Rescued a Fire Magic Grill

[Nicholas Nolte]

Hey All!

I recently picked up a FireMagic grill off of Facebook marketplace. The owner is charcoal only and generously let me have it for $300. It needs a deep clean; but it's all stainless (no rust) and I'm excited to work on it. That said; I have no idea what make/model it is to buy parts or read a manual. I spent a bit of time online trying to come up with something to no avail. I have the information from the label as: SERIES NO.27 PORTABLE SERIAL NO. 10123. I was wondering if any of you fine folks could help me find something more specific so I can look at the manual and replacement parts if needed. I have attached a photo of the grill with the top off if that helps.

[Mosca]

I’d start with a call to BBQ Guys, they’re a Fire Magic dealer.

If that’s an older model of this, you might have the score of the year there.

[Panhead John]

I’d start here, maybe give them a call…..

https://www.bbqguys.com/d/7151/cooking/grills/gas/fire-magic?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=163402566&utm_content=683694265624&utm_term=fire%20magic%20gas%20grills&species=search-ad&campaignid=163402566&adgroupid=9616786806&creative=683694265624&keyword=fire%20magic%20gas%20grills&feeditemid=&targetid=kwd-302487551&matchtype=p&network=g&device=c&placement=&target=&absrc=Google&abid=683694265624&abcampid=163402566&abgroupid=9616786806&abkwdid=kwd-302487551&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=163402566&gbraid=0AAAAAD8ivmMVMfL_1_MrZIjCDZkPugAXp

[Mosca]

Also,

https://www.thebbqdepot.com/brands/fire-magic/repair-parts/

[Nicholas Nolte]

Perfect! I will give them (BBQ Guys) a call first thing tomorrow morning. I figured it was a deal just based on the stainless steel value alone. Also I love a project... And the wife couldn't say no to a deal this good...

[HawkerXP]

Congrats!

Is that pic from your yard or theirs?

I see a nice Weber and a special PBC in the background.

[Alan Brice]

Pilot's eyes. ;-)

[Nicholas Nolte]

That’s my backyard! Good eye. The Weber kettle that started the obsession, the PB of course, and recently picked up a Mak 2 Star.

[johnec00]

Fire Magic grills are manufactured by RH Peterson. Here's their web site.

https://www.rhpeterson.com/

I've had one of their gas grills since 1986 . . . a little long in the tooth, but still good.

Anyway, I've dealt directly with them for parts and found them very helpful. I'd think that if you sent them your picture, they might identify and provide whatever parts, paper work etc. that they have.

[barelfly]

Nice! Keep us updated as you get it up and running!

[Hulagn1971]

For all the stainless steel I recommend Sheila Shine. It is the best SS cleaner and polish I've ever used. Picked some up when I was restoring a Blaze professional cart grill that I picked up from FB marketplace. No rubbing/polishing needed and really makes it look brand new.

https://sheilashineinc.com/

[Nicholas Nolte]

I am ordering some right now. Thank you for the recomendation. I've tried other in store products and have not been impressed at all so this is great.

[Nicholas Nolte]

I ordered a massive container of this. It is nothing short of magical. I put a little on a paper towel to test out on a small underside and it worked so well the next thing I knew I had spent 45 minutes restoring a factory shine in my Mak 2*.

[Hulagn1971]

Nicholas Nolte glad you are pleased with the results. It really is some magical stuff.

[Huskee]

Nice score on that grill! And I love your movies.

[Nicholas Nolte]

The movies are great but I like to think my greatest achievement is being 1992's Sexiest Man Alive.

[Alan Brice]

How Fun!!! I will be following this. What a find!

[Nicholas Nolte]

So I called Fire Magic today and they told me it's a model called 'Custom One' which was nice to know; but there was no word on the actual year. My best guess is somewhere around 2007. The manuals I have found are not particularly helpful BUT I am stubborn so... I spent all day putting together a natural gas to propane converter, then took all the guts out and pressure washed them as well as the outside. Without the aid of a manual, I assembled it and fired it up. The infrared burners are insane and it all works! The only pieces I can't account for are the assembly for the back burners, some weird hanging holders, and where to put the smoke box. The drawers also seem to lack any drainage for water and gunk, so I think tomorrow I am going to drill some holes in the bottom towards the front of them. I finished as the sun was going down so no pictures today, but hopefully tomorrow. Next steps are buying some stainless steel polish for the outside, ordering some parts for the back burners, and overhauling the igniters.

[randy.56]

great project, you will have something when you are complete with it. Great score..

[Nicholas Nolte]

All right update time... I have ordered new propane orifices for all the regular burners, the back burner, and the IRs. I think they are going to take a while to arrive (website said 4-6 weeks). In the meantime, there are no more unidentified parts! The hanging things are wood chip boxes that can hang off of the back burner. The official Fire Magic propane converter for the tank arrived, so I switched it out for my jury rigged one. In summary: Waiting for Liquid Propane Orifices; Waiting for back burner assembly parts.

I do however have some questions for the fine folks here. Some context first. The electrical aspects of this grill are all used for the ignition of three components of the grill. One is the BackBurner. Second is the regular propane burners. Third is the IR burners. In all cases, these parts have borne the brunt of the wear and tear on this grill. All spark generators, ignitors, and attached wiring were in various forms of extreme distress. I'm talking batteries corroded into the plastics, ignitors rusted out. I removed all electrical components and the wiring.

My questions are these:
1) Is there a standardized ignitor system for propane components I can attach to this grill? There's plenty of space for install under the plate covering the burners and ways to run them to their various places.
2) If the answer is no, or it is cost prohibitive, in the interim, is there a solution to covering up the empty ignitor holes next to the burners?
3) Am I commiting a serious error by manually lighting all burners with a match or lighter in the meantime? I figure not for the regular propane burners, but am not familiar with the IR ones, or the Back Burner system.

Thank you all for your support! This has been tough but super rewarding, and a highlight has been the community here. Stay tuned for more!

[Alan Brice]

Get one of those generic torches with a bit of reach. Have it lit before you introduce the LP.
Works just fine. Depending on the cost of a new igniter sys and your aesthetics, you could get by with hand lighting as the norm. Orig igniters obviously did not last the first go round.