Red Limited Edition Performer

[RottiGuy]

Dam very nice!! Great job!!

[Jules V.]

Just want to add 2 observations regarding the built characteristics of the lid and bowl of the LE  in comparison to the regular lid and bowl. First, the porcelain coating on the LE is slightly thinner. Don't really have a way of measuring the thickness of the porcelain coating other than eyeballing it when i drilled the holes.  I'm also assuming the thinner porcelain because when drilling, there's very minimal to almost zero chipping or cracking adjacent to the holes that's drilled. Holes came out very smooth even when i used the step-drill, which i might add, not very sharp. I verified that the LE is less prone to chipping  while drilling holes by drilling holes on an old  damaged bowl. The holes on the old bowl came out much rougher. There's a lot of little porcelain/enamel fractures around the hole and also some chipping which is very consistent with my  prior experience drilling holes on the kettle.

Second observation is the metal  probably has a different characteristics/composition. I found it harder to drill through  the metal even with a freshly sharpened bits. 

Some finishing photos:




I just cut the handle all the way to the portion that's welded to the bowl. Drilled 2 holes through the remaining welded portion of the handle  and attached a ss strip that  i cut from a tong.

[greenweb]

I like how you removed the bowl handle and made it look much cleaner. Also, 2 very interesting observation that were never brought up before.

Great job on this! I will also be making special performer shorty after this Thread. Thanks to Jules - he has sent me something to make this project lot easier. 

[Bubblehead]

The more I visit this thread, the more I like this setup.  Just a really cool grill.

[jcnaz]

That is some fine work, sir.

[WNC]

I too keep coming back to this one
I've got an old '86 red head that I've been thinking about dropping into a performer
I'll keep the regular height, but love the look.
Thanks for the tip about lining up the bowls, any other tips for a brother's first time?
How did you manage the gas assist hole?
Thanks!


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[Jules V.]

I too keep coming back to this one
I've got an old '86 red head that I've been thinking about dropping into a performer
I'll keep the regular height, but love the look.
Thanks for the tip about lining up the bowls, any other tips for a brother's first time?
How did you manage the gas assist hole?
Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

You need a drill preferably with a good chuck to minimize bit wobble.  Sharp drill bit that are meant for low rpm, you don't want to use aggressive  tipped bits that are used for fast drilling.  The shorter the bits, the better. Also never use a hex biits on a impact driver because of the excessive wobble.  A sharp step drill bit to enlarge hole to target size. If you have a rotary tool, use it to shape the hole into a slight oblong shape. File can also be used instead of the rotary tool. You don't need to make the hole into  an "eyeball" shape. Just dismantle the burner assembly and insert from the inside of the bowl.

[Jeff]

Ok, very clean, looks cool.  But how tall are you? Forgive me, but it doesn't look to be the most ergonomically correct grill.  My back aches just thinking about bending over to use it.  Nice work none the less.

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[Jules V.]

Ok, very clean, looks cool.  But how tall are you? Forgive me, but it doesn't look to be the most ergonomically correct grill.  My back aches just thinking about bending over to use it.  Nice work none the less.

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I'm 5'6" but i prefer my arms pointed almost straight down  instead  of horizontal  position. while holding the tongs etc.   All 4 of my gen2 are 24 1/2" and 3 ssp at 26".

[Bertman]

Wow. You are an artist. That's way out of my DIY league. Respect


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[weldboy]

Incredible job man I love that kettle in the performer setup


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[Jules V.]

Wow. You are an artist. That's way out of my DIY league. Respect


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Thanks.  Actually this mod is very simple and basic that everyone can execute. It's nothing more than drilling holes and some cutting/grinding.

[Jules V.]

LE Red with her older American half-sister Grass Green getting ready to perform on the grass.

[mhiszem]

LE looks great in a performer cart.


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[Jules V.]

LE looks great in a performer cart.


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Yeah they turned out much better than I've ever imagined especially that it costs $99. Not necessarily the deepest hue of red but at least it transforms into a darker red while under high heat. I actually suspect the color will eventually turn into a darker or deeper shade of red after each use. I've been monitoring the color in comparison to my N code ssp and it seems the lid color on the LE is getting close to the darker red on the ssp.