Graills. They are out there.

[G$]

I was in mid town today, driving through a short cut residential type street on the way to an appointment.  I do this some times looking for old kettles.  I kid you not, I often tell my disinterested passenger (today it was my younger son) that "there are webers near by, my kettle sense is tingling".  In fact I said it earlier on this car trip.   So as I drove by an intersection and rolled away from the stop sign, I saw what I was pretty sure was a brown 26 er sitting in front of a some what sketchy old duplex,  but I could not stop.  Plus, there was nobody around and this was not a place I wanted to door knock frankly, especially not knowing which unit this possible graill belonged to.

After my appointment, I decided to take the same some what circuitous route home to see if I could confirm it was a 26er.  Originally, I had my doubts and thought it might just be a beat brownie with replacement lawnmower wheels.   Not only was it pretty clearly a 26 as I drove by for the second time,  but there were some dudes sitting on the porch of the duplex.

Now, I don't judge, but these were sort of rough looking guys, and I was not sure how this was gonna go but it was certainly worth a shot. 

I pulled in to the lot next to the duplex, got outta the car and said, "Hey guys, is that your brown grill there?". 

"Yeah man." 

"You wanna sell it?"

"Sure, how much?"

Now this is where I failed.  The last thing I wanted was to start negotiating.  I pointed out that the handle was destroyed and  told him "I have really been looking for one of these" 

Him:  "You mean an old round one?"

Me:  "I'll give you 40 bucks for it."

He immediately said "Sure" and took the lid off to start dumping out the ashes for me.  "Let me run the wire brush over this grate for you man" as he started to scrub it while his pal dumped the ashes.  I took the lid to the car and came back asking "So where did you get this?  It is pretty old." 

"Aw, some lady was throwing it away so I told her to leave it here." He said he mostly used the (cheap) horizontal barrel that was sitting next to it.

I thanked him for selling it to me and crammed the grill in my car.

I am CERTAIN the guy would have taken 20 bucks.  I think it is also likely that he would have given to me because he got it free, plus it was clear to him that i thought it was cool and was "saving" it...   The guys were nice, and I am glad they did their part to save this PAT PENDING 26 inch brownie:

[G$]

The rest of the story:

In between the time I had first seen this and went back about 90 minutes later, I texted BigRix to see if he was up for an adventure.  I was not sure I was going to have a chance to pick this up, and I knew it may be the perfect graill for him.  I wanted to make sure he was interested in it, and could go get it if I could not.

Turns out he was tight on time and would NOT be able to grab it at all later this week, so my urgency was raised just a bit.  The fact that the guys were out front sealed the deal, no doubt that I was rescuing this graill for Rick.

A few more pics in a little bit....

[G$]

Hosed it off.  Obviously the porcelain has some issues.  That handle will need to be coaxed in to shape.  I am demanding Rick put a zav on it.    All the vents spin properly though.  The wheels are super.  I am not familiar enough to pronounce them as the originals, can somebody chime in?  I think they are original.

The grill grate is in super shape.  In fact, I need to double check to make sure it is not the new style.

Charcoal grate is mis shapen but has another 45 years of use in it ......

[mike.stavlund]

Nice work, G$!  Those flat-tops are so beautiful.  Glad you got this one for a song!

[G$]

This grill is from the late 60s ish, and I wonder how it ended up where I found it.  I invent stories for them when I do not know for sure.

I think this one may have traveled to AZ in the late 60s with it's owner from Chicago, to live in the nice, but old neighborhood 2 miles to the West of where I found it.  I imagine every ten years it was put out on the curb as trash and then rescued and moved a half mile east.

[G$]

[MaxBobcat]

The Chief!  Nice score.  Will look great with a new handle.

Congrats G$!

[MacEggs]

That's a f*cking beauty!!

Great story, and a very fine rescue. On many people's grail list. 

[G$]

So anyone have a twist pan for a 26?   

[Cuda Dan]

G$,
Nice score, that will be one I will keep my eyes out for in the future. Hey if the wheels are coming off try the fuel hose trick I posted
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/missing-a-hub-cap-on-your-kettle/ 

Dan

[Craig]

$40 is a steal for a brownie flat top! Congrats on the score! Those wheels are original. Wafer pattern and all! They came after the straight line rubber treads/plastic rims. These wheels are late for a PAT PENDING kettle which is further convincing me that the PAT PENDING stamped vents went into 1971 and 1972. (See the 1972 catalog for details).

[Craig]

So anyone have a twist pan for a 26?   

you and me both! 

[G$]

further convincing me that the PAT PENDING stamped vents went into 1971 and 1972. (See the 1972 catalog for details).

Yep, I definitely agree with this in general. 

Congrats on the score!

You guys should congratulate Rick, I just was the one that found it and rescued it!  He will be bringing it back to life and enjoying it.

[G$]

G$,
Nice score, that will be one I will keep my eyes out for in the future. Hey if the wheels are coming off try the fuel hose trick I posted
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/missing-a-hub-cap-on-your-kettle/ 

Dan

Thanks Dan.  This one will be taken apart soon for cleaning.  I think Rick will be putting the original metal caps on when he gets around to restoration.

[jcnaz]

That grill and story are wonderful.
Thanks, G$!