My BBQ Pit Project

So this guy followed me home yesterday!

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It's a heavy beast and took 4 guys to load it on my trailer, though I think most of that weight was coming from the pump and motor sitting on top! It's not quite as thick walled as I would have hoped at 5/32" (was hoping for closer to 1/4"), but it was the perfect size for what I wanted. This will be converted into a backyard offset smoker, al la Aaron Franklin style! The tank is roughly 48"x20" at 40 gallons and using Feldon's calculator will require aprox. a 20x20x16" firebox.

I'm excited to get going on this project, but there are a few things I need to do first. I need to put together the shop hoist I got from HF to get it off the trailer and generally be able to move it around. I need to take the pump and motor off. I need to get a grinder. And lastly but most importantly I need to learn how to weld haha. Some may say that I should know how to weld prior to taking something like this on, but I have confidence in myself and figure that this is the perfect kind of project to learn on! I am shooting for it being completed sometime next summer or fall just working on it as I have a few spare mins.

Brain, that's the perfect size too. Would removing the pump and motor before trying to get it off the trailer help? That would make it a two man job instead of four. Fabricating the fire box will be the most challenging part of the project. Getting the two major pieces to marry properly is going to be fun. Good luck, we'll all be watching.

....and that's a clean trailer.

Hey Aaron, thanks bud!

Removing the motor and pump prior to moving off the trailer would help, but the shop hoist I got at HF is overkill rated at 2Tons making it a one man job . Link here. The better half would prefer that the trailer be out of the garage before too much longer so she can more easily park her car in there before winter. I also want to drain all the oil etc out of the pump prior to its removal and I don't want that going all over my clean trailer haha.

Yes fabing the FB (complexity) and the stack exit (angles involved) will be the two more challenging portions of the build, but the fun parts as well! I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead! I may start my own thread on it, prob should have to begin with, Mod! haha. Could prob take post 1944-1946 and be good!

That is going to be a great project. Funny, I was just looking at a local listing for $25 steel barrels that a guy is selling close to my folks place here in town.

He must know that's what people use them for, as he said they make great project smokers.

Thanks brucered, yeah there are tons of guys around here now trying to make a bit of a profit on 55gal drums.

I also just noticed my new title, I'm diggin it, Aaron not sure if you had something to do with that, but I suspect so!

Brain, I agree. I think I can start you a new thread and move your first few posts over to it. How's that sound?

We'll call it, "My BBQ pit project."

Nope, that title is in the regular rotation....sorry.

Aaron, sounds great on the new thread.

That's really funny that I just happened to notice it on the same day as posting about the cooker.

Ok, you're all set. Now chop, chop and get to work.

Thank you sir!

DoctorShavegood said:

Ok, you're all set. Now chop, chop and get to work. [emoji106]1:

Click to expand...

Now the pressure is on

Oh man, you've got to post pictures when this bad baby is done.

[MENTION=65072]tlentz[/MENTION] Haha the plan is to document things as I go. This thread will take awhile!

....and be sure to take lots of pictures along the way so we can tell you what to do.

Score !!! That should make a great smoker.

[MENTION=66099]soccerguy83[/MENTION] Looking forward to it, and great now I'm hungry

I want to build one out of brick. Of course, it will probably look as if it were built by Homer Simpson.

Looks like that will make a great smoker, Brian. That wall thickness should hold the heat in just fine. You going for a regular offset or are you going to try a reverse flow?

Ouch, I think I can make this thing look half decent, we will see though!

Simon1, Thanks for the vote of confidence! At the moment I'm thinking it's gonna be a regular offset and only add tuning plates in the future if I see a need. I am going for air flow in this one, I think anyway haha.

What! That little thing? Better off using it for the firebox and get yourself a big old gas tank!

But seriously, I applaud your gumption and excitement about the build. Are you using some plans that you found?

At the end of this you will be a metal fabricator and no one could say your not!

Please do keep us updated as I am a big fan of works in progress threads.

Haha! Thanks Jim, I was waiting for something like that. I really don't need a cooker much bigger than this at the moment. As far as plans, nope I'm mimiking Aaron Franklin's, but on a much smaller scale. All my calculations will be run through Feldon's first (awesome little tool) and then kinda going with my gut and figuring it out as I go. I already have a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like in my head.

I'm very excited about this project and haven't really slept well because of it over the past 5 days haha.