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Part 1
 La Marzocco 1 Group Linea rebuild - Part 3
Part 2
Reassembly

By this stage of a restoration the excitement starts to build up and the emotions can take over. It is really important
that you again take your time and do things slowly and properly.  For example you may damage a component or a
gasket if you rush to get the job finished.  Sometimes if I have a tricky section (that part is coming up) I take a break
for a few mins to gather my thoughts and calm down.  The point is if you are restoring an old machine then parts are
hard to come by and if you want to retain the original fittings and components then you have to take extra care not
to damage parts.


Sometimes parts are unavailable.  Around 1997 Marzocco changed the way in which the group was attached to the
boiler, this meant that they used a different gasket.  No gaskets are available so it was necessary to fabricate one
myself. I had some 2mm gasket sheets available and then it was just a case of cutting it to shape and cutting 8
round holes.  This is a real pain in the rear.
Making the group flange gaskets. Some of the boiler bolts before they were cleaned up. The bolts were cleaned by turning in a drill chuck and using an abrasive cloth. A good shot showing how the bolts, nuts and the retaining plate arrangement works. Another shot of the group fastenings. You do this first in order to position the plate correctly, once all bolts are in place you then use a hammer and tap the 4 tabs to hold it in place.
Torque wrench, an essential tool for this job. One final clean of the group flange, I use an alcohol based cleaner to remove all oils. Banjo tube inside the group. Group and boiler now together. The gasket was lightly brushed with a food safe sealant. Bolts not yet tight. Some nickel plating was removed during descaling, but this part is not visible when assembled.
The above section on attaching the groups to the boilers is very difficult.  There is very little `play` in the spacing of
the 8 holes and getting all the bolts to thread into the nuts inside the boiler (which by this stage you cannot see) is
extremely hard.  The added annoyance factor is that in Marzocco folklore the last bolt is the trickiest and you know
that if that one does not go in then you have to undo all the bolts and start again.   What is also tricky is that you
cannot force the bolts either because you then run the risk of cross-threading and ruining the square nut.  In actual
fact when trying to get the bolts into the thread you cannot apply any pressure at all.  

Fortunately all the bolts went in and personally I have not had that hard a time with these things as others have
done. Once you get all the bolts to thread then and only then can you start to tighten them.  And like all flange
arrangements you have to tighten the bolts a little at a time in series otherwise you may cause the boiler, group or
bolts to bend out of shape!



Polishing and reassembly

I am proud to say that all of the machine was done by myself - including the repolishing and refinishing of the
stainless steel panels. The Linea has both mirror and brushed finishes to the panels.
The base of the machine before being repolished. The size is about 60cm x 6cm and takes about 45 mins to do it properly. The same base polished and attached the the main frame and the new red base. The other end of the base, the water inlet manifold has yet to be installed. The serial plate was riveted back on. I just love the red colour of the base. A sneak-peak of some of my own modifications - 2 Solid State Relays.
The relays again, there is a deliberate mistake in this picture that I doubt many would pick up on. OK both of the relays were AC input which should have been DC input for the SSR driver on the PID! The now red edge of the satin brushed main body. Brushed first then painted. One final check of the steam boiler, spotless. Remember how disgusting this was before?
Some modifications

OK this is confession time. I am a huge proponent of the belief that a machine should be reinstated to it`s original
glory.  However in this case I had to make just one exception - that is to replace the standard Fenwall thermostat
with a modern electronic temperature controller.  To be able to use the PID controller meant that I also had to install
a Solid State Relay and another SSR to handle the switching of the steam boiler since I too would be using a more
modern component.  To be honest the inclusion of the two hefty heatsinks are slight overkill but when you have
SSR`s located near a hot coffee boiler than you must reduce the risk of over heating any way you can.  The 2
SSR`s are mounted out of sight under the machine on a removable rail and then a heat shiled (plate) is used to
cover the relays.

The only other drastic modification is the location of the PID controller. Since this is my machine I took a chance and
installed it in the front base so that it can be accessed anytime.  The controller I am using has a waterproof front
cover so it was safe from splashes.
A low-temp place for the PID, but heartbreaking to cut that hole I can tell you! The boilers were then installed. I got a bit carried away with the polishing and polished the steam boiler to mirror finish. The now red fascia plate put in place. Top view of the boilers without pipes. The correct SSRs in place now, complete with wiring.
Another shot of the SSRs. Left DC input for brew boiler Right AC input for the steam boiler. Pipes and safety valves added - this pic taken inside hence the quality drop. Same pic with flash. WIth flash. Water level unit on right side. New pressure switch in top left corner. I rewired the entire machine too.
Left hand side of the machine. Good shot of the colour scheme and the refinished steel panels. Almost finished. Some new parts were used such as the switches and the steam valve white inserts. The back panel was refinsihed as satin rather than mirror. Later on I changed it back. The sight glass bezel was changed just for fun! I also changed the finish on the top panel. This is just my `trademark` so that my restored machines are different than new machines.
The satin brushed finish again. I love it.
The finished machine

I took the machine to an exhibition that I was doing in HK. It was called `Restaurant and Bar`.  To be honest and I
don`t mean to sound like I am blowing my own trumpet but nobody even knew that this machine was almost 15 years
old!

A lot of people remarked on the machine but I put that down to the PID controller and the red trim.  The machine
was on for 3 days solid and must have pulled 1000 shots and she performed amazingly.  I even installed a prototype
brew switch from Marzocco.  Pretty cool I have to say but the same switch was on a Rancillio on the booth opposite!  
But they used it as a mains on/off switch.  Enjoy the pics.
There she is next to the P1. Bolth use the same Yamatake SDC15 PID controllers. The reverse side. Macap grinder in the middle. The Linea, P1 and the GS2 Gotta love a red Linea. Meet the family!
The Linea using a chopped pf. Same shot about 10 secs later. Amazing crema. The whole booth.
The new brew switch. The EE next to an AV. Brew sitch in OFF position. Brew switch in ON position.
This website is created by Paul Pratt, Hong Kong 2004-5. If you would like to use any of the images or text I am sure
I will say yes, but please ask first!  

Email me here.