Yellow 18.5 with the help of a Grillfella

[crowderjd]

In mid July, I was sitting in Michigan visiting the in-laws, and I saw a 18.5 for sale in San Diego on another website.  Here's the pic from their ad:



It had been listed for some time, but I reached out to the seller and he replied that he still had it.  I asked if he had a price in mind, and he came back with a VERY reasonable offer.  At that point I contacted @Jason and asked if he would agent.  He said he would be glad to.  We made a couple of phone calls and texts, and he was incredibly diligent and patient in arranging a meet-up with the seller.  He really went the extra mile to make this happen. 

In the meantime, I went back to Las Vegas for a day, and then I was off to lead an 11 day trip to Poland with students.  One morning, I woke up in Poland with the text message from Jason that he had secured the grill, and he sent me some pics.  I was super excited, and told him he made my day 6000 miles away. 









Overall, it was in fair shape, but one leg socket was broken, and another just barely hanging on.  Regardless, I was super excited to get back and get it restored.  I got back to Vegas late last Tuesday night, and contacted Jason on Thursday.  I decided against shipping it, afraid it could get damaged.  Instead, I decided to drive on down to the San Diego area to meet up and pick up the grill.  To make it fun, I told the kids we'd spend the day at the beach, which we haven't done this year.  I left Vegas at 5:30 Saturday morning, and was down at South Ponto Beach by 10:15.  Got the kids changed, and just as we were heading to the beach, Jason showed up and after a couple minutes meeting, we made the switch.  The kids and I spent the day at the beach, left around 3:30 that afternoon and was back in Vegas by 8:45 that night.  Good times!



Over the weekend, I started restoration...the biggest pain was drilling holes in the sockets to reattach the legs.  I went to Home Depot and picked up Milwaukee tool cobalt tipped drill bits do the job...they worked great FYI. 



Monday I cleaned up the exterior plus the ash pan:



And last night I put it all together, using #6 stainless steel screws, nuts and washers to reattach the sockets. 





Eventually, I'm going to replace the triangle, as it's so rusty that all my sanding/cleaning with wire brush attachment made so little difference.  Finally, I added a Zavod handle I'd been saving for a special grill.  I know there's been a lot of talk today about finding yellows, but I will say this...with patience and the help of GREAT grillfellas like @Jason diamonds in the rough like this are still able to be found. 

[56MPG]

Great story and restore! And you're right, there are hundreds of these great grills waiting for the right home. Glad this one found yours.

[haeffb]

Very nice. I'm coming to appreciate the WKC more every day.


Sent from my iPad using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[charred]

congrats and bravo to all involved. she's a beauty and yes, i am quite jealous.

[Travis]

Very cool story, restore, and teamwork! She looks beautiful! Love that handle, btw.


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[pbe gummi bear]

Great story, @crowderjd and kudos to @Jason on the assist. I'll start the bidding at $299 for the yellow.

[greenweb]

This is what is all about!  Finding that special kettle at a reasonable price. Helping other member and having some fun picking it up. Doing some R&R and  enjoying cooking on it.

Great story. Love the kettle. Much more appealing than any  other over priced ones still up for sale.

I was getting little ticked off after $300 yellow and lime topics. I feel real happy and recharged now.  Lets all stay on a happy tone.

Great story, @crowderjd and kudos to @Jason on the assist. I'll start the bidding at $299 for the yellow.

LOL 

[crowderjd]

@pbe gummi bear I'm not selling:)

[fedex]

That's good teamwork.  I remember that one nice rehab.

[firedude5015]

Amazing find and restore! And kudos to @ Jason  for the assist.
This is what drew me to this Club...Grillfellas, helping Grillfellas preserve an American Icon!. Fellowship, Friendships, and a common interest.  Congratulations on that Yella!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[Jason]

You sure did an excellent job bringing that grill back to life, glad I could help!

[Bob BQ]

You got your yellow! Very happy for you Jason! Congrats! And great assist, @Jason !

[Maxmbob]

Great job on the restore.

[Neil_VT00]

Congrats on the find and nice work on the restore.  Top it off with a day at the beach with the kids, sounds like a great day!

[crowderjd]

@Jason thanks again for the help, and @Bob BQ I'm super excited!  I did a cook the other night...nothing too special...shrimp and pineapple...but after it was done, I let it burn a bit.  I LOVE THE ORANGE GLOW:)





Compare to how it is cold: