After using this in a completion for the first time this past weekend, I decided I needed to do the Weber lid mid before my next comp so I can have more space for ribs. (I can o ly get about 3 racks in the one rack)
I know that some have added a second shelf without adding a taller lid, but I wanted to get the second shelf as high as possible so I could even fit Briskets and Butts under there.
I was procrastinating this project because I couldn't think of what to use as a lid shim, as the Weber lid is slightly too small to fit on the drum alone, and the idea to try and use wood popped into my head. First I'll say that some of the other products I think could work without having to have special tools to bend and weld, etc. I walked around home Depot and Lowe's for a while debating what to use. Some of the best I found we're thinner steel strips they have in the roofing section of the store, aluminum strips they have in the flooring section of the store, wood trim pieces in the finish work/wall trim area, and what I ended up using which is some cedar "lath"
So basically, I liked the wood idea because it is a thicker material, thus providing a more stable base, but being that it is wood it also provides a better natural seal against the lid.
I took a piece of lath, and calculated that it needed to be just shy of 70", put it into the gutter in front of my driveway and filled it with water (using a makeshift damn) the piece was too long for the bathtub. Anyway I let it soak for about 10 minutes, then it easily bent to the inside of the drum.
I clamped it in place and let the wood dry.
A couple hours later, I pulled the ring out, applied some high heat caulk around the rim of the barrel and put the wood ring back in and again clamped it.
After a few hours I installed some hardware with large washers to keep it all in place.
Then I installed a rope gasket around the lip of the barrel and up the side of the lath to make a good tight seal when closed.
Here is what it all looked like: (oh I also added the hardware for, and the second rack)
Used the same pig handle from the old lid, and the smokestack from a Lowe's brand smoker
