New Old Guy with OLD New Kettle

[zumbini]

Yesterday I removed the bowl vents to make it easier to work on the kettle. While I had the vents off I scrubbed them down with a brass brush and soapy water, then polished them with steel wool. They look a lot better but cleaning did expose severe pitting on one of the vents. Tomorrow I'm going to test out a marine grade aluminum cleaner on the inside of one of them.

Before


After


Pitting


I also worked on the leg triangle. Just need to polish it a bit more.

Before


After


EDIT: I did a little more more work on the triangle this afternoon. I'm gonna call it done...

[zumbini]

The cooking grate I ordered from Weber Sunday afternoon showed up today. It's a perfect fit!


The charcoal grate is due Friday so I better finish up the work on the bowl.

[JEBIV]

Kicking ass, keep it up

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[michaelmilitello]

Yesterday I removed the bowl vents to make it easier to work on the kettle. While I had the vents off I scrubbed them down with a brass brush and soapy water, then polished them with steel wool. They look a lot better but cleaning did expose severe pitting on one of the vents. Tomorrow I'm going to test out a marine grade aluminum cleaner on the inside of one of them.

Before


After


Pitting


I also worked on the leg triangle. Just need to polish it a bit more.

Before


After


EDIT: I did a little more more work on the triangle this afternoon. I'm gonna call it done...

The triangle rust will return quickly.   I'd recommend clear enamel or spray with a silicone based lubricant before you reassemble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zumbini]

I also worked on the leg triangle. Just need to polish it a bit more.

Before


After


EDIT: I did a little more more work on the triangle this afternoon. I'm gonna call it done...

The triangle rust will return quickly.   I’d recommend clear enamel or spray with a silicone based lubricant before you reassemble.

Yep, I plan to spray it with Krud Kutter Rust Remover and Inhibitor and then seal it with Rustoleum Cystal Clear.

[zumbini]

Worked on cleaning up the legs today

Before


After


NOTE: I don't think that all of these legs are original to the Fleetwood. I had to extend the non-wheel leg about 2 1/2" to get the grill to sit level.
Does anyone know the dimensions of the original legs?

[zumbini]

The charcoal grate arrived from Weber today.


It looks small at the bottom of that big bowl...


Thanks again to @Cellar2ful for the part number!

[Cellar2ful]

Nice job on the restoration.

I have three vintage 26" kettles.  An O Code (1992), a 69-70 Pat Pending, metal wheel model and a Pat Pending "Chief" with plastic wheels and rubber treads.  All have the same measurement of 17" for the triangle legs.  The front leg of the O Code measures 21 1/2". Both Pat Pending ones the front leg measures 21 3/4". 

[zumbini]

I finally found a piece of 1/2" OD x 3/8" ID brass pipe at Ace Hardware (yes they still exist!) to replace the old wheel bushings. I used a cutoff tool with a 3" abrasive disc to cut it into 1 7/16" lengths, a deburring tool to remove the rough edges, and emory cloth to smooth the ends of the bushings and cleanup the axles. She rolls like a stolen mustang now!

[zumbini]

Nice job on the restoration.

Thanks for your assistance, encouragement and kind words. As a former plant engineer and project/process manager this sh1t is right up my alley.

I have three vintage 26" kettles.  An O Code (1992), a 69-70 Pat Pending, metal wheel model and a Pat Pending "Chief" with plastic wheels and rubber treads.  All have the same measurement of 17" for the triangle legs.  The front leg of the O Code measures 21 1/2". Both Pat Pending ones the front leg measures 21 3/4".

My wheel legs are 17" OAL. The aluminum part of the 3rd leg is 19" but the wood dowel I added makes it just under 22".

My Fleetwood is Pat Pending with a wood lid handle, metal bowl handles, plastic wheels and rubber tires. Guess I'll add a 21 3/4" leg to my search list. Thanks again!

[Cellar2ful]

Here is an easy source for a replacement front leg.  Home Depot carries these aluminum shower rods that are the same diameter as Weber aluminum legs.  All you have to do is cut to length and drill a hole for the triangle.

Glacier Bay 60" Aluminum Builders Shower Rod                Home Depot   SKU#1001227499         Model # HD14016


 

[zumbini]

Here is an easy source for a replacement front leg.  Home Depot carries these aluminum shower rods that are the same diameter as Weber aluminum legs.  All you have to do is cut to length and drill a hole for the triangle.

Glacier Bay 60" Aluminum Builders Shower Rod                Home Depot   SKU#1001227499         Model # HD14016

And it's only $8 bucks. Such a deal! Thanks again.

[zumbini]

I'm pretty much done with surface prep and am now faced with choosing one of 2 (or more?) options for finishing/weatherproofing the exterior. In the following photos the lid (dark grey) was etched with rust inhibitor and rubbed down with canola oil while the bowl (light grey) was only etched.







At this point I am leaning towards the un-oiled version as it shows more of the kettle's well earned patina, however, it will require re-etching occasionally (possibly monthly) or clear-coating which several members have warned me against. (In my defense, the clear enamel I have in mind is rated to 2,000 deg F and was approved by the FDA for use on our printing press ovens to print flexible packaging for the food industry. When I retired in 2005 it had been in use for 8 years and was scheduled for repainting the following year.)

The darker oiled version looks boring (to me) and will require refreshing several times a year to prevent rust.  On the other hand it is less controversial.

I'll probably regret this but please let me know how you feel about these options and toss in any other approaches that may be viable.

THANKS!

Z

[Zrschaef]

I vote for oil rubbed look, looks killer!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[cigarman20]

Nice restore... you're killing it!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club