Wrapping up the refurb on my Sequoia and commissioning into service

[HankB]

This is the last installment in the story of refurbishing my Sequoia. Paint is dry and I have reinstalled all of the parts. (Except the towel rings. I'm virtually finished. ) I'm generally happy with the result. It is no museum piece, but it is a serviceable reminder of what Weber made back in the '70s (I think) and something I can cook on for years to come. During the refurb I corrected some manufacturing deficiencies and covered, to the extent I could, the scars of a challenging life. The delignified back side of the doors and extreme crazing of the bowl indicates that it has seen many high heat cooks and perhaps even a few bonfires. The PO covered some of that with some crappy looking paint which came off with oven cleaner and revealed some nice looking porcelain with some huge cracks and chips. Instead of paint, I have coated those spots with Pam which should harden and provide some protection from further rust. It was missing one bottom vent cover and I wound up replacing all three thanks to Jeff's kind donation of a set (including mounting H/W.)

I scrubbed the cart as best as I could using Dawn and oven cleaner. I reinforced and squared it up before staining with a semi-transparent stain. Many of the defects are still visible, but they are toned down a bit and the cart looks a lot better.

I characterize my 18 as a grizzled veteran and though it suffered neglect, it never suffered the battles that this Sequoia experienced. I think I would characterize the Sequoia as a scarred warrior. It shows the results of the battles but still serves as well as on the day it was first assembled.

Here's how it looked when I brought it home.



And now







Getting ready to cook





Coming along nicely (if not quickly)



Veggies on the grizzled veteran.



Ready to eat.



Just enough coals left for a peach pie for dessert.



Epilogue: If you've followed my blog, you probably know that I end every cook with notes on what I could do to achieve better results next time. This is no different and looking back I can comment. First, I would disassemble the cart to the extent that it was disassembled for shipping when new. I think that removing the axles and the carriage bolts with wing nuts would do that. It would be easier to clean and paint the various parts that way. Next I would do more to brace the cart. It is a flawed design and the rectangles with axle or single carriage bolt at the corners is not sufficient to keep it square. I braced the corners with 18 gauge brads but that is barely sufficient. I can also second guess the color of the stain. I like the color but would have preferred something a little more transparent. However if it protects the cart, I will be happy.


You can find more pictures of the sequoia at https://picasaweb.google.com/111317408295523264877/ImperialSequoia?authkey=Gv1sRgCILg9oqUwrumnQE

This Thread is the last in a series of threads I've posted to document my efforts to refurbish this Sequoia. Look here for the master thread and other sub-threads.

[edhead35]

Wow. Awesome work. That thing is a winner. It was on the brink and you saved it from the grinder.

[Chasing_smoke]

Hank that's a great refurb job you did! Any of us would be proud to cook on that. Cheers! That's a beauty for sure!


"my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."

[pbe gummi bear]

Congrats Hank! Awesome project.

[1buckie]

All the threads together make this THE one to refer back to......

.....Astoundingly well done !!!!!


It works & everything !!!!!!

[glrasmussen]

Outstanding Hank! Don't fret about the shoulda, woulda, coulda...
You have a great piece to your collection, so what if has battle scars, it survived.

[mike.stavlund]

It's beautiful, Hank!  Thanks for restoring a part of Americana.  Even more, thanks for putting it right back to use.  Congrats.

[landgraftj]

Great job on the restore Hank! Good looking eats as well.

[G$]

Wonderful work, HankB.

[With a K]

Excellent documentation of the process. I don't think my sequoia is in any shape, fashion, or form the condition that yours was. I hope! And I will be proud if the finale looks like yours does now. This thread will be a much-visited one for me once mine arrives (Wednesday, if everything goes well). Thank you for the dedication to the task, Hank!

[Bluesman]

Outstanding craftsmanship Hank..............Great job. You just put 50 years of life back into that baby.....................

[Duke]

Great job on the IS Hank! It was fun to see it doing what it does best.

[HankB]

Thanks all for the kind words.  Now I can't get outside because my head has swelled up so much. 

Great job on the IS Hank! It was fun to see it doing what it does best.

Now I wonder... I've heard these called Imperial Sequoia and one catalog I saw ('72 IIRC) made no mention of "Imperial." Is there a difference? Did Weber just spiff up the name? (Or perhaps they toned it down.)

I'm also curious about H/W details. Differences I think I've seen:

Differences in hinge/pull H/W between Jeff's and mine.

Towel rings either side by side or stacked one above the other. Jeff's is stacked. Mine had no towel rings but clearly has dimples in the wood where they could be mounted side by side.

[kaz]

That looks awesome Hank! Love the rib shot wow! Straight outta the weber catalog!

The only thing I'd do is stain the top handle to match, add a bottle opener somewhere, and some type of hooks to hang your charcoal tongs and grill brush. That thing is so cool tho! You crushed it.

[1911Ron]

Nice job it looks great Hank