Can't get the pictures to upload right now, so I'll edit once I get home with pictures of the basket.
Built a no weld charcoal basket out of expanded metal, stainless bolts/nuts/washers, and an 18.5" Weber charcoal grate. I ended up having to buy 2 of the 12" x 24" from a big box store and cut about 4" off of one to get a nice fit. I wrapped them around a propane tank and then secured them. I used stainless U bolts to secure the expanded to the charcoal grate.
Someone from work is going to weld the basket for me so that I can lose the bolts holding it all together.
The game plan for tonight after work is to stop and buy two brackets to support my 1" x 24" black steel intake pipe with the ball valve to the drum and do a final assembly. I also plan to paint it. I bought some of the Sherwin Williams Grill paint, which looks like it is rated to withstand the heat, but has anyone had success using other kinds of paint? I've seen recommendations for using engine paint, but I can't seem to find a picture of a finished product that used it.
Finally, I have my iGrill with the ambient probe that I plan to use for monitoring grate temperature, but I'd like to buy a dial thermometer (a Tel Tru) so that I can get a temp reading at a glance, but I'm not sure what stem length to use for the UDS. I plan to mount the thermo just under the grate so that it doesn't bother the food. Is there a way to mount it so that it can be quickly removed and replaced? Does it need calibrated after removing/installing for each cook ? Any suggestions I didn't think to ask about?
I have some high temp rated silicone stove sealant that I'll use to seal any gaps around the intakes that I notice when doing my season burn on Friday.
Here is the drum before painting.
