Another Sequoia in the fold (pic heavy)

[HankB]

Some of you probably recall this from a month or two back. I listed it here first and eventually talked myself into buying it. It was in Michigan near Detroit so I had my son (1 SS Performer, 1 mini-WSM and that gorgeous light blue SJG...) pick it up. We headed that way recently to help build a shed and I picked up the Sequoia which prior to loading in the back of the truck, I had not mentioned to SWMBO. She helped load it and didn't even ask. 

Pictures are as it arrived. I plan to consult with Jeff on restoration and of course I appreciate any of your suggestions. The bowl is a little rough but the cart looks. I'm pretty sure I can get it looking better with some cleanup and other work and I believe it will make a good cooker.

Here it is.



Ash catcher is missing but the support is there.



Lid's been painted to cover some massive chips



Pretty heavy damage to the bottom. I'm puzzled about what would cause this. Most impact chips are round. I wonder if this started as crazing due to excessive heat. The porcelain seems to be really thick.



This shows stair stepping of the top deck boards that demonstrates out of square. (Also the doors seem a little wonky.)



This is where the towel rings should be. The only thing I can see that hings at their previous presence is the small holes in the top board.



You can see more pictures at https://picasaweb.google.com/111317408295523264877/ImperialSequoia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCILg9oqUwrumnQE&feat=directlink

I'm going to followup with discussion of what I hope to do to revitalize this grill. I'm doing that in a separate post so it can be quoted w/out dragging along all of the pictures.

You can find more information in the master thread and other sub-threads.

[HankB]

For the bowl and lid -

- Remove the bottom vent wheels and replace with a set of new. I might be able to save two bit the third is missing.
- Hit it with fine steel wool to remove everything down to the porcelain. Do I hit the lid vent cover with steel wool too? I might use oven cleaner on the inside but I'm concerned about corroding the aluminum. For a degreaser I'll probably use Dawn.
- Spray all exposed rust with Pam to seal it up. Hopefully that will prevent further deterioration.
- Either sand down and finish the handle or see what Brian can do for me.
- get a newer style aluminum pan to use as an ash catcher. I know it won't be correct, but it just needs to work.

What else should I be doing with the lid and bowl?

Cart -
- It needs a serious cleaning. Can I use Dawn for that too? Do I need to to refinish the wood or do anything else with it?
- find a closer match for the door handle that has been replaced.
- get magnetic door latches and get rid of those awful hook and eye closures.
- find a closer match for the door hinge that is wrong.
- find a reasonable facsimile for the missing towel holders.
- square it up. Any suggestions on how to approach that are most welcome!
- refasten any loose boards. I have an 18 ga. trim nailer that should be a good size for this application.

Once this is done, I need to figure out how to protect it. I do not have outside space for my kettles so I've been using covers. I wonder if that is going to be good for a wood cart.

Thanks for any suggestions. Now I need to look up other threads that deal with these issues.

[reillyranch]

That one needed rescue.  Now it needs a restore.  Good luck

[Duke]

Nice score. There's still hope for that bowl.

[pbe gummi bear]

Congratulations and good luck! All the good bits are there so I'm sure the process will be rewarding. Any chance that kettle is missing the charcoal grate? The bowl looks like the po put coals directly on the bottom of it and cracked the porcelain in the process.

[HankB]

Any chance that kettle is missing the charcoal grate?

The charcoal grate was there but had sagged. Perhaps that indicates a particularly hot cook. Of course he may not have used it. Or there could have been a grease fire.

[Bman]

Cool stuff...

[1buckie]

That damage on the bottom is odd.....guess would be, they're not cooking but using for a fire pit, probably a bunch of times......

"What else should I be doing with the lid and bowl?"

Couple things come to mind....
As it's already been painted, maybe, I say maybe, go for a careful grind down, priming & painting........... Wouldn't be a perfect "Restore" adherent, but probably would last longer / work better.........
There is several products that will stop the rust within  the crazing dead ( POR 15 is one )

The rust would be good to stop if at all possible......

Ash pan, now that I got a close look at one, could be matched with a very small wok, painted hi-heat silver to prevent rust or a medium chrome mixing bowl.......

" - square it up. Any suggestions on how to approach that are most welcome!"

The one I just got, the current owner had never fired it up, but he did add some small metal angle / corner braces in fairly inconspicuous places to square & shore it from wobble.................

I can send pics of what he did & it seems really stable, so those I'm leaving in or reinstalling after finishing.....


I'll add whatever info I can to help with the wood part, it's where I'm headed !!!


Forgot to add.....the wood still really looks in pretty good shape.....
your wheels look great & at least the doors are still there.....not sure what happened to mine?

maybe they just plain didn't like them ......

[Jeff]

Well...the bowl is rough.  I have a set of used lower dampers like those you can have that are decent if you don't want to go new.   I don't think this grill is a lost cause.  I think it can be made to look respectable with some time and patience.  As Buckie said, the wood looks to be pretty good.  I thought too like Gummi did that it looked like they didnt bother to use a charcoal grate.  The lid will polish up with steel wool...I use it on the vent too.   The big chips will have to be touched up best as possible.  BTW...I think I see "Weber" in the top handle.  Not so sure those wheels are original, they look too new.  Not a big deal though.   There are adjustments that can be made inside the cart to square up those doors. 
I keep mine covered outside in the summer.  In the winter...I move it into the shed so there is never snow against the wood. 
We'll pick an evening next week and look it over real close!