frame is a total. Might want to find a donor. But if you have access to welding and shop equipment you could remanufacture the current frame
 
Hi John!
Great to have you on board at TVWBB. I agree with Bruce and Larry. I guess what we don't know is how available other Weber donor grills might actually be. If you can pick up another Genesis 2000-4000 with a better frame for a reasonable price that would probably be the best route. But if that is not a likely find, I am thinking along the lines Larry mentioned. I would imagine that purchasing new square metal tubing would be easy enough. The rest requires skills that I personally don't have, other than a really simple repair. Maybe you do have them or a friend or two who can help.

Keep us posted! I know how you feel when someone writes off an old grill and you just HAVE to prove them wrong;)!
 
Thanks for your responses everyone.

Unfortunately these older Weber models are not very common here in NZ. So finding a frame to salvage is unlikely.

Fortunately however I've spoken to a metal workshop engineer I use a lot for work and asked him if he'd be interested in helping me with this frame as a personal favor. Once I get the frame stripped back we can assess the full extent of work required which will determine how many beers I'll need to give this guy!

Will keep you posted :)
 
Cool solution:coolkettle:!

We look forward to hearing (and seeing) more. The good news is that the square metal tubing should be pretty easy to obtain.
 
John - Kiwi BBQ Boy said:
Thanks for your responses everyone.

Unfortunately these older Weber models are not very common here in NZ. So finding a frame to salvage is unlikely.

Fortunately however I've spoken to a metal workshop engineer I use a lot for work and asked him if he'd be interested in helping me with this frame as a personal favor. Once I get the frame stripped back we can assess the full extent of work required which will determine how many beers I'll need to give this guy!

Will keep you posted :)
Click to expand...

Good luck. Maybe you can even get a frame made of SS. The material will be more expensive but you literally would get a forever grill... ;-)
 
Stripped it back with the angle grinder cup wire brush - this thing works a treat!

The rust on the legs isn't too bad actually. Will need to swish some rust neutraliser around the inside of these then give them some sanding and a fresh coat of paint.

I've given the two upper frames that cradle the firebox to my metalshop friend - he is going to put replacement bars on the long sides of the frame, and re-use the cross members and bits that hold the burner manifold. That ought to sort the frame out!

Remaining on the list is:
-Heavy clean, sanding and re-painting of the firebox.
-Replace some rusted bolts/hardware.
-Clean burner tubes and test (potentially replace).
-Clean and lubricate burner valves.
-Bypass the flamecheck safety feature. (Has anyone done this before?)
-Fabricate new wooden slats for side table.
-Investigate building a new folding side table as this part is completely missing (any pointers here?)
 
Sounds like you're making good progress. Angle grinding the fire box can be a pain, it just takes time. Wear a mask because you'll inhale all sorts of nasty dust.

The flame check valve isn't something we have on grills in the US. I'd just remove it unless you have some sort of law down there.


John - Kiwi BBQ Boy said:
Stripped it back with the angle grinder cup wire brush - this thing works a treat!

The rust on the legs isn't too bad actually. Will need to swish some rust neutraliser around the inside of these then give them some sanding and a fresh coat of paint.

I've given the two upper frames that cradle the firebox to my metalshop friend - he is going to put replacement bars on the long sides of the frame, and re-use the cross members and bits that hold the burner manifold. That ought to sort the frame out!

Remaining on the list is:
-Heavy clean, sanding and re-painting of the firebox.
-Replace some rusted bolts/hardware.
-Clean burner tubes and test (potentially replace).
-Clean and lubricate burner valves.
-Bypass the flamecheck safety feature. (Has anyone done this before?)
-Fabricate new wooden slats for side table.
-Investigate building a new folding side table as this part is completely missing (any pointers here?)
Click to expand...
 
John Law said:
How do you clean inside the burners?
Click to expand...

After you've removed the burners from the fire box, if you look at the burners where they connect to the regulator, you should be able to remove that end cap mesh piece.
Once that is off use one of those long metal pipe brushes to scrub if it's really bad. But normally you can just dump out whatever is inside and that does the trick.
 
I brush the external part of the ports really well with a VERY stiff wire brush (the kind painters use to take of paint). Then (especially good if you have an air compressor) I flush them out with a good spray solvent like Brake Clean and blow them dry. It evaporates completely and cleanly so no residue is left BTW so don't let anyone scare you saying it will put fumes in your grill. It will not
 
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