Greetings,
I recently acquired the Bravo from a friend for free. I have decided to make an effort to document the rebuild of the machine as I go along. The following thread will hopefully include periodic updates to the progress. As it need some tlc, the goal is not a complete teardown, but a partial one.

I'll start by saying that info on these machines is scarce. I managed to get exploded diagrams but no manual yet. I searched around, they just aren't that popular. Any info or links are welcomed.

This machine is a HX, single group, 110v element that is 1600 watts. It has a 5 liter boiler, a pressure gauge, no sight glass, and a simple on/off toggles for its interface. I have yet to see any other pictures that look exactly like it, as most other machines like it are 220v, have 2 groups, or electronic flow meters with push button controls. The Bravo requires water hookup and plumbed draining.

It sat in a cool but not cold basement for a year after its use in a restaurant. The boiler was full of water. Despite what you might expect, there is very little corrosion on the inside of the boiler.

Here's where I am at in the progress:
I removed the side panels, documented with pictures, and saved the screws and bits. I managed to remove the heating element. The gasket crumbled to dust in my hands and one bolt sheared off, deep inside the brass housing cover. I did drill it out and re-tapp it successfully. I am all setup for metric tinkering, as I also restore italian motorscooters. If something is vintage, italian and steel, I am probably going to like it.

Next, I wrestled with the screen and group gasket, as it was fused hard to the grouphead. It took an hour, and with a dremel cut off wheel and some careful prying, I managed to mangle the screen but not the group. The gasket was rock hard. The underside of the group is black and dusty.

Next post...

So, I wanted to try out the citric acid dip. I bought two bottles of pure powder and whipped up a mixture (one tablespoon per gallon) in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water. I dipped the heating element in along with its cover. I could see tiny bubbles of action happening, so I kept my eye on it. After about an hour, I removed them. They look good, except for the channel in the cover that is the home for the O ring. That has some stubborn scale in it, so I suppose I'll have to make a stronger mix, or let it soak longer.
The element is clear of debris, but remained black, except for where I scrubbed it lightly to reveal its brassy finish. Maybe I need to soak that more too, as I have flipped through other people's refurb posts and have seen the shiny results.

Next - I think that the entire boiler needs to be dipped, inside and out. So, removing it is fairly daunting, as its got alot of connected tubes. Here's a shot from above-


I removed most of the tubes, all of which came off nicely. Only one required the help of the heat gun. I have two remaining nuts to tackle, one is the drain plug and the other is the main feed to the group, which is the largest nut in the image above, at the bottom center of the frame. Its about 20mm and in a hard to grasp place. I decided to go to bed instead of forcing anything.

Other info:
I did plug this machine in, I mean, I had to see if it was alive or dead. I flipped the switch to the 1 position for about 1/4 of a second, then off. I did see lights flicker, that was enough for me. I believe that switch position number 2 is for heat, while the number 1 is for the electronics and fill function.

I have inspected the rest of the components. Everything seems to check out with other normal machines of this era. I believe that the motor was frozen, but a gentle twist of a screwdriver on the shaft loosened it up. The same goes for the pump, I believe I will have to remove it and inspect its innards, lube it and hope it works ok.

I'll have to take some images of all of the components, the control board, the stat, the pump/motor, and the rest of the bits. It certainly is engineered well enough. I got one good laugh when I tried to pull off the power switch knob, I realized that it was being held in from behind with a snap ring, some folks call it a C-clip, or retaining ring. I mean, really? It was fully rusted by this point, as they are naked steel. Lucky for me I own more than a few snap ring pliars, as they are common motor parts.

I must admit, when I siphoned out the liquid in the boiler, I didn't have alot of hope, as the water was disgusting. The drain tube also likes to drip out some sludge, and the loosening of the boiler's tubes have leaked out some grimy stuff. But, I'll move ahead, in belief that this machine can be effective, once it gets cleaned up.

My goal is to leave the electrical attached as much as possible. The frame just needs cleaning, not painting. I'll remove the boiler, pump and motor, but leave the rest in and work around them. My weak area is electrics, and so I'd prefer to just leave the harness as is, and clean up the contacts.

More later...

Looks like a nice project, and free is a great price!

Although you plan to leave the electrical alone, have a good look at all the plastic lug connections; quite often they are heat damaged/brittle. A typical indication of a problem is discolored plastic. Replace as necessary since heat damaged lugs can lead to higher resistance/blowing fuses and more problems.

I like the key rings threaded thru the anti-vac and over pressure valves..very easy to exercise the valve (clean the surfaces) instead of looking for needlenose pliers or a pick device. I'm going to install those on my valves!

Great start to the thread!

Hey thanks for the enthusiasm.

I have pulled on the wire loops on the pressure valves, the plungers move with ease. I will have a closer look at them though, now that you advise it.

The plastic connectors, at least the ones that hooked up with the control board were not brittle at all. They have clamping clips on them that still articulate. However, there are paper wraps on the wire jumbles as it passes through the machine, and those are toasted and crumbly. I assume that the closer things are to the heat, the more dried out they become.

Also worth noting is that there are small security clips on the pressure relief valves. Its like safety wiring on a motorcycle, the valve has been drilled through and a small wire threads through the components. Then on top of that, there is a small chunk of solder, when smooshed together, captures the wire ends like a wax stamp, so no one can unhook, nor unscrew, the valves, without first clipping off the safety wiring. It looks like this has never been done since assembly.

One thing I did notice is that the red corner panels, on both sides, have broken screw tabs, as if someone tried to get under them in a hurry. If they had unscrewed all of the fittings, the panels lift right off, but no, they were pried and snapped. Maybe with some sugru and ingenuity, I can reattach them. They are strictly aesthetic.

One more thing, I'm thinking about losing the fire engine red with a coat of paint to the panels.

Porter,
I'm guessing that safety wire on the pressure valves is like you think; to prevent both tampering with them and possibly to prevent any pump vibration from turning them loose. That is a simple touch I've not seen on many machines. Sort of funny how the Italians run wires willy-nilly not thinking much about chaffing and tidyness, but here they go the extra mile with the pressure valves.

What color would you paint over the red with? Krylon plastic paint is pretty good..not sure on the heat specs though.

Seeing how you are a 2 stroke enthusiast, I was thinking of the usual rat rod favorite, flat black krypton. If I need to step up to heat protective paint, I think that there is a BBQ flat black that looks good.

It's funny that my machine sits near my vintage Lambretta and Vespa. It's a basement full of patina and rust.

Ok, now you've got me begging for photos of the patina and rust!

I think flat black would look good against the chrome hardware and silver plastic!

Here's you 2 stroke interest.
From front to back, there is a p200 motor, hopped up to 210 with a performance top end and pipe. The motor is about done, the stand is for testing it soon.
Next further back is the azkoyen tilted so it didn't leak.

Lastly in the back, the body of the 74 sprint veloce awaits the transplant of the motor. I had it painted Porsche green.

Sorry, the lambtta is in the garage, as I ride it.

Nice zebra rug, right? It's has wine stains from dancing too much, so it now sits under my greasy bench.

i love the scooter ,

I had a weekend of scooter riding, yardwork and espresso machine tinkering. My life is good like that. Here's the update:

I got to dipping the copper parts in a few buckets of muriatic acid. That seems to have worked. The drain hole for the boiler was blocked with scale and crud.





I screwed the pooch on the procon pump, the adjuster seems to have sheared off:


I guess I'll be sending this to the procon folks in Mn.
http://www.jcbeverage.com/contact.html#.html
Edit - I just talked with them, I have opted for a new pump instead of renewing the one I have in my hands. With the amount of scale on it, and the stiction I am feeling in the axle, I think that I'll do better with a fresh unit. The price was right, and it will give me peace of mind. I received excellent service and advice from the tech who answered.

Here is the remaining carcass. I am not diving in any deeper, the frame is fine, the electrical is in place and the wires look good. Ive taken apart what I want to, so this is the bottom most point. From here, its all uphill in the rebuilding of it. I did take apart the steam and water valves, they both needed simple cleaning.