Stampede Question for front shelf modders

[MrGoodCat]

Hey guys,

I've got a new stampede on the way, should be picking it up tomorrow from UPS freight. This will be my first pellet grill and am very excited to try this out. I have a tendency to mod everything I own, so the stampede will get it's fair share of upgrades along the way I'm sure. The first being a front shelf. Reading through the threads here, I've ordered a set of stainless brackets, but am torn on what to make the shelf out of.

My question to those who have made this mod, how does your shelf hold up to the near by temperatures, especially those who have used wood? I was thinking of making the shelf out of oak, either staining and sealing it or painting it. My concern about staining and sealing is when I crank the grill up to Max temp about it causing the wood to 'sweat' or the sealant to degrade.

Just want to make sure I do this right. I guess I'll learn more tomorrow when I take measurements and see if any stainless shelf are available online that will work. Just figured I'd ask the wealth of knowledge here too

I'd appreciate any input! Thank you!

 

[max348]

Welcome to the forum! As a new Stampede owner, my first mod was adding a front shelf too. As far as materials go, I was initially prepared to invest in a really nice piece of wood. However, I ended up with a piece of stain-ready pine from my local big-box store for less than $10. I rounded the corners and put a slight bevel around the edges. I knew I wanted a distressed look, so I dropped a heavy chain on it multiple times. I also took the tip of a wood bit & randomly added some tiny holes to simulate worm wood (I guess ?). Just prior to staining I ran a butane torch over the surface to pull out some of the grain detail. I also hovered over the chain-dents to try & darken them a bit more as well. After a light sanding I hit it with some Minwax penetrating stain (espresso) followed by 4-5 coats of fast dry polyurethane (minwax semi-gloss spray).
So far, I have had four or five cooks on it with no issues. For what it’s worth, I did space the shelf about 2” from the grill surface due to the high temps.

 

[Dtownfan13]

I really like the idea of making your own shelf. It makes the grill more personal and sets it apart from the rest. Nice one Max.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The heck with the shelf nonsense Max, what's the school bus yellow car under those cans?

 

[MrGoodCat]

Max,

Thank you for the tips, I really appreciate it. I think leaving the gap between the shelf and grill is a great idea! And btw, beautiful wood work on the shelf, love the distressed look! Giving me some good inspiration!

I was planning on doing the same stain and poly top coat, glad to hear it is a tried and true combo.

Just finished putting my stampede together, stoked UPS was gentle with her. Everything went smoothly, so hopefully this weekend I can start planning out the shelf.

Btw, what kind of car you got there? Paint looks really sharp! I was thinking mustang, but that cowl looks different...

 

[dsandersus]

I'm thinking Camaro - 68

 

[Uncle Bob]

That cowl has me scratching my head as I too don't recall it being a Mustang feature. The 68 Camaro would be a reasonable guess, but their louvers on the cowl had a raised/dropped (depending on your perspective) reveal around them. I have a fondness for the color on Mustangs from when I had a '13 Boss 302..........

 

[ndfan6464]

I've had zero issue with my front shelf using pine. I did shou shi ban technique to it and then three coats of poly/min spirits mix.

It has held up very well to the heat.

 

[ken g]

No problems with my red oak wood shelf coated multiple times with Minwax Polycrylic finish. I positioned it about 1" from the pit to allow for heat dissipation. I rarely will cook above 325 degrees though.

 

[MrGoodCat]

UncleBob,
That is a beautiful mustang! I loved the 13-14 fascia update on that gen. Do you not have it anymore? Hopefully a got an upgrade?

Back to the thread topic...

ndfan and ken, thank you for your added input on the wood shelf durability! much appreciated!

and ndfan, digging the the tipped control panel!

I should hopefully have a chance to fab something up in the coming weekends. I will be sure to make a post when I have something to show off

I took the stampede on her maiden voyage last night. Definitely needs a front shelf, was having to use the hopper top along with some balancing skills. Fortunately none of that affects the cook, and I am thrilled with how well she worked!!!

 

[Uncle Bob]

UncleBob,
That is a beautiful mustang! I loved the 13-14 fascia update on that gen. Do you not have it anymore? Hopefully a got an upgrade?

...……….

She's gone but not forgotten. Upgrade? Made way for a diesel burnin' truck for my bride to tow her horse/business trailers...……………..happy wife, happy life is the closest I can come to thinking of that as an upgrade.

Hopefully you've seen all the home brew shelf threads as there are a good variety of materials utilized with minor mounting variations.

 

[MrGoodCat]

Well that sounds like an overall life upgrade indeed! I had a 2007 mustang for a few years, had to sell/trade for a truck due to "life" reasons...but like you said, not forgotten!

Yes, I have checked out the other threads. Lots of good inspiration, and very helpful for finding those collapsible brackets! Didn't even know those existed. I am taking a gamble and ordered a 304 stainless steel shelf off amazon. They claim it is 12"x30", so we will see how it fits up, and how difficult it will be to attach to the brackets. I believe it will be here by Friday. If it doesn't work out, then I will be going the wood route. I was very glad to hear people didn't have any problems here with the heat/wood shelf fighting.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Without seeing the shelf you ordered my guess would be the only possible mounting issue would come from any bracing on the underside. If it has, for instance, a longitudinal center brace then that might make the shelf rock on the brackets. Not a problem, just use spacers under the fasteners you use to attach to the folding arms that are slightly proud of the brace. Good thing about metal shelf is you don't need to be as concerned about spacing as those who chose plastic or wood.

On the Mustang thing, the one I had before the Boss was an '05 Saleen, miss that one too sometimes.

 

[dsandersus]

I read recently that RT is coming out with a front shelf for the Stampede, should be out in August time frame and priced under $100, possibly closer to $80. I'm going to wait until I see what they're offering before picking up pieces to build my own.

@Uncle Bob Always loved Mustangs, had a 89 GT and 98 GT Conv. (this was a giveaway car at Caesars Palace). Both were a ton of fun. Haven't had the pleasure of driving any of the new ones since 98, I'm sure they're a blast.

 

[MrGoodCat]

Without seeing the shelf you ordered my guess would be the only possible mounting issue would come from any bracing on the underside. If it has, for instance, a longitudinal center brace then that might make the shelf rock on the brackets. Not a problem, just use spacers under the fasteners you use to attach to the folding arms that are slightly proud of the brace. Good thing about metal shelf is you don't need to be as concerned about spacing as those who chose plastic or wood.

On the Mustang thing, the one I had before the Boss was an '05 Saleen, miss that one too sometimes.

Unfortunately the item had bad pictures, hence the "gamble" but amazon is usually good about returns, and worst case I'll find another use for it. As you mentioned, I am really curious what the underside will look like and what features I will have to work around. I'm pretty good with diy stuff, so I am not too worried. I'll def make another thread about how it works out.

Ah, an 05 Saleen?! loved the Saleen look! I actually modded my 07 to use a Saleen blackout panel/license plate relocation paired with a Parnelli Jones edition rear bumper. Now I miss her even more! (stares angrily at white work truck in drive way)

 

[MrGoodCat]

I read recently that RT is coming out with a front shelf for the Stampede, should be out in August time frame and priced under $100, possibly closer to $80. I'm going to wait until I see what they're offering before picking up pieces to build my own.

@Uncle Bob Always loved Mustangs, had a 89 GT and 98 GT Conv. (this was a giveaway car at Caesars Palace). Both were a ton of fun. Haven't had the pleasure of driving any of the new ones since 98, I'm sure they're a blast.

I am really curious to see what RecTec comes up with. If it is anything like the bulls shelf, it will be great! In hindsight, probably should have just waited, but oh well, I can't help myself sometimes

And btw, you won a 98 mustang?!?!

 

[dsandersus]

And btw, you won a 98 mustang?!?!

Oops, no it picked up the 98 used at a dealer, in 98 - had 16 miles on the odometer, when I asked how the car was classified as "used" with such low miles, that is when I heard the story about the origination of the car. Some lady won it at CP, didn't want it, so she took the $ instead. The car was then placed on the lot as "used" and heavily discounted I might add.

 

[MrGoodCat]

Oops, no it picked up the 98 used at a dealer, in 98 - had 16 miles on the odometer, when I asked how the car was classified as "used" with such low miles, that is when I heard the story about the origination of the car. Some lady won it at CP, didn't want it, so she took the $ instead. The car was then placed on the lot as "used" and heavily discounted I might add.

Oh gotcha, well at least it sounds like you got a great deal and basically a new car...and some cool history behind it!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I'm sure that the OE shelf will have a logo, and will likely be compatibly quality in appearance, but they can't take our creativity away from us.

Now, since we've high jacked the thread for Mustang stuff, let's keep the ball rolling. It's probably a generational thing, but Ford lost me on the Mustang after the switch to the Fairlane platform in '71, and going Pinto with the MII was not going to rekindle the like. I was at our local Ford dealer in '64 when they first hit the market (quite a zoo that day). Mustangs and I have grown old together you might say. I had no interest when it went Fox platform either but they were getting back on track. In '04 when I was at SEMA they had a pre-production S197 unit on a rotating platform I stood there soaking it in for about 45 minutes. The styling references that harkened back to the '69-70 cars of my youth were just what was needed...………..no surprise since my age cadre was the primary target market. So when they hit the dealer lot I was interested. The actual production ones lost some styling aplomb that the display unit had, but the Saleen was closer, particularly on the nose detail so I went that direction. We may have to grow old, but we don't have to grow up......

 

[racon181]

Welcome to the forum! As a new Stampede owner, my first mod was adding a front shelf too. As far as materials go, I was initially prepared to invest in a really nice piece of wood. However, I ended up with a piece of stain-ready pine from my local big-box store for less than $10. I rounded the corners and put a slight bevel around the edges. I knew I wanted a distressed look, so I dropped a heavy chain on it multiple times. I also took the tip of a wood bit & randomly added some tiny holes to simulate worm wood (I guess ?). Just prior to staining I ran a butane torch over the surface to pull out some of the grain detail. I also hovered over the chain-dents to try & darken them a bit more as well. After a light sanding I hit it with some Minwax penetrating stain (espresso) followed by 4-5 coats of fast dry polyurethane (minwax semi-gloss spray).
So far, I have had four or five cooks on it with no issues. For what it’s worth, I did space the shelf about 2” from the grill surface due to the high temps.
View attachment 842
View attachment 843

Would you please tell me what size shelf (piece of wood)