Yellow Kettle restore finished?...newbie problems. (Pic heavy)

[Lowbrass]

Well, it took a little while (including some cold, late nights scrubbing by the porch light) but I finally finished restoring the Yellow "D" code 1982.  At least I think I did (hence "newbie problems" in the title).  Prior to doing the inaugural fire to burn off any chemical residue that may have been left from the paint thinner, laquer thinner, polishes, and cleaners, I sprayed the entire kettle with Crisco canola oil to prevent the battle scars from future rust.  I think I now have reclean the whole thing as I got some wicked canola oil burn on the kettle now.  Anyway, here are links to the two original threads that my brother Bob (B Que) posted and pictures of the entire restore from beginning to end.  Can't wait to get the first cook underway (after starting the cleaning process over  ).

First thread:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/another-painted-over-yellow-found/

Second thread:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/painted-over-yellow-resto-progress-and-questions/

Start of restore and how I basically found the grill (managed to get SOME paint off the lid years prior to taking these:






Starting to clean up nicely, but here is one of 2 major trouble spots on the lid:



Trouble spot #2:



Battle scars making themselves known underneath the not-so-black anymore:



Lid looking good and getting ready to stain the handle:



Freshly stained handle:



Bowl vents off, damage revealed:



Hardware cleaned up:



Once completely black dampers polished (notice the weird placements of the "D" code):



Clean and shining inside and out.  Just need to put dampers back on and reassemble!



New toys for the Yellow (and maybe one the the WSM as well!).  Thanks Bob (B Que) for the hook-up on the sear grate and griddle:



All back together (minus the ash pan...oops) and looking great!



Other view with the battle scar and slide-aside:



Close up of the "D" code for MartyG:



Looking awesome with the new grate!



Finally remembered the ash pan!



Complete kettle!



Trying to capture the awesome orange glow without flash:



Glow with the flash:




Houston, we have a problem:



Most of the grill now looks like this (great shot of the glow though):




Sorry for all the pictures, I am just really proud of this kettle.  Unfortunately, it is now back to work with the steel wool!

[MacEggs]

The elusive "D" code ... that is one outstanding clean-up and restore.  Thank you for sharing!  Enjoy!   

[zavod44]

I was scared for Hanks kid when I saw the (pic heavy) I was scared too.  BUT I soldiered on and decided to click on it.  Awesome save on this one.  I do have to ask what is all the runny brown stuff?  Is it some polish or something?  That "D" code is wild....

[Bob BQ]

Looks great, LB! That sucks about the PAM causing the brown nastiness.  Hopefully the steel wool does the trick. Can't wait to see the grill in person... with some t-bones on it!

[Bman]

This, is awesome.  Minus the canola oil, but that's minor compared to paint.  lol

[Craig]

Nice yellow! Cleaned up good!

[MINIgrillin]

That looks like a crapload of scrubbing. Well done sir! I can imagine the "WTF!" when that goop was dripping off kettle. Lol..! The first cook is going to taste better because of it.

[pbe gummi bear]

That's what this site is all about. Be proud of that grill! It's a sweet one.

[Golly]

Well done 

Credit to you

[G]

Great makeover and resto

[JayCee]

Awesome job, you should be proud.

[OoPEZoO]

Wow, I'm sure that was a ton of work. It looks great.

Instead of coating the whole thing in oil, you could also clean up the rust areas and brush on a little bit of clear coat.

[Duke]

Really impressive save! I can't believe it's the same grill!

[Jeff]

You did an awesome job.

It appears that stuff running down the bowl came from inside the lid?  Did you coat the inside of the grill with something too, Pam, Canola Oil? 
Time to get the steel wool and maybe some dish soap out again!  If you don't want to have to worry about re-applying Pam all the time on those chipped areas, here is what I've done and had success with.  Clean those chipped areas VERY good (even with a wire dremel attachment), and then wipe them with alcohol to remove any oils.  Then spray those areas with a 1200 engine block primer.  I have used a grey color.  Clean your overspray right up to the chip edges with a "000" steel wool.  It won't harm the finish.  Be careful not to touch those freshly painted areas with your bare fingertips.  Maybe use a nitrile glove to avoid getting any oils from your hand on the freshly primed areas.  Now, follow up with a 1200-1500 degree paint in black for BBQ grills.   You can find this at any big box store (Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, etc).  Clean up your overspray with the same method described above.  This will give it a clean and rust free appearance on your chipped areas and should hold up for a good long time.  Best of luck!

[saxart]

Wow, great job LowBrass.  That's a sharp looking yellow!