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La Marzocco GS2 3 Group rebuild
Manufacturer:                       La Marzocco srl., Florence, Italy

Model:                                   GS2, 3 Group, Manual, 220V, Single Phase.  4100W (1600+2500)

Approx Date of Manuf:         1981

Date acquired:                      August 2004

Working condition:                No.  Brew boiler cracked as a result of ice formation.

Notes:                                   Posted on alt.coffee for sale `as parts`.  Brew boiler cracked in a few places,                   
                                             very severe  limescale build-up.  Fortunately all original parts in tact including                 
                                             paddle group covers and  lever.
Basic condition

Well it was an adventure getting it to Hong Kong. Thanks must go to Bill Crossland at LMI for helping me get this
from the seller to his office so he could pack it correctly.  The machine was advertised as a non-runner and had
some damage to the brew boiler as a result of water being left inside during winter storage.  When it arrived some
trim panels were hanging off, it was very dirty and scale was coming out from almost every orrifice.  However the
good part was that some now obsolete parts were in-tact, namely the bakelite group covers and handles.

It is important to note that some of the pictures are not the best in terms of quality.  It was an emotional day
receiving and unpacking the machine. Taking good pictures didn`t even figure into the equation.   
This was my first look at the machine. I had not even seen a photo up until now. First look at the boilers and the dirt. ANother look from the other end. I was so excited that I left the machine on the crate rather than put it on a bench. There we go. A taste of what was in store. Steam boiler left. Brew boiler right. The machie with cover and some cartoon stickers on the side panels.
To pcpver in place. Side view. A Gicar control box is visible next to the green solenoid valve. Front view. The side panels are missing in this picture. Brew boiler damage. Dual scale pressure gauage is just visible on the right. The groups on the GS models are chromed. They use the nut and bolt system at the flange rather than the welded stud or the current welding system to fix the groups to the boilers. Top view of group and pressure gauge. The machine was very dusty but not oily and grimy.
Brew boiler thermostat. Hot water spout and groups 2 and 3. The broken brew boiler element mounting. Now that is fixable and I was not too worried. The drain box. This is the brew boiler expansion valve. The group discharge valves (3) go directly into the drain tray. The stripdown begins. Manual fill lever for the steam boiler botton left.
Steam boiler check-valve. The wiring was still in good shape. Steam valves removed. The front panel was very scratched and the original brushed finish was hardly recognisable. The group covers and paddle switches. You turn the lever to activate brewing. Better shot of the broken brew boiler. The group manual lever.
The water level unit. Another view of the massive group head and the switch. The hot water valve. Scale build-up on the brew boiler drain. Prsure switch (top right just visible) had just been removed.
First impressions

I have to confess but I was very daunted by the condition of the machine.  On one hand it was great that almost all
of the components were there such as the trim and the group components.  On the other hand it meant that I had
no excuse not to get this machine in perfect working order!

The brew boiler damage was exactly as I had expected it to be like since other LM users had posted pictures of the
same problem - tks. Barry!  It was certainly annoying but looked perfectly fixable.  The GS machine and the current
production Linea are fairly similiar in layout.  The groups are obviously different but many items such as the sight
glass are still in use today.   Without being disrespectful to the GS2, the Lineas of today use much higher quality
steel frames and drip trays.  The trays on the GS2  are quite flimsy but still great none the less.

I absolutely adore the body styling.  I have to say that the side panels which are made from very thin plastic grow on
you after a while - even though they resemble the crackly plastic of a Ford Capri from the late 70`s!  Just magic.
The damage to the boiler. The machine steam boiler is small by today`s standards. No 32oz lattes in those days. Almost ready to take the boilers out. Scale from the steam boiler! In fact half the boilar volume was scale. It just kept getting worse.
Steam boiler 3000W element. Even in this state it was reusable. Steam boiler removed. The boiler mounting plate had been ravaged by rust. Limescale flakes from the boiler are visible. The brew boiler & groups had now been removed. Group microswitch. The frame would have to be stripped down and primed.
Over time gaskets wear down. The boiler element gaskets did and scale formed and water dripped, hence the rust. Gicar water level unit base. Almost everything removed from the frame. The bare frame. Only that water valve to remove. This is underneath the drip tray. The drain box had been removed and this sludge and rust was left.
Dismantling complete

Stripping the parts away to reveal the frame took about 1 hour.  As with the NS MAC I took my time because I was
unfamiliar with this machine.  It was clear after getting everything out of the frame that this machine would be a really
big job.  The frame itself was rusty and one of the first tasks would have to be removing the old paint and rust.  I
didn`t need any sort of chemical rust removers as you would do on a vintage car because it was just surface rust
and had not eaten away too much.

I started out by washing away all the dirt, dust and coffee to see what I was left with. After that I just used a wire
bristle cup in a drill and set to work.  I then finished it by hand with wet and dry papers.
GS2 Part 2
This website is created by Paul Pratt, Hong Kong 2004. 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.