Would you buy this for $200.00 ?


 
JeffG said:
Summit model 650
https://palmsprings.craigslist.org/for/d/palm-springs-weber-burner-barbq/7702427330.html
Click to expand...
Those grills were incredibly well made but have/had a fatal flaw. Rust through on the front portion of the fire box where the burners come through. Our friend Jon Tofte had panels made for the one he got from me. They seem to be working well $200? A little steep. But, that aside, if you did buy it and used Jon's panels to repair the firebox, with would be the best $200 ever
 
If you can use with natural gas, I think it is worth that. If I had room, I would love to add a 6-burner to the 4-burner I love so much.

And, yes, I can help with stainless reinforcements if you get it.
 
Very difficult on that one. Ordinarily all you would need to do to change fuel types is simply add the correct plumbing and regulator along with the correct orifices. But sadly NOT on most all (and that one in particular) Weber grills. They elect to make it nearly impossible to do this without doing a complete manifold swap.
So if that grill is a "real" NG grill (not one someone haphazardly popped a different manifold on. The valves are going to be different between ng and lp versions.
 
Jeff, that is a loaded question. The safe way to do it would be to replace the NG manifold to a propane one. However, unless you have a source for one, it might be tough prospect to find one for a reasonable price. Shipping one alone would be costly.

The other option is fraught with pitfalls and that is to simply swap in LP orifices on the valves and then replace the NG hookup with a regular LP hose and regulator. This could lead to problems with flame height due to valves not compatible with NG which is the case on some Weber grills.
 
Jeff, just to add to what I explained. It will NOT be a safety issue. It's an "operational" issue. It will operate just fine running "wide open" with simple orifice swaps. The issue will be that it will not throttle down properly so even if you turn it down to low it will still run overly hot vs what you expect it to do. Now, could you control that by shutting down burners? IDK. That is a personal thing. Just know at the low-med settings you will be getting more heat than you want or expect. But, it will NOT be "unsafe". Since the actual output orifice will be what limits the max temps and gas flow. As long as you understand that, doing orifices and a GOOD proper regulator will "work". And by proper regulator it means avoiding the "stuff" sold on places like Amazon that show their pressure in PSI not inches in water column. A proper LP regulator runs your appliance at 11" WC which is only a fraction of 1 PSI. So when you buy these 1 or 1.5 PSI regulators on Amazon you will have an absolute inferno
 
Jeff, you may not have issues with the front panel rusting. I've had my 650 for 25 years, and haven't had any problems with the burner holes rusting. Maybe it's the Cali weather, as a buddy of mine kept his for many years and didn't have rust either. You might want to ask the seller if there is any rust in the front-it's a great grill (just finished installing a new old stock 675 w/ sleeve, and have the Flat top version that was also purchased as new old stock as I was scouring everywhere for parts - can't get enough of the 1st Gen Summits!), and certainly easy on the eyes. Best of luck with your search.
 
You want the owner to remove the cooking grates and Flavorizer bars and take a close-up photo where the burners penetrate the front of the firebox. You're looking for a clean, tight, teardrop-shaped opening. Often you'll find extensive rust around the burner opening.

This photo is taken from outside the firebox with the burner control panel removed. Here you can see nice, clean openings with little rust...my 2002 Summit 450, a California grill with low humidity. An example of really good condition burner openings...you can see just a touch of rust on the burner opening on the left, on the bottom right edge.

igniter-install-20.jpg
 
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