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golfpro2301

Hammered KK

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I cant see why you couldn't cook on it?  I wouldn't want to see it getting wet at this point but I think you should be fine.  Maybe others can chime in on that.

As for names...

Many do, I didn't.  If I were to name yours it would be one of the following

Thor - related to the hammer

Scorned - Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Patch - for the rebuild

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I fired it up tonight and did some burgers and man were they tasty. Cooked them around 350. Didn't have a thermo but the ol' hand test said 350ish. Few things I noticed and thought about. First when I was driving home from work today I was thinking about things that needed to be done with the KK. I realized that I may have fubar the cap underneath as if the cement I put on sat to low inside the dome it would restrict airflow leaving the top. I started to get pissed at myself for not thinking about this. Below is a pic from inside the dome looking at the cement circle. There is plenty of room around the outside so I thought I would be fine but wouldnt be able to tell until she was cooking.

cap.jpg 

After getting it to temp smoke was flowing out very nicely so I figured I am good on that one. so problem I thought I had is not a problem. Next is not a problem but just a design aspect I have noticed in previous grills I have had and wondered if it is ever thought about. When you go to flip burgers it is much easier to have your spatula running with the grate. The KK grate bars run sideways causing the spatula to catch sometimes. Really no biggie just something I have realized with all the grills I have owned. Next problem is when moving it in and out of the garage there is a lip in the concrete. The only good leverage to lift the front is with the handle and that is a no-no. So I need to come up with a solution for this problem. I think I am going to weld on a piece of steel tube on the side table brackets where I can throw a steel bar thru when I need to lift one side over a lip in the ground. This will distribute the force over all bolts on the bracket evenly and the tube wont be seen as the tables will always be on. Finally I now have a lid problem in that it doesnt close tightly. If I close the lid the latch moves all the way to spot #2 and it is not snug when I go from latch #1 to #2. you can easily move it. This causes the lid to have about 1/8" play in it. Adjusting the lid down wouldnt solve problem as the latch would be even more loose I would imagine so I decided to come up with a aesthetic fix. I will remove the center bolt thru the latch and replace with a modified piece with an outer coat of polished copper. I will make it roughly 1/8" wide in diameter to give me the extra leverage to pull the lid down all the way and giving it a nice touch of creativity. I think it would look good against the bronze. Also, looking at parts online is it worth looking at adding the 2nd gasket? I only have the one gasket and the only place that doesnt have any play in it is about a 2 inch section at about the 7 o'clock position on the grill. All other areas you can press on the gasket and it has some play in it. Do you think this needs to be replaced as well?

 

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35 minutes ago, golfpro2301 said:

I fired it up tonight and did some burgers and man were they tasty. Cooked them around 350. Didn't have a thermo but the ol' hand test said 350ish. Few things I noticed and thought about. First when I was driving home from work today I was thinking about things that needed to be done with the KK. I realized that I may have fubar the cap underneath as if the cement I put on sat to low inside the dome it would restrict airflow leaving the top. I started to get pissed at myself for not thinking about this. Below is a pic from inside the dome looking at the cement circle. There is plenty of room around the outside so I thought I would be fine but wouldnt be able to tell until she was cooking.

cap.jpg 

After getting it to temp smoke was flowing out very nicely so I figured I am good on that one. so problem I thought I had is not a problem. Next is not a problem but just a design aspect I have noticed in previous grills I have had and wondered if it is ever thought about. When you go to flip burgers it is much easier to have your spatula running with the grate. The KK grate bars run sideways causing the spatula to catch sometimes. Really no biggie just something I have realized with all the grills I have owned. Next problem is when moving it in and out of the garage there is a lip in the concrete. The only good leverage to lift the front is with the handle and that is a no-no. So I need to come up with a solution for this problem. I think I am going to weld on a piece of steel tube on the side table brackets where I can throw a steel bar thru when I need to lift one side over a lip in the ground. This will distribute the force over all bolts on the bracket evenly and the tube wont be seen as the tables will always be on. Finally I now have a lid problem in that it doesnt close tightly. If I close the lid the latch moves all the way to spot #2 and it is not snug when I go from latch #1 to #2. you can easily move it. This causes the lid to have about 1/8" play in it. Adjusting the lid down wouldnt solve problem as the latch would be even more loose I would imagine so I decided to come up with a aesthetic fix. I will remove the center bolt thru the latch and replace with a modified piece with an outer coat of polished copper. I will make it roughly 1/8" wide in diameter to give me the extra leverage to pull the lid down all the way and giving it a nice touch of creativity. I think it would look good against the bronze. Also, looking at parts online is it worth looking at adding the 2nd gasket? I only have the one gasket and the only place that doesnt have any play in it is about a 2 inch section at about the 7 o'clock position on the grill. All other areas you can press on the gasket and it has some play in it. Do you think this needs to be replaced as well?

 

Make ramps to move your KK since it rolls beautifully. 

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Something to think about - when the dome and latch are adjusted properly everything is basically a snug fit. It sounds to me that things have gotten out of adjustment. You shouldn't need to make a custom mod to the latch. I would replace the gasket with a new double gasket, readjust the dome then readjust the bottom latch plate and see what happens before spending time and effort on something that might not really be an issue. 

I imagine it's possible that when you straightened   the latch back out it is no longer exactly as it was when new but I would figure all this out before modifying. 

 

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I agree with the last few statements.  The lower latch is adjustable but not the top latch.  If you loosed the two nuts you can lower the bottom latch and increase the tension.  Give that a try before anything else that you do.  My new 32 had an air gap and I was able to lower the latch less then 3mm did the trick.  No issue since 

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1 minute ago, bosco said:

When we were trouble shooting my 32" that was the first thing that you had recommended and walked me through?  

What changed?

 

10 hours ago, golfpro2301 said:

If I close the lid the latch moves all the way to spot #2 and it is not snug when I go from latch #1 to #2. you can easily move it. This causes the lid to have about 1/8" play in it. Adjusting the lid down wouldnt solve problem as the latch would be even more loose I would imagine so I decided to come up with a aesthetic fix. I will remove the center bolt thru the latch and replace with a modified piece with an outer coat of polished copper

This is what I don't want him to do..

 

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So I took a look at the latch tonight and yep the bracket moved when I was lifting up on the handle. I lowered it to the lowest possible setting and there is no more play in the lid. I think it could be more snug but I think it is the gasket that is the problem. The complete front of the gasket is rock hard now. Looks like I am just going to replace it and add the secondary. I am sure this will tighten up the latch and make it air tight. So the items I need as of now to finish the restore is:

Tiles, Grout, Black mat under the tiles, Both Gaskets, Thermo, and BBQ Guru Plug

I am heading out of town this week for a golf trip to Scottsdale and will be back next week late. Waiting to here back from Dennis for tile pricing and if it is best to order other parts thru store. Do the parts and accessories ship from within the US or are they overseas as well. Hoping to get everything in in the next 2 weeks to continue. Want to get it done, burned in and start learning how it cooks. The Jacksonville BBQ Championships are in April and I took 2nd last year and am still pissed off about that. Hoping to take the KK with me to show it off.

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