Summit Charcoal Mods

[GoAnywhereJeep]

Newest SCGC club member here....

As far as mods go, all I have done is to add twin Weber grill lights and the CyberQ Cloud that was on my WSM. I really want that stainless stacker rack and already have a couple of the Weber Stainless rib racks from my WSM/kettle. I have to be honest, it really does not need many mods. It is a fairly complete solution as-is, which is one of the reasons to pony up for it in the first place. No need to have a kettle+wsm and no need to add upgrades like a hinge, door, or a SnS. All that adds up.

At first, i wanted to upgrade the wheels so i left it apart and ran over to the hardware store looking for something that would be an upgrade. Nothing worthwhile found so i kept the stock wheels. The stock wheels, BTW, are fine because they are dual density and are held on by better clips. The "rim" portion of the wheel seems to be a lightweight, sturdy plastic while the "tire" portion of the wheel seems to be a heavier rubber or other poly. The axle shaft also has small holes in it and uses cotter pins rather than those smash on retainer rings on other models. Bottom line is it would be hard to find a wheel that is an actual "upgrade' or makes it more "serviceable." Going to pneumatic tires might make for smoother transportation of the grill but i think it would at the same time make the stationary grill less stable when cooking.

I prefer the stainless OEM grates to any cast iron upgrade or those aluminum fin thingies. That said, i could even see a straight up stainless grate (sans the GBS center) as a livable option/upgrade to the stock cooking grate).

[GoAnywhereJeep]

As the newest SCGC owner, i would like to report in with my current mods.

1) GasOne GS-3900P. This is a dual fuel (butane/propane) portable stove. It comes with a black carrying case and I keep it just behind the charcoal bucket. I got this to keep sauces warm and to make port wine reductions for steaks or just garlic and/or onions that have been sauteed in butter.  Totally wish there was one built into the SS counter top.

2) Twin Weber 7516 LED lights. Instead of doing one light in the middle of the handle, I wend with dual. I grab the handle in the middle anyway and the dual illumination (not to mention multi-angle) is great. One issue seems to be to get them to shut off correctly with their level sensors. With the curved angle of the handle, the lights are at a little different angle when the lid is open as compared to a horizontal bar on a gas grill.

3) I just solved an interesting issue today. Mr. Justin Maniac (AKA BabyBackManiac) mentioned a "flippy flippy" issue with Kamado style grills and lumped in the Weber Summit Charcoal in his Kamado Joe Big Joe New Features video. He did not mention this in any of his Weber-specific videos that I can remember seeing. Anyway, I came up with a solution to the problem. I did not think it was a huge issue in the first place but I was able to solve it as follows (video to follow on my channel in support of this).

First, I removed the e-clip and pin that holds the stainless adjusting wheel to the chrome plated base plate. Be VERY careful not to loose that little e-clip unless you have a replacement at hand but even that is no big deal.

Then, while I was at the big orange box taking care of some "honey dos" and "round tuits" I picked up a fifty five cent sack of #6 (0.032") fiber washers. Three in a pack.

Using a single washer, I was able to refit the flip lid to the base, while squishing a fiber washer between the base and the lid. Had to gently tap the other side in place with a long punch and a small hammer. Not for the faint of heart. Tedious. Losing the e-clip is easy to do and sucks but the pin stays in place without it in case you need to do a cook and get a replacement clip later.

4) BBQ Guru CyberQ Cloud with magnetic base/mount.

5) GBS accessories (left over from my Performer)

[ramsfan]

Trust me, money ain't got nothing to do with it. I have seen thousands spent on a single grill in this place. Somebody will eventually create this mod. Probably in a few years when old SCGC's are popping up on CL for less than $500? There is absolutely nothing "unique" or special about a Weber SCGC. It's just another cooker like the hundreds that came before it and the thousands that will come after it.

Wrong.
[/quote]

No, I don't think so.

[GoAnywhereJeep]

I'm waiting to see who is going to be the first person to take a Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center and remove the kettle from the ring support assembly and drop in a standard Weber 26.75 bowl and lid creating the worlds first true Weber 26.75 Performer? This is the ultimate mod that everyone (especially me) is waiting to see.

I absolutely guarantee someone is going to do this eventually, just a question of who will be there first?

Why would this be a good idea? Is anyone else really waiting to see this? Will you be the first? Inquiring mind wants to know. I'm a performer kinda guy with a Performer Deluxe (gas assist) and a Summit Charcoal Grilling Center. I lusted over the 26 and still do. A 26" Performer would be the bomb. No question. A 26" kettle on a SCGC cart would also be awesome - again no question. The question is, why in the heck would you yank off the insulated kettle with an indirect plate option (as you seem to imply) instead of rescuing the thing? You would be at a net loss on the indirect grilling space and at a loss by going uninsulated. Sounds like a downgrade, even for a 26 lover.  If you can find "cart only" then you've got a good point.  Even if you could find one @$500, why would you downgrade it versus rescue it?

[GoAnywhereJeep]

Trust me, money ain't got nothing to do with it. I have seen thousands spent on a single grill in this place. Somebody will eventually create this mod. Probably in a few years when old SCGC's are popping up on CL for less than $500? There is absolutely nothing "unique" or special about a Weber SCGC. It's just another cooker like the hundreds that came before it and the thousands that will come after it.

Wrong.
[/quote]

No, I don't think so.

That's okay. A lot of other people thing you are wrong though. I'm one.

I am confident that you'll get your hammered $500 Summit without a warranty one day.You might even be able to piece one together before then with someone else's warranty parts. Might take a while, though, not to mention cost more than $500 for a bunch of defective parts.

[ramsfan]

I don't know why this particular subject seems to get so many people here excited, defensive, and worked up? I'm not saying someone should go out and destroy a perfectly good SCGC just to create a 26 Performer? I certainly wouldn't do that. I wouldn't expect anyone else to do this either.

All I'm saying is that some time in the future, (most likely years from now?) the lid and/or bowl of an SCGC is going to become separated from its cart for whatever reason? (most likely due to damage of some sort after the warranty runs out most likely?). Someone is bound to look at that empty cart missing it's lid and bowl and wonder what could possibly be used to salvage and save this? The only logical answer would be to use a 26 as a cheap substitute? I mean, who would want to go to all the added expense to replace it with another Summit bowl and lid when a 26'er can be had for a fraction of the cost?

The Performer has been around for nearly 28 years now. How many of these have we seen chopped, broken, disassembled, rebuilt, repurposed, reconfigured, etc. through the years? Why is it so impossible to think the same fate couldn't possibly happen to an SCGC years from now? I mean, what makes an SCGC any different from a Performer or any other product that Weber has produced over the years? No difference that I can see? (This was my point in an earlier comment) Eventually, this mod will happen. Someone is bound to try it eventually? It will happen.

[GoAnywhereJeep]

I don't know why this particular subject seems to get so many people here excited, defensive, and worked up? I'm not saying someone should go out and destroy a perfectly good SCGC just to create a 26 Performer? I certainly wouldn't do that. I wouldn't expect anyone else to do this either.

All I'm saying is that some time in the future, (most likely years from now?) the lid and/or bowl of an SCGC is going to become separated from its cart for whatever reason? (most likely due to damage of some sort after the warranty runs out most likely?). Someone is bound to look at that empty cart missing it's lid and bowl and wonder what could possibly be used to salvage and save this? The only logical answer would be to use a 26 as a cheap substitute? I mean, who would want to go to all the added expense to replace it with another Summit bowl and lid when a 26'er can be had for a fraction of the cost?

The Performer has been around for nearly 28 years now. How many of these have we seen chopped, broken, disassembled, rebuilt, repurposed, reconfigured, etc. through the years? Why is it so impossible to think the same fate couldn't possibly happen to an SCGC years from now? I mean, what makes an SCGC any different from a Performer or any other product that Weber has produced over the years? No difference that I can see? (This was my point in an earlier comment) Eventually, this mod will happen. Someone is bound to try it eventually? It will happen.

I am not worked up but it would seem that you are because you keep talking about how you're going to get one for under $500 and how these grills are nothing special and you won't let it go. This is a thread on modifications to the SCGC and I am hoping to read more about that. The SCGC cart would be an upgrade to a 26 but not the other way around.

And yes, you did say in the quoted text above that you would get one for under $500 and then you suggested pulling the lid and bowl to replace it with a 26. Now you seem to be back tracking.

Yes, you will eventually be able to find just the cart but that is not what you said at first.  The other thing that you do not seem to acknowledge is that there will always be a ton of Performers out in the wild as compared to SCGCs. Performers that are badly beat or that have unusable or missing bowls and lids do pop up on craigs list and facebook groups from time to time. When the SCGC finally works its way into that used market, they will likely be fewer and farther between. Yes, there will eventually be a cart without the insulated lid or bowl. Between now and then, you can probably do just fine building your own cart for the 26 like others have done.

[ramsfan]

I don't know why this particular subject seems to get so many people here excited, defensive, and worked up? I'm not saying someone should go out and destroy a perfectly good SCGC just to create a 26 Performer? I certainly wouldn't do that. I wouldn't expect anyone else to do this either.

All I'm saying is that some time in the future, (most likely years from now?) the lid and/or bowl of an SCGC is going to become separated from its cart for whatever reason? (most likely due to damage of some sort after the warranty runs out most likely?). Someone is bound to look at that empty cart missing it's lid and bowl and wonder what could possibly be used to salvage and save this? The only logical answer would be to use a 26 as a cheap substitute? I mean, who would want to go to all the added expense to replace it with another Summit bowl and lid when a 26'er can be had for a fraction of the cost?

The Performer has been around for nearly 28 years now. How many of these have we seen chopped, broken, disassembled, rebuilt, repurposed, reconfigured, etc. through the years? Why is it so impossible to think the same fate couldn't possibly happen to an SCGC years from now? I mean, what makes an SCGC any different from a Performer or any other product that Weber has produced over the years? No difference that I can see? (This was my point in an earlier comment) Eventually, this mod will happen. Someone is bound to try it eventually? It will happen.

I am not worked up but it would seem that you are because you keep talking about how you're going to get one for under $500 and how these grills are nothing special and you won't let it go. This is a thread on modifications to the SCGC and I am hoping to read more about that. The SCGC cart would be an upgrade to a 26 but not the other way around.

And yes, you did say in the quoted text above that you would get one for under $500 and then you suggested pulling the lid and bowl to replace it with a 26. Now you seem to be back tracking.

Yes, you will eventually be able to find just the cart but that is not what you said at first.  The other thing that you do not seem to acknowledge is that there will always be a ton of Performers out in the wild as compared to SCGCs. Performers that are badly beat or that have unusable or missing bowls and lids do pop up on craigs list and facebook groups from time to time. When the SCGC finally works its way into that used market, they will likely be fewer and farther between. Yes, there will eventually be a cart without the insulated lid or bowl. Between now and then, you can probably do just fine building your own cart for the 26 like others have done.

WTF? Is your daytime job being a prosecuting attorney or something? Jesus Christ man! All I said is that someday down the road we will most likely see someone create this mod. It would be cool to see what that looks like. - SIMPLE! All of a sudden this thread is turning into some sort a GOTCHA exercise? I'm just trying to express a simple idea here and suddenly I'm having my words analyzed and taken apart?

I'm sure you understood the basic idea of what I was trying to say. There is no need to expand on it any further. It serves no purpose whatsoever.

[Josh G]

Does the 26 even fit in the cart?  I thought the SCGC was 24".  Or is that inside diameter and outside bowl is equal to the 26er.  If you can find a cart and the bowl and lid are shot I would love to see it continue its life with a 26. 

[ramsfan]

Does the 26 even fit in the cart?  I thought the SCGC was 24".  Or is that inside diameter and outside bowl is equal to the 26er.  If you can find a cart and the bowl and lid are shot I would love to see it continue its life with a 26.

I'm thinking that a 26 bowl would settle down into the round cradle of an SCGC cart probably slightly higher than the bowl of a Summit Kettle due to the larger diameter? The nice benefit of this is that it would allow for the additional room needed for the lid bale, plus the lid bale could be oriented towards the rear or the left side, whichever you prefer? If Weber ever decided to offer a 26.75" Performer, it seems to me they could easily use the same cart platform from an SCGC?

[JordanW]

I created a monster... "Summit Charcoal Mods" title...... thread turned into crap. O well-

What should I change the title too?

[GoAnywhereJeep]

I created a monster... "Summit Charcoal Mods" title...... thread turned into crap. O well-

What should I change the title too?

I was hoping for a mod thread here too and was hoping to contribute as well. Not sure what value Mr. ramsfan is trying to bring here but what do I know. Apparently I struck a nerve. Sorry man (Mr. ramsfan). I'm flattered, though, that quoting you qualifies me to be a prosecutor.

OP: Perhaps start a thread in the mods forum? I'll participate and play nicely in the sand box. It would be great to welcome Mr. ramsfan to the thread as soon as he gets his $300 SCGC or $200 26GC.