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!
Sent from my iPhone using
Weber Kettle Club mobile app
Topic: Finally scored an Avocado!!! How to clean a grill pictorial (Read 2624 times)