Finally scored an Avocado!!! How to clean a grill pictorial

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Well, this has been about a week in the making.  My girlfriend lives in Denver and I live in Scottsdale, AZ.  I've been watching the Denver craigslist ads recently since she only has a gas grill and doesn't even use it.  Last week I came across a 62-68 Avocado for $30.  Unfortunately my gf was out of town in Salt Lake City, but her brother Shawn who lives in Colorado Springs works for a courier service as well as Uber so he is in the Denver area almost everyday.  It took a few messages back and forth and a voluntary $15 increase in my offer price with the seller and I was locked in.  Oh and I might have also told the seller that Holly's favorite color was Green....not quite the case, but I think that is what sealed the deal.  Shawn was able to make the exchange on my behalf and drop the grill off at Holly's place. 

I flew into Denver Sunday night and finally got to clean it up last night.  Considering this Kettle is 50+ years old it is in really good shape.  The Kettle is out of round on one side but with a little push the lid still fits on nice and snug.  The leg sockets are rock solid, and the legs slide in and out with no effort.  The thumbscrews are original and work perfectly.  The ash pan is a bit dented, but that is to be expected for a grill that was definitely cooked on quite a bit.  The wheels are in good shape other than the missing rubber tread.  I think I a will see if I can find some sort of vintage restoration shop to see if I can get them retreaded.

Holly was amazed when I cleaned the inside of the kettle last night.  I used some Easy Off for BBQ's like I always do, then after about an hour with a razor blade scraper and some 0000 steel wheel the inside was back to mint condition.  There is some rust around the handles and a few scars on the bowl and lid, but again, this grill is 50+ years old.  The Kettle definitely is out of round but the top goes on with a little bit of a downward push. It has a nice fade to it and I can't wait to see what it looks like when its hot tonight as I am teaching Holly how to grill on charcoal for the first time.

I'm debating what to do with the legs and triangle.  I know they will polish up very nicely, but I'm not sure if I should do that or leave them as is.  What do you think?  The lid vent and all three bottom vents spin with the flick of a finger.  The lid handle is pretty bad, but I kind of like it.  I'm sure I'll replace it at some point, but for now I think I am going to leave it as is.  I didn't bother with the inside of the lid.  That. Is never worth the time and effort to clean on a grill I know I'll be cooking on.





























This is how clean it was after one round of Easy Off and a razor blade scraping.  Took about 10 more mines after this with 0000 steel wool to get it spotless.




Then a little steel wool around the outside.






















This will most likely get a Meguires Mag Polish treatment very soon.



Enjoy!


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[Mr.CPHo]

Congrats!  Looks awesome.  Thanks for sharing the story and pics. 


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[Troy]

Nice score!

Looking forward to a reliable tread replacement technique and tutorial!

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Nice score!

Looking forward to a reliable tread replacement technique and tutorial!

I'm thinking there has to be a vintage restoration place that does it.   Lots of old toys like wagons and things that had similar wheels on them.  Trying to remember the name of the guy or place that was on the spin off show from Pawn Stars that did all of the vintage restorations.

[cumminfourya]

Looks awesome. Nice find, and great clean up!!!


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[CatskillSmoker]

Congrats. There's some cooking to be done in Denver now.

[Kneab]

Congrats on the Cado.

[Darko]

Nice job. Now get it dirty again

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Firing it up for dinner tonight.  Holly want to learn how to grill.  Grilled romain and boneless chicken breasts should be a good first cook. 

I need to do something easy so I can see if the lid is leaky or not. 


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[RottiGuy]

Wow,great find, look's amazing with that fade line!

[Foster Dahlet]

Most excellent!  Enjoy your time grilling together.

[greenweb]

Congrats! That is a beauty.   I remember Denver Centennial area as I stayed there for a few days when I picked up my Yellow last year. Also, I got my 18" Cado was from Denver area.

[mhiszem]

Wow! Love the fade on that cado. Grate score!


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[YardBurner]

Nice score!

Looking forward to a reliable tread replacement technique and tutorial!

I'm thinking there has to be a vintage restoration place that does it.   Lots of old toys like wagons and things that had similar wheels on them.  Trying to remember the name of the guy or place that was on the spin off show from Pawn Stars that did all of the vintage restorations.

Rick's Restorations

[Neil_VT00]

Congrats on the Cado find Mike and great shirt!

Not sure what I'd do with the legs. I'd probably base the decision on what your plans are for the wheels. With those wheels I'd leave the legs alone. If you are going to replace/rehab the wheels then go all out on the legs/triangle

Does your girlfriend have a bowling ball to re-shape that pan?


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