Hello Weber fans! I have a quick question. I am doing a restore on a smokey joe. The bolts for the legs to the kettle are rusted, i sprayed them to try to loosen them already (w/not much luck), should i just grind them off & replace (probably)? Also, a "cosmetic" question: The legs are slightly rusted by the bolts on the outside, steel wool as best as possible & leave original or spray paint them for a touch of color mod? Thank you in advance. Pics later after completion. Cheers! ~Jimbo
Yep! Grind the bolts off, just do it from the outside, that way the legs provide some protection from the grinder. I've used CLR to remove the rust, but if the legs are just slightly rusted, steel wool might do the trick. Good luck.
I prefer to cut a notch in the leg nuts/wingnuts to remove them. I find that a little easier than cutting the bolt heads off.
I've soaked legs in vinegar to remove the rust, shined them up, then hit them with a coat or two of Rustoleum clear 500* high heat spray paint.
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@ChickenWingJimbo - I just restored my Simpsons SJ and NFL Raider SJ. I had to cut the wing nuts off with a Dremel cutter wheel. The legs were in such bad shape, I ordered leg kits from Weber (part# 63071). They cost $8.50 and include the thee legs and mounting hardware. It does not include the ash catcher. The ash catcher costs $5 (part # 86061). It helps to have other items in your order to defer the $7 shipping costs.