Building/Welding a BBQ from Scratch, Hints or Ideas?

So my brother recently got engaged to a fantastic woman. Really excited and have been waiting for this to happen for a years now. But I was trying to think of a great wedding gift for him and my soon to be sister in-law. We are all pretty outdoorsy, and my brother and his fiancé are incredibly utilitarian, practical, and overall outdoor enthusiasts (they are both foresters).

And, we all love to BBQ. In fact, I think food at the wedding will include having a trailer smoker. But when we were growing up we went to a family cabin that had a Santa Maria style grill that we all loved. I was thinking about putting one together as a wedding present for them.

Problem is, I haven't really built anything that big or like that before. I have some welding equipment, and plan on picking up a new grinder and flap disc for the project (good excuse to buy them anyway). But does anyone have any helpful hints or words of wisdom? I'll likely be trying to do it over the winter holidays when I have a break from my masters program.

For those that don't know what a Santa Maria Grill looks like, here's a pic:

 

No advice here but, looks like a great project. Very cool to see much thought and potential work for your brother.
Honestly, I would get to the part of the project when I bought the grinder for the project, got sidetracked with no time for build, wrapped the grinder as a gift. But, not before I realized the Dewalt grinder I bought was nicer than my old Dewalt, kept it and had my wife buy him a card with a gift certificate .
Keep us posted on progress!

 

Thanks! ya I might try to do a little "build" thread on it, maybe someone googling something like it years from now could find it helpful to not make the same mistakes I inevitably will.

I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a total flop!
I do have a back up plan as a gift though, but hopefully I won't need it

 

That's a pretty easy project in my eyes. If it was me I would have the sheet metal "box" formed so you don't have to weld all the seams. Form the 2 long sides and bottom as one piece and weld on the 2 side caps after the top flange is bent on those. Cutting and welding on the square tube is pretty straight forward from there. I'm thinking the rotating rack deal will be the most challenging part. The rest you can have welded up in a weekend.

 

Good luck with the build!