Rescuing a '98 Master-Touch

[G_V_Black]

I have a green 1998 Master-Touch kettle that was much loved and heavily used until 2014, when I received  a 26.75" One Touch Gold as a wedding gift. I had given it over for communal use in our neighborhood, but it is now back in my posession (having sat unloved and and unused in a moldy basement).

I am hoping to restore it to a usable state as it has sentimental value, so that I don't have to build such large fires just to grill a couple of burgers, and to give me even more cooking space on long BBQ days. During a move, the box that it was packed in was dropped, and the rather large mover fell onto the box. This distorted the bowl where the legs attach and compromised the porcelain finish, and those areas are now weak due to cracking and rust. Also, the one-touch cleaning components are permanently rusted together (this is way past PB Blaster). For now I plan to finish cleaning up the parts and put it back together, but ultimately it will need a replacement bowl.

No surprise: Weber no longer produces, or has NOS, exact replacement bowls for this kettle. Is anyone out there in the business of parting out older kettles?

The other thought that I had was to purchase a green Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22" (https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/charcoal-grills/original-kettle-series/14407001.html?cgid=217#start=1) for the bowl and one-touch components and put the remaining parts up for sale on EBay or elsewhere (the bowl alone is listed as discontinued, despite the fact that this grill is still available for sale). Would I be able to use this with my original legs, the ash catcher bowl and ring, and the wooden handle pieces from my first gen Master-Touch. I would have to drill the three holes for the tuck-away lid holder, so I would be looking for recommendations on a product to use to prevent rust at these locations.

Thank you!

[TheFinkFarm]

I think I would just use the new master touch you would purchase.  Find another use for the broken one.

[G_V_Black]

Here is a picture of it cleaned up and put back together. It's pretty wobbly due to the weakness of the leg attachment points. I guess I will use it as-is for as long as I can. Hopefully it doesn't cave in under its own weight in the middle of a cook.

I'm still hoping that someone will pipe in with useful info on parts compatibility between grills of this vintage and current models. To get a color match, it would have to be a Premium.

[crowderjd]

Looks great!  I've seen many 90s master touches in much worse condition!  Nice job on the restore!  All cooking grates, charcoal grates, slow n sears would work on those.  The 90s are not significantly different from the modern 22s.  Sadly, the legs are not as good as they were on the model you have.  Pictures of the leg welds on the bowl would be helpful.  Unless it's really rusty, it should stay on its feet for many years to come!

[GregS]

this may be a stupid question, but can't you just order the parts you need from that new Original Kettle Premium in green directly from weber?

or again, maybe it's not possible but I'd give a call as a loyal customer to try.  good luck either way, i'll keep an eye out for a green MT on the used market as well. 

i personally wouldn't be shy about just adding some machine bolts/nuts to the leg mounts to secure them if the area hasn't been completely rusted to non rigidity. 

[G_V_Black]

I think I would just use the new master touch you would purchase.  Find another use for the broken one.

I know it doesn't make much sense to revive this one vs buying new, but I like the older model's esthetics and it has sentimental value.

[G_V_Black]

Looks great!  I've seen many 90s master touches in much worse condition!  Nice job on the restore!  All cooking grates, charcoal grates, slow n sears would work on those.  The 90s are not significantly different from the modern 22s.  Sadly, the legs are not as good as they were on the model you have.  Pictures of the leg welds on the bowl would be helpful.  Unless it's really rusty, it should stay on its feet for many years to come!

Thank you! It's a little more dinged up than it looks in this picture, but overall I'm very happy with how well it cleaned up. I don't have a good picture of the underside, but the leg sockets appear to have been spot welded in three places each. All three are loose, rusty, cracked, and slightly deformed (I straightened them out as gently as I could). We'll see how it holds up.

[G_V_Black]

this may be a stupid question, but can't you just order the parts you need from that new Original Kettle Premium in green directly from weber?

or again, maybe it's not possible but I'd give a call as a loyal customer to try.  good luck either way, i'll keep an eye out for a green MT on the used market as well. 

i personally wouldn't be shy about just adding some machine bolts/nuts to the leg mounts to secure them if the area hasn't been completely rusted to non rigidity.

I would buy just the bowl, but it's listed as discontinued. I did reach out to Weber support regarding this, but where I was talking about mixing and matching pieces from different models, I got a standard "can not assist with modifications...can't guarantee safety" type of response back.

It's not quite to the point where I would consider drilling out and through-bolting the legs, but might just do that if it deteriorates further and I feel that I have nothing to lose.

[TheFinkFarm]

It looks fantastic!  Fill it with ice and beverages during your next cookout.  if it collapses then at least not fire.