Weber Summit B4 Restoration


 
S

Sam-TX

TVWBB Fan
As a continuation of my original thread, I'm making a thread dedicated to the restoration of this grill.



Here you can see my current grill and the new Summit B4 next to it:





I can't find the serial number or model number on the grill itself, but I believe it's a Summit Platinum B4 from around 2005 based on a PDF I pulled from archive.org of weber.com, the fact that the grill has the side burner but does not have the dedicated smoker box and burner for the smoker box.

Screen-Shot-2023-05-23-at-7-32-37-PM.png


I just got the grill opened up and started poking around. Per the previous owner the grill grates are new and look to be in excellent condition







The flavor bars are pretty much toast, I've already reached out to RCPlaneBuilder to see if he might have replacements.



The cover looks like it has a weld separation running along the back:





The Cookbox has telltale signs of trouble. Why Weber went to such an extent on the entire grill and then made the integral part of the grill, the cookbox, out of a material prone to rusting I guess only Weber knows. Right now my immediate thought is to patch it up with a piece of sheetmetal I have laying around and some high-temp JB Weld. Unfortunately I don't have a metal fab shop or any fancy equipment to do anything beyond that.







The sideburner looks good though:



As does the case:







The outside of the lid has some sort of fading paint on it? Idk, I might fix this if I can find the right color/type:




Anyway, I know the elephant in the room is the rusting cookbox, but I knew this before going out and getting the grill. The seller made it worth my effort to make the trip, and I'm no stranger to difficult projects. That said, I don't have time or inclination for this to turn into a forever project. This week I'm going to tear down the grill and find out all the different parts that I need. Tomorrow I'll reach out to Weber to see if/how they might be able to help me. I'd hate to see a grill like this go to waste. I really love the extra tables, and is one of my main motivations for replacing my Weber Spirit with its horizontal burner knobs taking over my right table (why?!!?!?!)

I've already looked through the FAQs posted, super helpful! We'll see where this goes
 
Do us all a favor as you post photos. Just upload them directly here. Instead of a separate hosting site which is not necessary and makes viewing the progress much harder
 
So far I've determined at the minimum I need the following:

The thermometer at the top is stuck and won't go below 300°F, so I'll be looking to replace it.

The burners all seem to work, although when I tested it with the seller they gave off a yellow flame and not a blue flame. I plan on cleaning out the valves per this guide. Fortunately I already have brake caliper grease. Per the FAQ it was suggested I reach out to RCPlaneBuilder for burners. The cross burners rotate, are they supposed to do that??

Like I mentioned I've already reached out to RCPlaneBuilder for replacement flavor bars

The magnets holding the door shut need replacing

The wheels/castors work but are worn... That said I don't ever really move my grill around. I'll see if I want to do something with those.

I'm not sure how to clean brushed stainless steel. I remember someone mentioning not to use steel wool as it will scratch/mar the surface?

LMichaels said:
Do us all a favor as you post photos. Just upload them directly here. Instead of a separate hosting site which is not necessary and makes viewing the progress much harder
Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind. The reason I'm not uploading to here is because before I got this grill as I was googling, I couldn't view the photos people posted without first registering and found that very frustrating. I might link the photos the old fashioned way with URLs to the larger copy.

That said, here's the direct link to the album: https://postimg.cc/gallery/0q91Dgf
 
Bar Keepers Friend is what you want for the stainless steel.

Make sure to scrub with the grain.
 
RC does not do burners. AKA Dave Santana. Once you're registered here it's so much easier all the way around to have the photos and story line all in one place
 
LMichaels said:
RC does not do burners. AKA Dave Santana. Once you're registered here it's so much easier all the way around to have the photos and story line all in one place
Click to expand...

Ok, I must have misread the parts source thread. I thought I saw his name come up for burners as well
 
I need to figure the cookbox out. It appears the front and rear panels can be removed? If that's the case I may be able to take them to a metal shop to be refabbed... I can feel the costs starting to rise as I type this.
 
LMichaels said:
Wish he did but doesn't. I think someone sent him some to modify for a Genesis Jr once but I'm old and may not remember correctly :D
Click to expand...
You are right about that, Larry. He helped someone shorten and then rewelded existing regular Genesis burners to fit in a Jr., but I have never heard of him MAKING burners.
 
Sam-TX said:
I need to figure the cookbox out. It appears the front and rear panels can be removed? If that's the case I may be able to take them to a metal shop to be refabbed... I can feel the costs starting to rise as I type this.
Click to expand...
I tried that route with the Summit I had. Turned out to be more $$$ than the grill cost new. You gotta pay for all the tooling and such
 
Sam-TX said:
I need to figure the cookbox out. It appears the front and rear panels can be removed? If that's the case I may be able to take them to a metal shop to be refabbed... I can feel the costs starting to rise as I type this.
Click to expand...
If it is like my previous generation Summit, then, yes, you can unbolt those front and rear panels. That's a start. But making altogether new ones, I believe you will find to be very expensive. Along with the photos, I think everyone here will be interested in just how much this whole project winds up costing. We banter back and forth about the feasibility of rescuing these Platinum Summits that have so much right about them. It would be great if you don't mind sharing what it REALLY costs.

Despite the obstacles, we certainly hope we can help you succeed!
 
The entire cook box will come apart when you remove the side panels, take pictures so you can reassemble correctly. I made stainless steel pieces to to go over the damaged panels and bolted them together. The rest of the grill was in pretty good shape, 05 Summit Platinum D6. I received a new hood and thermometer from Weber, I replaced the Weber wheels with Broil King wheels which are stronger, replaced the casters with aftermarket casters.
 
Sam-TX said:
I just got the grill opened up and started poking around. Per the previous owner the grill grates are new and look to be in excellent condition



The flavor bars are pretty much toast, I've already reached out to RCPlaneBuilder to see if he might have replacements.
Click to expand...
Dave Santana "rcplanebuyer" is certainly the source for top quality parts. Here is an eBay listing so you have something to compare against. This eBay one is unlikely to be nearly as good as Dave's, but it is good to know your options, and as you keep adding replacement items, you may decide you need to compromise:

www.ebay.com

Stainless Steel Grill Flavorizer Bars Set for Weber Summit Silver Gold Platinum 313032694667 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Stainless Steel Grill Flavorizer Bars Set for Weber Summit Silver Gold Platinum at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
 
Jon Tofte said:
If it is like my previous generation Summit, then, yes, you can unbolt those front and rear panels. That's a start. But making altogether new ones, I believe you will find to be very expensive. Along with the photos, I think everyone here will be interested in just how much this whole project winds up costing. We banter back and forth about the feasibility of rescuing these Platinum Summits that have so much right about them. It would be great if you don't mind sharing what it REALLY costs.

Despite the obstacles, we certainly hope we can help you succeed!
Click to expand...
Will do. I'm not intending on holding back. The seller made it worth my while to make the drive out and pick up the grill.

Bill Pudim said:
The entire cook box will come apart when you remove the side panels, take pictures so you can reassemble correctly. I made stainless steel pieces to to go over the damaged panels and bolted them together. The rest of the grill was in pretty good shape, 05 Summit Platinum D6. I received a new hood and thermometer from Weber, I replaced the Weber wheels with Broil King wheels which are stronger, replaced the casters with aftermarket casters.
Click to expand...
I saw some pictures of your grill, it looks fantastic. What did you do for the plastic side pieces on the grill? It looks like you painted them? I didn't now plastic painted well.

Anything special for the casters? I saw how they're designed, I could take a piece of maple, cut it down to size to use as an insert, and then just use whatever nice casters I can find. I'll look into the broil king wheels.

I've been looking at the D6 thread. If I remove the failure prone pieces of the cookbox, at the very least I can reinforce them with JB weld and some sheet steel... I think. Unfortunately I have other projects I need to send on before I can dig into this one. I don't know why I take on these projects.....
 
Sam-TX said:
Will do. I'm not intending on holding back. The seller made it worth my while to make the drive out and pick up the grill.


I saw some pictures of your grill, it looks fantastic. What did you do for the plastic side pieces on the grill? It looks like you painted them? I didn't now plastic painted well.

Anything special for the casters? I saw how they're designed, I could take a piece of maple, cut it down to size to use as an insert, and then just use whatever nice casters I can find. I'll look into the broil king wheels.

I've been looking at the D6 thread. If I remove the failure prone pieces of the cookbox, at the very least I can reinforce them with JB weld and some sheet steel... I think. Unfortunately I have other projects I need to send on before I can dig into this one. I don't know why I take on these projects.....
Click to expand...
Rustoleum 2X works great on plastic, grey is a hard color to duplicate, this is called Winter Grey, it has a bit of a blue tint to it, but it grew on me.
 
Bill Pudim said:
Rustoleum 2X works great on plastic, grey is a hard color to duplicate, this is called Winter Grey, it has a bit of a blue tint to it, but it grew on me.
Click to expand...
That's fantastic. Do you remember which broil king wheels you got? I believe the wheels are Weber #63050 which are 8" wheels.
I found Broil King Part #: BCP10892-8NG on ebay and amazon for $40.... each o_O

So update:
I spoke with Weber and it's still in the air if they can warranty the lid. It's taking some arm-wringing it seems.

Then there's the cookbox. Honesly I see no reason I can't just patch it with a piece of sheet metal and some high temperature JB weld across the full length:

[ur=[URL]https://i.postimg.cc/gG37h0n4/IMG-3586.jpgl[/URL]]
IMG-3586.jpg
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There are a number of ways I can do this, the easy way: take a flat piece and run it across the whole thing, and then the hard way: remove the bad pieces and somehow make a replacement.
If the cookbox can be dealt with, then everything else can fall into line.

One question: the burners when I tested them had a yellow-ish flame. I remember reading that Weber says this is normal? And that when the flavor bars and all that are installed, it works out? Should I adjust them? I mean, actually... why not. I have everything open now.
 
Found these wheels at Home Depot I might be able to use:
www.homedepot.com

Arnold 8 in. x 1.75 in. Universal Steel Wheel with Shielded Ball Bearings for Extended Life and an Offset Hub 490-322-0004 - The Home Depot

A bad tire can ruin your lawn and garden jobs. Arnold has everything you need to keep equipment running the way it should season after season. With Arnold you can be confident of a reliable product with
www.homedepot.com

And here are replacement castors:
www.homedepot.com

Weber Gas Grill Replacement Caster Wheel 6414 - The Home Depot

Smoothly wheel your Weber gas grill into position with the aid of a replacement caster. Once in place, prevent wayward movement with the built-in locking mechanism for supreme steadiness. Don't get caught
www.homedepot.com

And I found the igniter kit: Weber 42322
on amazon for ~$100 shipped

However there appears to be an aftermarket option for $36:

I just got off the phone with a local metal fabrication shop. The guy almost instantly knew what I was talking... he said it'd be something like $35-$50 for them to make a new piece. Even if that number crawls up to something like $100 I think it'd still be worth it.

The nuts/threads holding it in look rusted to all hell, so I went ahead and gave them some Kroil. See if I can remove them with pliers or a wrench. I'll give them some time to soak. It looks like the whole grill has to come apart.
 
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Burners don't go "out of adjustment". If the flames are not normal than something else is going on and adjusting only "covers it up". Clean, clean, and clean some more. Be sure all the little ports are open and not clogged. Be sure no debris inside the burners. Get a long brush and clean them out. Then wash them out (I use BrakeKleen) and yeah there are those throwing their arms up saying you're gonna poison yourself. Large BS call there. I wash them out and blow them clean. The stuff leaves no residue (even if it did it would burn itself off).
 
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