1977 kettle - interesting

[Troy]

someone over at the brethren site bought a used kettle - the owner said it bought it, used it once, and put it back in the box.

the newspapers in the box are from 77

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138357

A couple things I noticed that I haven't seen before.

The vent - it has the big "weber", but its not raised/embossed - it's an outline that's etched.
It has a little tab instead of the big one. (on the vent)

the ash pan edges aren't rolled, the whole thing is smooth - no grooves.

metal handles on bowl.

plastic wheels, with whitewall.

two rivet handle.

you guys agree that this grill is a 77?

[zavod44]

I just picked up a redhead with that same vent style.  I was thinking of doing some sort of vent style photos for some kind of article for the site.

Brian

[Troy]

nice. exactly the same vent?

[zavod44]

I'll check but I'm pretty sure....


Brian

[Craig]

That photo corroborates my theory of the current style OTS/OTG wheels were in place by 1977. The twist ash pan still has the flat edges (non rolled edge) so that must have switched over for '79 when Weber would have gone with the "raised" logo on the "A" lid vents. -Craig

[Troy]

That photo corroborates my theory of the current style OTS/OTG wheels were in place by 1977. The twist ash pan still has the flat edges (non beveled) so that must have switched over for '79 when Weber would have gone "embossed" on the "A" lid vents. -Craig

WOO, another kettle investigator!
What else do you know Craig? Help us with this page? http://weberkettleclub.com/determine-age-of-old-grill/

[Craig]

That photo corroborates my theory of the current style OTS/OTG wheels were in place by 1977. The twist ash pan still has the flat edges (non beveled) so that must have switched over for '79 when Weber would have gone "embossed" on the "A" lid vents. -Craig

WOO, another kettle investigator!
What else do you know Craig? Help us with this page? http://weberkettleclub.com/determine-age-of-old-grill/

A

As far as my "wheel" hunch, the Elegant Fare from the Weber Kettle Cookbook copyright 1977 shows a beautiful redhead 22.5 with the old style twist ashpan, metal handles and the modern OTS/OTG plastic wheels. My guess is (and I havn't pinpointed it yet) that Weber went to the current OTS/OTG wheels around 1976 or 1977. I saw a brand new 1975 18.5 red kettle online about 2 years ago that had the older style (late '60s-mid '70s) plastic wheels and the older Bar-B-Q-Kettle vent stamp on the lid. So the lid vent change to the non-embossed WEBER logo and the wheel retool to the current style must have occurred in that 2 year time frame. It's also plausible that when Weber went to date codes for 1979 that they decided to retool the twist style ash pan to have the rolled edges that would be seen on the kettles through 1986 "H" . The earliest example I have seen of the clip mounted full disc pans are the 1987 "J" kettles. I make no secret that I am a huge geek when it comes to my hobbies. Being a geek about it is what makes it fun.  -Craig

[Craig]

I just picked up a redhead with that same vent style.  I was thinking of doing some sort of vent style photos for some kind of article for the site.

Brian

That would be really cool to have a section like that on here. Especially as we just saw a 1950s vent that is stamped "Chicago, ILL" that predates the "Wood Dale" vents on that copper mist/two tone kettle posted here.

Craig

[zavod44]

Craig see if you have any vents that aren't shown on that thread.  there are a lot of holes to fill!

Brian

[Sheldon]

I just picked up a redhead with that same vent style.  I was thinking of doing some sort of vent style photos for some kind of article for the site.

Brian

My redhead also has the exact same vent and metal handle on the bowl. I have placed it between 1972-1977. I picked it up for $15 from the daughter of the original purchaser. I used it pretty heavily until I found out it was valuable...

[zavod44]

Husker, did you see this thread?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/vent-code-dates/

Brian

[Craig]

Husker, did you see this thread?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/vent-code-dates/

Brian

I just took a look at it. I'll have to add or send you pics of my vents. I've got a red of the '63-67, Black 1988 K, Red 1995 EO, Red 1997 EI. The Vents definantly deserve a permanant spot on the site. The more info and research, the better.

Craig

[Craig]

Husker, did you see this thread?

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/vent-code-dates/

Brian

I just took a look at it. I'll have to add or send you pics of my vents. I've got a red of the '63-67, Black 1988 K, Red 1995 EO, Red 1997 EI. A "Vents" section definantly deserve a permanant spot on the site. The more info and research, the better.

Craig

[Craig]

Sorry, didn't intend to double post. I was trying to edit my msg to say that a section and photos devoted to the vents would be beneficial and hit the quote button by accident.

Craig