Defiant II parlor frunace restoration

[azmountainman]

Good day gentlemam. WOW you guys rock I am seeking some of your knowledge. I bought a house with this Defiant II parlor stove in it. I used it all this winter but its in needing refurbishing . I love the stove, i have a 2600 sq ft house and its my primary heat source. Its plenty cold here too. Buying a new one is not an option for me. I printed the manual and found parts too. I had a stove guy come look at it but he never got back to me. I'm afraid of the dollar amount. Me being a poor do it yourselfer i am confident i can restore it into a efficent stove it once was. I could p he will want to fix it. I would post some pics but i would be embarrassed what someone else did to this nice stove that i need to fix. . So i will start with the facts. Some yahoo burnt out the upper and lower fireback so i found the kit parts for that. I found parts at ibuyfireplaceparts.com i also found parts at cozycabinstoveandfireplaceparts.com. any comments on those two places?
First question is do those screws on the back easily open up all the back and expose those parts to be changed out. I can weld but i assume the replacement parts just gets put back in place of the old ones after i get them out, is that about all of it. I am sure its not that easy but what are your tips on that part of it for me?
Second the gasket kits look like a no brainer. I have the stove where the flu comes out on the top. I wish the the top griddle was the kind with the tab on it where you can easily pick it up to load wood from the top. Mine does not have the tab on it but it does come up. Can i change it to the one with the tab they do not look like the same size
3d is i cannot decide if i should change the bottom out that looks like a major deal. It does not look real bad. The upper and lower baffles dont look to bad either just my opinion but if its not warped or craked it should be fine right?
I am sure it needs an new smoke shelf too. It was laying in the bottom of the back where the hole in the lower fireback is. and its warped.
The left air tube is burnt a little to on the end of it.
I also need the left Andiron and have not found that yet at the sites i was at.
I am looking at $300 to $400 in parts for all the things i have mentioned here.

I think i read on this forum where someone said that the thermostats don't usally go bad i am not sure if its functions or not i know the chain came off. I don't mind changeing it out if that would be better to be sure. Mine is the cast plated thermostat. Should i just change out the thermostat assembly only?

Oh yes too does mine or should it have the catalist in it??.
I know its alot but i am redoing my fireplace corner in stone for $300 and putting in new 4x12 mantles in for $35 doing all the work myself and i want my stove to work properly so it can heat ALL my house well.

Feel free to correct anything here that i may be wrong about or may have mistated.
Please help me with your knowledge you amazing stove guys.
I can give my email too to anyone who wants to help more and see pictures of the stove.
Thank Thank You very much Guys sincerely Roger

 

[begreen]

Some help will be coming soon. This stove puts out the heat. Be sure your new hearth, flue and mantel honor the installation manual clearance requirements.

 

[fraxinus]

At one time a rebuild manual for the original Defiant and the 1A version (two piece fireback) was available online, but seems to have disappeared. Perhaps someone here has one they could photocopy and send to you.

Likewise, Vermont Castings used to sell a rebuild kit that contained all the parts needed for the job. I'm not sure that's still available either.

It is certainly possible to rebuild this stove yourself, but don't underestimate the difficulties involved. Even without visible warpage, a lot of grinding is usually necessary to get the parts to fit back together well. Given your description of the stove, this is likely to be a major issue. It also sounds as if there is quite a bit more damage than would be typical in a normal rebuild.

It's been far too long since I last rebuilt my old Defiant for me to give detailed instructions, but I do think you need to ask yourself if it's really worth it. You're going to have a considerable investment in parts - especially if the bottom needs replacement - and you might be better off using the same amount for a new or used stove in better shape.

 

[defiant3]

The Defiant II fireback repair kit actually comes with an instruction manual. If you're handy, changing a D II f.b. shouldn't be a big deal, especially if you wait for spring and time isn't a concern.

There are a few tricks/shortcuts, but get the kit first, read up, and then get back to the forum here.

I have not only a kit, but some of the no-longer-made stuff you may run into, and can likely save you a few $. PM me if you'd like, I have done about a million of these. I'm not really in the parts business, I happen to have a D II kit I won't need.

Good luck and Happy Heating,

Graham "the Stoveman"

 

[Defiant]

D3 x 2