You can get cedar boards at Lowe’s or HD that can be stained and then sealed with spar urethane. Don’t use polyurethane!!! Cut to length they will really bring out the charm of this grill. The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board where I am also a member has lots of before and after redhead restoration pictures and advice. (I send their members here for the great advice we have, too!)
The handle will be hard to find a replacement. Maybe you can find a person with some woodworking skills and tools to fabricate one. The rest of the replacement parts are easily obtainable. Get some Simple Green and 0000 steel wool and with hard work you can get all the exterior cleaned up as well as the inside of the hood. For the firebox the best way after washing off what you can is to use a 4 inch wire brush mounted on an angle grinder. If you don’t have one they are sold really cheap at Harbor Freight. Not a DeWalt, but more than adequate for occasional use.
Disassemble the hood and after cleaning paint the OUTSIDE of the side pieces with bbq grill black paint. Rustoleum has a mild gloss black that I think looks better than the dull flat black. Also use the high for the top of the frame where it is close to the firebox. For the rest of the frame I recommend Rustoleum 2X. The best source for replacement flavorizer bars is Dave Santana who sells on Craigslist in San Francisco. He is also on eBay as “rcplanebuyer” but you will probably get a better price through CL. His stuff is legendary and if you can afford it his stainless rod grates have no equal. Another grate option is GriilGrates which many love and some don’t. I have a set and in my experience so far they produce extraordinary sear marks and wonderful results.
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