Weber Genesis Silver C Advice


 
M

Madeline

New member
Hi there, I'm new to this group, and very impressed by all the restorations and knowledge!
I am trying to maintain my vintage Weber. I haven't noticed too many other carts like mine, but it has a solid metal bottom. Without slats, any water just pools and of course tends to rust. I can't figure out how to remove the metal bottom (is it permanently welded?), and my only other draining solution is to drill small holes. Any other thoughts/suggestions? I love the look of the wood slats of other models, but again, I'm not sure how to remove the existing metal. Also, any advise or what to read/watch for dealing with slight rust and firebox buildup? Thank you!
 

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I would look for a wire rack. I think some of the members more knowledgeable than me on restos could help you find which model would be able to have one. Or wood slats would also look good. You could get some Z bars from Dave Santana and then retrofit it like an older model
 
Not sure what your long-term intentions are, but it would certainly be pretty simple to just keep that metal tray well coated as needed with Rustoleum to get many years out of it.
 
Hi Madeline, here is a picture of that bottom panel not installed on the grill. You can see that it just fits over the crossmembers and isn't actually fastened in any way. It may be tough to remove at this point due to age or rust but should come off with a little force applied from underneath. At least that's how I think it's supposed to work, if you see any screws sticking out of the tray anywhere they would need to be removed first. Screenshot_20230427-192639.png
 
Madeline,

Welcome the TVWBB!

I am pretty positive that your bottom shelf is integrated to include the front and back parts that look like frame tubes but are actually folded metal of the shelf. It is designed to support the horizontal frame legs. (EDIT: See Steve's kindly posted picture above added while I was typing!) My advice, if you are up for the effort, is to remove that shelf and get two pieces of matching frame tubes cut to create horizontal actual framing to hold the legs straight. You will have to use connectors and drill holes to put bolts through the frame legs to hold the horizontal pieces in place.

That tray should pop out if you give it enough "encouragement" from below. It is probably rusted on. You are right that this was a dumb design.

There are also wire frames that work like your shelf. If you like that and can find one, that would be an easier fix.

Best wishes! I know you will get lots of good advice here, probably better than mine :coolkettle:! We will all be happy to help you along the way.
 
Firstly, it's pretty cool that you even have one of those metal shelves which is not rusted out. They were not known to last.

As to modifying...
That's an SWE frame - my guess is it's a 2003. There are no lower crossmembers going left to right. This means that if you remove the metal shelf the frame will be unstable and likely break at the upper welds unless you add crossmembers like an older Silver has. You can do this by getting some tubing and push-in "nut-serts".

Tractor Supply, a good hardware store, and even sometimes Home Depot are places to look for tubing - failing that, Grainger or Zoro. The push in nuts can be found on Amazon. They push into the ends of the tubing and grip the insides with sharp teeth. You can then drill holes through the legs at the proper location and bolt on the new crossmembers. The pictures below show the "nut-serts" and how they go in. These have 1/4-20 threads, like the originals Weber used on the earlier grills.

To get the shelf off look underneath at the left and right sides. The shelf wraps around the lower crossmembers which run front to back and is held on by two big springy clips. watch your fingers - but you need to press the clips out of the way enough to clear the crossmember and the shelf will then pop right out.

After installing the new crossmembers, you can look for an older Silver C lower wire shelf (which will fit right in there) or you can make a wood slat shelf like Larry suggested, using the Z bars.
 

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The pics below are from a 2002 Gold C. the same frame, but with a wire shelf. The wire shelf does not provide much lateral stability, but there is some. The upper portion is all welded as one piece.

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OOops... More messages came in while I was typing... Jon is right about the wire shelf that clips in just like your flat shelf - I forgot about those... I'm not sure but I think they only made them for a couple of years, around 2003. If you can find one you won't need to make the crossmembers as it is designed to be a structural part and will work the same way as what you have.
 
It may
Madeline said:
Hi there, I'm new to this group, and very impressed by all the restorations and knowledge!
I am trying to maintain my vintage Weber. I haven't noticed too many other carts like mine, but it has a solid metal bottom. Without slats, any water just pools and of course tends to rust. I can't figure out how to remove the metal bottom (is it permanently welded?), and my only other draining solution is to drill small holes. Any other thoughts/suggestions? I love the look of the wood slats of other models, but again, I'm not sure how to remove the existing metal. Also, any advise or what to read/watch for dealing with slight rust and firebox buildup? Thank you!
Click to expand...
If your bottom shelf is like my Silver C, there is a rivet in each side, on the inside center that attaches the panel to the frame, where the holes are in the picture posted above. I believe the easiest way to remove them is to drill them out.
 
Thank you to everyone who weighed in (and so promptly!) to my post! There's nothing like getting frustrated, having no idea where to go to find help, then discovering you all!!!

Since my tray is actually in pretty good shape, and sounds like it provides for the carts stability, I think I'll leave it for now. I'm not a fan of this design, though. I had a hunch that the whole tray could be pried off. The pictures that were posted were very helpful to confirm that. It does have "clips" on it's underside, as if somehow pressing in on them could release the tray. Age of the unit (and me!) might be preventing that, though!

I'll go ahead and remove the existing rust I've found on it. What do you recommend for the best paint protection going forward, Rust-Oleum?

Ps. Thanks again for all your detailed information! I'm getting hooked!

Ps. I looked up my model by serial number and found the manual. Sure enough, the bottom is push in! But still doesn't look too easy to pull out!
 

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Madeline: Personally, I would go through removing that bottom tray for a couple reasons. Yes, it is used to stabilize the grill legs, but you might find that there is a rust problem starting under it where it lays on the side cross members. It will also make it much easier to clean up and repaint both the tray and the grill frame.
I have pulled them out many times on my rehab grills. It seems they are made to easily snap into place but more difficult to remove. I just used a large pliers to compress the silver clip to the point I could pull or pound it off with a rubber mallet or maybe block of wood.
 
Bruce said:
Madeline: Personally, I would go through removing that bottom tray for a couple reasons. Yes, it is used to stabilize the grill legs, but you might find that there is a rust problem starting under it where it lays on the side cross members. It will also make it much easier to clean up and repaint both the tray and the grill frame.
I have pulled them out many times on my rehab grills. It seems they are made to easily snap into place but more difficult to remove. I just used a large pliers to compress the silver clip to the point I could pull or pound it off with a rubber mallet or maybe block of wood.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for weighing in, Bruce. And you're honestly spot on with your reasons. There is actually an existing "traveling" rust problem that I don't think I'll successfully capture without disassembly.

I might have to reach out to you once I've got the pliers out! But good to get confirmation those clips are involved in the release!
 
John G (Boston) said:
Firstly, it's pretty cool that you even have one of those metal shelves which is not rusted out. They were not known to last.

As to modifying...
That's an SWE frame - my guess is it's a 2003. There are no lower crossmembers going left to right. This means that if you remove the metal shelf the frame will be unstable and likely break at the upper welds unless you add crossmembers like an older Silver has. You can do this by getting some tubing and push-in "nut-serts".

Tractor Supply, a good hardware store, and even sometimes Home Depot are places to look for tubing - failing that, Grainger or Zoro. The push in nuts can be found on Amazon. They push into the ends of the tubing and grip the insides with sharp teeth. You can then drill holes through the legs at the proper location and bolt on the new crossmembers. The pictures below show the "nut-serts" and how they go in. These have 1/4-20 threads, like the originals Weber used on the earlier grills.

To get the shelf off look underneath at the left and right sides. The shelf wraps around the lower crossmembers which run front to back and is held on by two big springy clips. watch your fingers - but you need to press the clips out of the way enough to clear the crossmember and the shelf will then pop right out.

After installing the new crossmembers, you can look for an older Silver C lower wire shelf (which will fit right in there) or you can make a wood slat shelf like Larry suggested, using the Z bars.
Click to expand...
I just noticed you mentioned the big springy clips - thank you! With so much advice and encouragement from this group, I'm going to go for it, and try to remove the shelf. Watch out, clips, I'm comin' for ya!
 
If you're going to be going after rust, here are a couple products I have used and truly believe in. IDK how they work (chemically) or how they perform the magic they perform. But, they ARE magic. One thing about rust you will never "get" it all. So these things make sure it doesn't get you back
www.eastwood.com

Eastwood Black Rust Encapsulator - Paint Over Rust

Stop rust in its tracks! Superior UV Resistance and Convenient Spray Aerosol or Brushable Quarts & Gallons
www.eastwood.com www.eastwood.com
and
por15.com

POR-15: Professional High Performance Vehicle Restoration Products

The Ultimate in Rust & Corrosion Protection & Prevention. POR-15 is the trusted brand in the automotive restoration paint & coatings industry for quality, superior durability, & customer service. POR-15 the Ultimate in Professional Metal and Concrete Restoration Coatings. Learn More, Order Online »
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Both are absolutely amazing products. I have never found any "commercially available" product i.e. from local hardware stores, home center stores, etc, than can do what these do. They may claim to, but they don't
 
Madelin,
I have this same grill and love it , when I use it.
I spent almost 2 years looking for a donor grill for a few parts one being the lower wire rack as when I tried to oder it it was out of stock or more money than I paid for the grill.
So I got some aluminum angle and cut and mounted that to the lower frame then installed composite wood slates to let the water out.
I was going to restain all the plastic parts to a medium brown but a freind came and bought from as his died from wind inflected damage. So now I am slowly looking for a replacement.

Then I will take photos of the changes before it goes away.
 
Ed_T said:
What I thought was a rivet attaching the left side of the bottom table on my Silver C was actually a rivet holding a clip. Thanks all for pointing this out!
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I thought, too! What a difference the manual makes!
 
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