Grill overhaul

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I built this grill a number of years ago. I decided to turn it into a smoker. I hauled it out to where I will work on it. Notice the "shop foreman" sizing up the job from the back. His name is Oreo.I managed to get this far when the boss hollered "lunch".I'll post more pictures as the work continues. Weatherman says it will be windy for a couple of days. I used to have to work when the weather was less than ideal. The boss says I can stay in the house if the weather is bad now so it may be a while before I get back to work.
Reply:It looks like a well made grill you're starting with. The pipe which i presume is for the firebox looks to be out of round in the top photo but with just a little trimming it looks fine in the second. Angles can make things deceiving. I notice "shop foreman" Oreo seemed to have disappeared like lots of foremen do when the action started. Or was it the lunch call?I figure the grill must be similar to a barbecue, is that right? What do you expect to smoke in it? Also what sort of time does it take to smoke?"One of the things we have to be thankful for is that we don't get as much government as we pay for." (Charles Kettering)Mitch 180 (NZ)Lincoln SAM-400-220 + ?-400 Fordson Major + 2 x Tractapac Humber 80 + Procut 40 PlasmaMiller Spectrum 375
Reply:looks good so far
Reply:I have a question...  Don't most smokers have the exhaust on the opposite end from the firebox and not in the middle?  That way the draft draws the smoke through the barrel and it smokes evenly?  Or is this a different design?
Reply:Welding on a windy day.  Great funIt looks like a heavy unit when it gets towards bein' done.I specially like the "v" built into your welding table, if I ever get around to making one I'll darn sure put something like that on it.  Sure would make it easier to line up round stock or pipe for tacking."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Tractapac, I didn't even notice how the pipe on the table looked in the top picture until you mentioned it. Looks like it has been run over by a big truck. Trust me, it's round. It's just that the bottom was about 4" longer than the top before I put the wrap-a-round on it and trued it up.The cat is usually underfoot or right up in the middle of things but when the fire started flying he left.Yes, it's just a BBQ or BBQ grill if you want to be fancy.It will be smoking mostly ribs and brisket with some sausage throwed in. The ribs and brisket takes several hours, about 12 or so. My son-in-law likes to cook so I will haul it back to his house and let him do the work. I don't mind eating his cooking at all. Clearchris, you are right about the smokepipe. You want in the middle of a grill because you usually have fire on both ends. When I get done the pipe will have moved to the end away from the firebox I'm adding.Samm, it's heavy all right. That is 18' OD-1/4" wall pipe and the ends are 1/4" plate. When it gets hot it stays that way a long time.
Reply:I love smoked ribs"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:well id rather have  heavy grill than the thin cheap ones that rust out in a couple months ive been looking for a good built charcoal grill for awhile ..cant find one ...
Reply:Oh, I'm jumping the gun then.  I'll wait for the pictures of progress.  In the meantime, all this talk of smoking has got me hungry.  It's about time for me to make a pilgrimage to Lockhart.http://www.lockhart-tx.org/web98/vis...taloftexas.asp
Reply:Looking good Oldtimer.  Fire box on our old Brinkmann (about 7yo now) is about to fall off and we've been talking about building a new smoker/BBQ sometime soon.  I've got some heavy pipe but it's not quite large enough diameter for what's needed.  Gotta keep lookin'.Looking forward to progress photos.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Got the pipe quartered so I could line everything up, cut out the end plate and welded it in, welded in the air inlet, and welded on the lifting bar. By this time the forecast 15-25 mph winds were about 25- 30 mph. Also got the original grill body leveled and ready to set the new forebox on. The shadow had already got over where this is not a very good picture.After causing this I decided it was time to say I was blown out and quit. I thought I had everything sprayed down where fire wouldn't be a problem. I guess not. My grinding caused this.
Reply:That reminds me of when I used to live in Phoenix........ I parked my 64 1/2 mustang a bit too far off the driveway at a friends house and came back out to a nice grass (if you can call it grass) fire about 15 minutes later.  Luckily it spread out from my car so didnt do anything but leave some smoke residue on the paint and char the lawn.
Reply:Does anybody have or know where I can find a good set of smoker plans?  I've been itching to build one and now is a good time of the year to do it.Something I've been wordering about.  Does it matter what type of metal you use (for health reasons)?  Anybody researched this?I know food service uses 304 and 316 but that's about it.Doug
Reply:Oldtimer, it sure is flat there.  What state are you located in?
Reply:New Mexico. Down in the southeast corner about 15 miles west of the Texas line. It is on the western edge of the south plains. I can't see the mountains from here but I can drive about 25 miles west and see Capitan and Sierra Blanca peaks on a clear day.Mccolld, I just looked at the commercial units that are sold at a lot of the home centers and sporting goods store like Academy and then made a few changes that I though would make it better. I made the fire box 25 1/2" long. There is no wood here and we have to buy mesquite from down in Texas where they have mesquite trees instead of bushes. Most of it is cut 24" for fireplaces and I wanted the firebox to be big enough. The pipe I'm using is plain old carbon steel pipe salvaged from a firetube for a heater treater. There have been a jillion grills built out of this stuff and I never heard of a problem from it. Just build a really big, hot fire inb it after you finish it and let it burn out. Then you are ready to cook.
Reply:I go to Cloudcroft because thats where a lot of my family is.  Do you know where Cloudcroft is?  That grill should look nice when you are finished.
Reply:I am aquainted with Cloudcroft. My wife oldest sister lived there for years. They lived just west of The Lodge, down thru the dip and on top of the next ridge. We would go up on the weekend a few times in the summer to cool off and a few times in the winter to snowmobile. They retired several years ago and moved to Elephant Butte Lake to get away from the snow, so no more reason to go to Cloudcroft. It's 165 miles west of here.No work on the smoker today. Forecast is for 25-30 mph wind today and it is already blowing pretty good. I'm going to Roswell to pick up some stuff for my tractor and eat some really good pulled pork.Last edited by Oldtimer; 11-05-2008 at 07:04 AM.
Reply:If you get over to Carlsbad, stop in at Danny's Place. He's one of the best barbeque men in the country.Anything on the menu there is good.My toys includeMiller Bluestar 2E AC/DCMiller Thunderbolt 225O/A outfitMany saws, grinders, drills, etc.
Reply:Nice looking grill!  the resulting smoker should come out great!I suspect Oreo dissappeared so he wouldn't become part of the smoked meat. About the charred remains out back:  Water that black area daily and within a few days you will have the greenest lawn on the plateau!  -MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Shanedog, where is Danny's Place? I get over there occassionally but I always hit the Red Chimney. Used to eat there when it was the little red brick building and sometimes you had to stand in line just get in the door.Mondo, it is getting cool enough that the Bermuda grass isn't doing much now. We have already had frost twice but not hard enough to kill anything. Two or three weeks and my lawn mowing is over until next year.
Reply:Danny's is on the same road as the Red Chimney, further south, and on the opposite side of the road. It's an old converted Dairy Queen. It's pretty easy to miss, but well worth it to find. The man's name is Danny Gaulden, and he's a huckuva nice guy. It's worth it to ask around if you don't find it easily.The Red Chimney has Danny's beat at Peach Cobbler, but not Barbeque.My toys includeMiller Bluestar 2E AC/DCMiller Thunderbolt 225O/A outfitMany saws, grinders, drills, etc.
Reply:Wind finally settled down and I got back on the conversion today. Set both pieces up on pipe jacks, got everything where it was supposed to be, tacked it up and ran the first pass with some 1/8" 6011. Then I got it off the jacks and stood up where I could finish welding flat.Welded out the bottom with the knee brace first so things would stay straight, and ground everything out. Excalibur 7018 for the cap. Swapped ends and welded out the top. Notice I cleaned off any spatter before taking the picture. The shop foreman came out and checked it out. It met his approval and he said to shut down for the dayNext is buidling the legs for it to set on and get it up on them. Then I can finish the lid and smokestack.
Reply:You're an artist with the stick.  I mean it."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by OldtimerGot the pipe quartered so I could line everything up, cut out the end plate and welded it in, welded in the air inlet, and welded on the lifting bar. By this time the forecast 15-25 mph winds were about 25- 30 mph. Also got the original grill body leveled and ready to set the new forebox on. The shadow had already got over where this is not a very good picture.After causing this I decided it was time to say I was blown out and quit. I thought I had everything sprayed down where fire wouldn't be a problem. I guess not. My grinding caused this.
Reply:Thanks for the compliment, Samm.The burned off spot you see in the background of the second picture of the shop foreman is NOT the one in the first set of pictures. I had wet that down about 10 minutes before it caught on fire. Now I have hardly any grass left. And yes, it was the grinder that caused this one too.