- UPDATED - Blue SS and a few questions.

[Bman]

Long story short, but I threw Stavlund a bone (free black ss) from CL last weekend.  He put a friend of his on it and brought er' home.  Said I had "kettle karma" coming my way.  I'm still in the market for a SS, and prefer blue since my new-school Performer is blue.  Today, he sent me a link for an estate sale including a blue SS.  Shit-yeah!  Since I'm still learning, I have a few questions about this bad boy.
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1) What would you pay for this thing?  If the gas doesn't work, that'll be a nice bargaining chip.  But I hope it does work.
2) Chimney starter?  Is that because the gas assist doesn't work?
3) This is the older style ash ring/bucket, correct?  IE - replacement parts aren't available (unless I fit a new style ring/catcher)
4) What is that accessory on the bottom shelf next to the ol' school charcoal baskets? (the one under the grill brush)  Don't think I've seen that flat 'basket' before.
5) Anything else?

[mike.stavlund]

If you're looking for bargaining chips, then yeah, those are all potentially catastrophic problems to point out while you're kicking the tires. 

But if it's just among us friends here, I'm thinking that this kettle is in great shape and will work just fine for you, as is. 

1. the chimney is a damn fine accessory.  Lots of us use 'em with our Performers, because they work so well.  Especially if you are lighting coals on your Performer to use in another grill.  Or if you want to roast some red bell peppers right on top of that blast furnace.  Or etc..  I would offer to take the chimney off their hands, since it won't be good for anything else.

2.  There aren't replacement parts for that ash catcher, but you prolly don't need any.  It seems to be working just fine like that.  If it does fall off at some point, you can mod on a new $30 ash can assembly for the price of some hose clamps. 

3.  I'll be the burner doesn't work for you when you get there, but it will with a few minutes worth of cleaning.  Or maybe a new ignitor.  Hope it doesn't work, just for the bargaining chip, but expect it to be just fine.  The most important thing is that the tank is there. 

3.  Ask about the cover.  It came with one, and looks like it's been stored under a cover.  It might be hiding in the corner of the garage or pool house or guest quarters or outbuilding (yep, this estate sale is in one a them there swanky neighborhood, Bman.  Better wash yer truck before you head over there!  ;-)

4.  I don't know what that flat thing is, but the original old-school wire coal baskets are right next to it.  You are golden.

5.  In terms of price, if they are looking for an offer, tell them your buddy Mike paid $25 for a similar grill last summer.  But in my experience with estate sales, there won't be room for much haggling.  Around here, everything gets marked with a price and they don't dicker too much (my black SS was marked at $50, but the second day of the sale everything was half price).  And I've shown up to estate sales where there was a line leading down the driveway and folks had to wait in line to get in while folks were walking out with all of the good stuff.  So show up early, bring plenty of cash, and be ready to pay more than you'd like. 

Good luck Bman!  May the force be with you.  Certainly kettle karma is on your side.

[Bman]

Thanks (again) Mike.  I like your numbering system.  lol

I do have a chimney already that I use for the OTG. (lit via the side burner on one of my gassers)  But I wouldn't say no to another.
Agreed this ash catch system appears to be in good condition.  Hopefully I can save/preserve  the mounting 'bar' and keep it original.
Being fairly mechanically inclined, I'm not too worried about the gas assist working or not.  All parts still available?
I love the wire charcoal baskets and lookin' forward to bringing them home.
Good tip on finding the cover. (unless it was stored int he garage.

Can you help a cracker out with this estate sale thing.  How does it work?  Is each item tagged with a price?  How does one make claim to it?

[pbe gummi bear]

Estate sales are usually run  by a third party company that takes a cut of the sales. They usually run for 1-2 days depending on the amount of stuff, and sometimes the prices are slashed as it comes to an end. Either the last day, or last few hours.

Under $100 would be a great price for it imo, especially if they are rare in your area. The blue is even rarer obviously. The cover is also very desirable and those baskets made of steel rod are very nice.

Yep. Thats the old ash catcher. The horizontal bar that holds it up has a hole in the middle and the surrounding metal is awfully thin. Depending on the amount of rust it may be on its last legs. It would only take a few min to make a new one if you can use a hacksaw, dremel, hammer and vise. Check out this link from TVWBB: http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?23649-COMPLETED!-Red-Weber-SS-Performer-Restoration-20-CL-score-Now-with-pics!!

I've never seen a flat basket like that but it looks like it would be super useful for fish. Perhaps it even fits between the 2 hinged sections on the grill which would be double sweet!

Chances are the gas won't work. I would point this out to the people running the sale. Also check the date stamp on the tank. If it's expired then you can use that as a bargaining chip. Also check the porcelain near the burner and below the lid bale. This part sometimes blows out on performers.

[chriscw81]

Go git 'er Bman!  Blue is better!




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[Bman]

While I haven't been a Kettle-Head for very long, I've seen quite a few SS's come-&-go in the past few months.  I wouldn't say they're rare, but not abundant either.  I'm not looking for a pristine condition unit, but rather one with good bones that needs some TLC.  Either way I'll strip it down to the frame and show it a lot of love. 

Now that I look at the horizontal bar, meh, that ain't nuthin' to toss together.  Thanks for the link Gummi

Any idea what (if any) differences are between these older (ss model) bowls and the newer (plastic table) bowls?  Would a new bowl (which I have) bolt right up in the SS cart?  Gas assist and all?  Obviously the new bowl would require the new ash sweeper & catcher, but what else?

[pbe gummi bear]

The bowls are the same as they share the same part number for the black one: http://www.ereplacementparts.com/bowl-22534-black-p-1477489.html The part numbers are now the same for the burner part of the gas assist: http://www.ereplacementparts.com/burner-assembly-p-1477522.html  The hose connects with a C clip. It is possible to move the regulator with built in knob from the 2010 performer onto the older one, but you will need to create a bracket to hold it in place. The knob is 90 degrees offset (horizontal, not vertical) from the older one.

Do you plan to keep both performers?

[mike.stavlund]

Estate sales take a bit of getting used to, yes. 

First, as was said above, they are almost always run by a third party company.  This one for Saturday, with its advertising and photos and marketing, surely is.  So the owners won't be there, and neither will their family.  So it won't have the sentimentality of a yard sale or garage sale, where you're haggling with the guy who bought this thing and treasured it and isn't so sure he want to sell it at all.  Which is kinda nice to get away from all that personal stuff and just be pragmatic about buying the stuff you want without having to feel bad about it. 

But that pragmatism goes both ways.  This company selling this stuff knows what they are doing, and aren't very likely to just give stuff away.  They will be doing their research on stuff all week, pricing it and organizing it and advertising, etc..  So you will sometimes see prices on stuff that is quite high (I've seen computers and such with like-new pricing, which is ridiculous), because the company will try to get as much as they can out of stuff, knowing that they can cut the prices later if necessary.  But at the same time, these estate sellers are pragmatic most of all about one thing:  they want all of this shit gone.  They don't want to have to haul it away, or trash it, or anything.  They want this place empty when it's all over, so they do tend to make some deals. 

Of course, if you're after some particular thing that everyone else knows is there (like, say, a sweet blue SS Performer you've been dreaming about), then that changes things a bit.  I suggest you be one of the first guys there, and haul ass (in a casual fashion, of course) directly to the backyard and to the grill to check it out.  It'll prolly have a price tag on it, and you can see what you think.  If you see a herd of Weberheads running in your direction, then claim that thing and sit on it.  If you don't, then try to flag down one of the workers to either, a.) ask him to put a 'sold' sticker on it, or b.) tell him it needs a ton of work and you just don't know and can only offer him X for it (be prepared for him to tell you to take a hike).      Or, c.) see that it's already got a 'sold' sticker on it somehow. 

(To avoid c.) if I were Bman, I'd see if I could find a way to make contact with the seller to see what they want for that grill.  If it's reasonable, maybe you try to close the deal right then.) 

Once you've (hopefully) got the grill with your 'sold' tag on it, it's time to go looking for other goodies.  Any guy who can afford to live in that zipcode and with the good sense to buy the Cadillac of charcoal grills is gonna have some other good stuff around.  I'd go to the kitchen first, because he prolly has some good cookware, grill tools, meat injectors, rib racks, etc. in there.  Then check the garage or shed or basement or whatever for other stuff:  the cover, a stash of charcoal, accessories, cast iron pans, extra LP tanks, etc..  Remember that estate sales happen generally because someone made an unexpected and/or sudden move to the nursing home or the great beyond, which means that they are leaving a lot of stuff behind, often in a hurry.   But don't you feel bad, because you will  be carrying the torch forward for another devoted Weber fan.  I'm grateful for the guy who kept my Red K OT+ for me since the year I graduated from high school, and for the guy in the fancy neighborhood who took such good care of my black SS (I'm sure it wasn't him who was using the coal bin for a trash can in the garage). 

Good luck B.  I hope you can sleep this week.  ;-)

[Bman]

I want to keep the older knob (and use it's tank) in it's current location, but a full cart/table restoration might include the new bowl & lid I have for the newer Performer.  If a bowl swap is a direct fit, I'll most likely do that and come up with something creative for the take-off bowl/lid. 

Yes, I'm keeping both.  Our kitchen (and deck) is on the second level and that's where my gasser & newer performer live.  Another gasser, WSM, OTG, (my future projects/restorations) and someday a SS performer will reside under the deck on the patio.  BTW - our deck is 15' in the air so I love that patio w/ overhead shade.  I'm planning on installing corrugated metal to the bottom side for rainy day grilling/smoking.  Plus, these are the grills I can easily load up and take to places where I'm doing some cooking. 

[Eastex]

Another hint, get there early and see if there's a way to go around into the back yard, where the grill probably is,  without having to go through the house. I lost a really nice Portable Kitchen because I got hung up getting through the house and the guy who got it went around the side. I didn't know there would be one there before hand so it wasn't like I was crushed but it was still sickening to get that close.


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[Eastex]

All good hints on where to look, also check out any cookbooks, lots of times they have paperwork from old appliances, manuals, cookbooks, all kinds of swag. Like they said though, get the grill first


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[Bman]

Thanks Mike!  I was wondering how these estate sales were actually ran.  I mean, I knew it was a 3rd party but the actual workings are virgin territory to me.  You already answered most of what I was looking for.  1) It'll have a price tag   2) flag down a worker to get the 'sold' sign

Yeah, I plan on being there early.  I already asked wifey is she wanted to go with.  She was all excited until I told her the time.  I'll be rolling solo.  lol

I'm assuming I'd be allowed to fire it up to see if it works?  Or pull an ignitor wire so it doesn't... 

I'll also send them an email (now) asking if they know what the asking price will be on it, but I don't wanna show too much interest.  lol

[Heyjude]

Another thing to keepi n mind is that tanks expore after 12 years, so if its old , you aren't legally supposed to get it refilled. To get them recertified can be more than a new tank.
Just need to know this as most people wouldn't even think about that. 

[mike.stavlund]

Grillgals and Grillfellas, let's be thinking of Bman, who stands on the brink of destiny.  In just 15 minutes, he will bust through the door and run toward his beloved blue SS like Leslie Nielsen in a Naked Gun movie.  We stand in solidarity, Bman.  Go get this thing!

[Eastex]

Good Luck BMan go get that grill