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So, yesterday morning I left around 6:30, and after dropping off a 1979 green 22 inch grill for @SpacemanSpiff I went to pick up the Ranch in Thousand Oaks.  @Pezdogs messaged me about some earlier communication he had about this grill, and included pics of a rotisserie ring that really got my hopes up.  But it was not to be.  The guy I got it from was super nice, and was a collector of Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers, which I love as well.  Anyway, he bought it from the guy who had it up for sale in May and never used it, so he decided to flip it.  After an uneventful 331 mile ride back home, I left it last night to start working on today.  The lid is in excellent shape and sits very nicely on the bowl.  The original grates are in good condition, and the top handle and bowl handles are great, though it's clear one was rewelded back on.  The grill had been spot welded onto an old metal wheel assembly, and I used a hacksaw to get through the welds.  The obvious big problem is that there is a hole in the spot where one of the leg sockets used to be.  So, I am thinking of getting a friend who is a welder to patch up the hole, and mount a new leg socket.  I'm thinking of using this socket listed here:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/fmp-119-1068-stainless-steel-weld-mount-leg-socket/3591191068.html

Thoughts?

This will be a bit of a long term project, but I plan on getting it back as close to its original condition as possible.  Just a couple big questions:  When do you all think this is from?  I'm thinking mid 50s, as this post on WKC indicates the Ranch in this image is from 1959, and it has a much more rounded dome.

http://weberkettleclub.com/blog/2015/02/05/1959-weber-ranch-kettle/

Secondly, if anyone has any images of what one of these looked like originally, I sure would appreciate help so I can know what to do going forward.  And on to the pics!


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So cool

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So awesome man, congratulations!


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Oh wow!!  That's going to be a great project.

Jason that is so awesome.  Hoping you taking us along the journey of its restoration.  Thanks for making the pit stop.

Does anyone know when this photo is from? Its from the wkc history pages.

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Smithsonian

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Really cool.... can't wait to see more progress on this piece of history.


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That's awesome!


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Thanks all!  I will keep everyone updated on what happens next.  First thing is to find a welder.  @Red_5_Wrangler where is that outdoor pic from?  By the look of things, those early ranch kettles didn't have a triangle or wheels?  Is there anyone out there with any more historical info?  @Craig or perhaps @harris92 ? 

Here's a bigger version from the pic @Red_5_Wrangler it was from a Smithsonian article

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-11-08-at-7.29.46-PM.png)

By the looks of things early ranches didn't have wheels!  Or triangles!  Which makes my life both easier and harder...still wish the guy wouldn't have sold off the roti ring.  In case you are curious, here's the link to the article:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/story-weber-grill-begins-buoy-180960335/

That is a second generation ranch. The original ranch kettle was coated high heat paint not porcelain enamel. There is a second generation ranch in Atlanta.  Yes, they were made with three tripod legs. The one below had the skirt added at some point.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201109/02c825520622a2293d5647bf3739f085.jpg)


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That is so nice. Congrats on the pickup and good luck with the restore.

Quote from: harris92 on November 09, 2020, 03:30:04 AM
That is a second generation ranch. The original ranch kettle was coated high heat paint not porcelain enamel. There is a second generation ranch in Atlanta.  Yes, they were made with three tripod legs. The one below had the skirt added at some point.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201109/02c825520622a2293d5647bf3739f085.jpg)


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I love this picture.


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Congratulations Jason.  I look forward to seeing the progress on it's repair. 

Very cool, congrats!

I'm peanut butter and jealous. You worked hard to get it! Enjoy and what a find.

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Congrats, please share with is when IT's restored!

@Joep

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Wow... incredible


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Congrats on the cool find, I'm looking forward to your RRR.

Incredible find! Congrats!


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Congrats on the find!

As for the leg sockets I wonder if the better route might actually be asking your welder buddy if he could make a replacement socket.  Easiest method might to be finding a similar steel pipe and just chopping it to length.  Cutting a piece of steel and trying to bend it round could be a little troublesome unless they have the right tools available.  Then they could just weld the replacement socket it to the replacement patch of steel. 

Good luck!

@ReanimatedRobot I've found the welder and will be dropping off the bowl this weekend!  More to come!

Wow Rancher Hero !


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Now that gotta be the greatest weather warrior that I've seen. Really looking forward to seeing her up on her legs. Congrats Jason

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So work is ongoing!  I got it back from the welder who not only redid the one leg socket, but all three.  On two of them he used the original sockets, but he also removed the broken and plastered in thumbscrews.  Then he tapped new holes for thumbscrews.  Today, I cleaned and polished the bowl vents, drilling a small hole in their centers and reattached them using stainless steel hardware. 


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Dang nice work that looks amazing


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Looking really good!


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Liking the progress !

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Here's an update...I'll give a more robust recap tomorrow!

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/grill-2.png)

Wow, wow,wow!!!!


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Looks great with that amount of work already

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Damn!! Amazing restoration, crowderjd!   I cannot wait to see the final product.  Congrats again!

You're doing great with it so far, love the patina on the lid!
Is that a base you're planning on keeping it on or just for moving around the shop?


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Wow, Great progress!
I can't wait to see your first cook.

Love watching the progress on this one.   

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This might be the restoration of the year!  Looks great!  Love seeing the progression!


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Looking great!


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I thought that ranch was incapable of being restored.  Glad to see I was wrong.  Well done.  Looking forward to seeing the final product.

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That's badass Jason and it's not even finished yet.  Where's the popcorn?  I look forward to seeing it finished.

I start to get jealous Jason. Man you do a very well restojob

Quote from: crowderjd on December 05, 2020, 02:54:18 PM
Here's an update...I'll give a more robust recap tomorrow!

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/grill-2.png)

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Well, it was a busy weekend with the ranch!  On Friday, I went to a local steel supplier, Highland Steel, and they recommended I go back to the remnants pile and find what I was looking for.  I found three pieces of 1 1/4 inch steel tubing (12 guage), and they let me buy it by the pound as they were remnants, so it came to $4.  On Saturday, I took an angle grinder and cut each leg to 17.5 inches (as recommended by @harris92.  Attaching them was problematic at first, but once I carefully sanded the ends of each leg, then applied some liquid wrench to get them to ease in, which they did.

After that it looked great, but man it is LOW.  At first I was going to build an entire platform for it to sit on made by a 48x48 piece of plywood, but that would have been heavy and taken up a lot of room in my space limited yard.  After thinking about it, I decided to make a smaller frame from two 2x4s.  Throw in a quick trip to Harbor Freight to get some locking 3 inch casters, and it was looking great, BUT not very stable.  That's when my lovely wife recommended some washing machine non slip pads/risers we had for a new washer/dryer we got last year but never used.  Now each leg sits snugly inside a rubber base, and doesn't slip or slide off the cart.  Finally, the whole contraption adds 7.5 inches of height to the grill. 

Finally, after work today, I got home and washed the exterior for the first time, then let it dry in the sun and cleaned it with Armor All glass cleaner (my go to for shining up my grills) and a microfiber towel. 

There's still a bit more to do, but I needed to get it out of the garage after being in there for almost a month.  I need to get a GBS grill insert for the center of the grill grate.  I think they are the same size as the hole in the center of the original grate.  I'm also planning on getting another slide aside and expanding it to sit on the side of the bowl so I have a place to put the lid.  I think I've seen a couple of people do that on here @SixZeroFour I believe I remember a post about how you did this in the past...

Lastly, I still have my old rancher that needs to find a new home.  If you remember this grill, it is still going strong in my backyard.  I may have a friend who wants it, but I'll keep you all informed.  My wife has made it CLEAR we won't have two ranches...this year has sucked as there have been no parties to give it much purpose. 

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/ranch-kettle-restore/

And so with that, here's the pics of where we stand today.  Vegas has been beautiful lately, and I got some nice sunset pics. 



(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.46.02-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.45.14-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.44.26-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.43.22-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.42.39-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/Screen-Shot-2020-12-07-at-5.46.43-PM.jpg)

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8134.jpg)

That is a beautiful lineup!

I love the the UFO with the rest. So awesome !


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Great restore and what a nice looking group of Webers!  That ranch is so cool.   I'll bet you can't wait to cook on it.


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Grate RRR, @Jason!  Congrats!  Can't wait to see some cooks on this beast!

World peace in colored metal form

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That is an awesome job.

Wow, that looks fantastic!

Such an awesome kettle, congrats @crowderjd !! Here is the link to the slide aside mod... works great but you still need to be careful on windy days or your grill may go sailing out the backyard on its own power 8)

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=16024.msg159567#msg159567 (http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=16024.msg159567#msg159567)

@SixZeroFour I will be doing this soon.  Thanks for the kind words and the link!

Well done and congrats!

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Great RRR! This is a inspiration to us!

Grate restore Jason! Can't wait for the cook! Congrats!!!

Did a pretty big mod today.  I'm in the process of doing another write up on the mods page.  I think I've come up with something that may help a lot of ranch owners out.

(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8154.jpg)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8157.jpg)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8158.jpg)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8159.jpg)
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG-8160.jpg)

Can't wait to see this!!!

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Here's the write up:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=47488.msg467007#new