Weber Summit Issue


 
Brandon Pilkington

Brandon Pilkington

TVWBB Member
After buying two Summits and seeing there is an obvious issue with the front panel and where the grates rest on these grills, I have been wondering if anybody has tried to replace it with something different other than a new box? It looks like the entire piece unbolts and I'm curious if it has been attempted to have the panel made of aluminum or stainless steel?
 
Pictures and knowing your actual Summit model can help. The Summit line has been plagues with rust out issues from the first generation
 
Brandon,
I just bought Larry's 4 burner first generation Summit. On my long list of "To Do's" is to disassemble the firebox and take the rust prone part to a sheet metal shop. While a good sheet metal person could make an exact replica in stainless steel, I think the cost would be very prohibitive. I am thinking more along the lines of having plates made with two holes for one half of a 4-burner or one third of a 6-burner. Make plates to bolt to the front and back side of the area that always rusts out. No, it won't last forever, but I think it would be a potentially cost-effective way to give your old Summit years more service. I also hope that the price could come down if made in a small run of identical parts. Then I could sell them at cost to other hobbyists. The first generation Summits are SO nice other than this very annoying - but also serious - problem.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Brandon,
I just bought Larry's 4 burner first generation Summit. On my long list of "To Do's" is to disassemble the firebox and take the rust prone part to a sheet metal shop. While a good sheet metal person could make an exact replica in stainless steel, I think the cost would be very prohibitive. I am thinking more along the lines of having plates made with two holes for one half of a 4-burner or one third of a 6-burner. Make plates to bolt to the front and back side of the area that always rusts out. No, it won't last forever, but I think it would be a potentially cost-effective way to give your old Summit years more service. I also hope that the price could come down if made in a small run of identical parts. Then I could sell them at cost to other hobbyists. The first generation Summits are SO nice other than this very annoying - but also serious - problem.
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Thanks for the pointers, I just wish they'd designed it better, I like the quality of the grill but that definitely has me discouraged. I just figure if I could come up with a way to get around it, it would be worth keeping, just hard to convince myself of that when my other Webers will never have that issue.
 
Don't buy it. It's not worth going down that rabbit hole. Buy 2 good old style Genesis grills and save the rest for steaks and scotch
 
Yep, those old Summits are tempting, but they also generally turn into money pits.
 
Good choice. You will have all the grilling space you need with the E310 and red head. Plus, you don't have to fire up a huge grill to cook just a few burgers.
 
Are you asking about the old 1st gen 450 or the 3rd gen 450? There are very few of the 1st gen ones in the wild.
 
If you are talking about the current, third generation ones, I have seen rusted ones for as little as $100 to $150 but prices are all over the place. If clean and not obviously rusted, they can command a lot higher prices. Most, however have cabinet rust you can readily see and, more insidious, rust in the front of the firebox that can lead to dangerous burn-through.
 
Kelly C said:
Just curious, what kind of money have others seen the Summit 450 go for?
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It's a small niche market for used Summits in excellent condition so hard to gauge.

Anything needing work won't fetch more than $100 due to the parts cost and the labor.
 
They usually wind up being money pits if anyone gets too deep into restoring them. It is awful tempting. Who wouldn't want a nice grill like that for cheap? But a lot of people have gone down that rabbit hole and come out bloodied.
 
Now that’s a really nice grill - I just bought Larry’s - but I tried to have my eyes open. You will need to as well.

Parts availability is not good at all. And as with the current Summit rust in the front of the firebox is a big problem with no replacement parts available. For myself, I am looking at trying find a sheet metal guy who can make reinforcements that can be bolted to the front and back side of the firebox front. I am hoping to get something going where I can offer them to others.

I love these grills but buyer beware!
 
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What about the area where the cooking grates rest. I know a lot of them have issues with rust and corrosion there as well.
 
There is someone selling a firebox for 300 near me, that is a good price for that, almost considered it and then when mine does rust, just replace it. Still couldn't bring myself to do it, the grill I just picked up is 27 years old, and I will easily get another 27 at the very least. The Summit sure won't last that long.
 
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