For those that may be interested or could benefit from it, here is the illustrated history of the restoration of my Astoria Fiore 1 group lever machine.
I saw that boxy guy in an ad online. The restaurant that was offering it had switched to a super auto machine, at least, that was the story I was given. When asking question by mail and telephone the machine was said to be in working order but that the element was burned.
When I first saw the machine it was a shock! Clearly the machine was not in working order! I was simply filthy, the P/F's had no handle and many of the fittings were not tighten. I was then told that it was leaking in a few places and that the machine had been sent to a repair shop where the owner was told that it was better to get a new machine than to repair it. The asking price which I though was low didn't sound low anymore!
After a bit more negotiations I got the owner to reduce the price a bit and we agreed to reasonable $300.00 Canadian dollars.
Here are a few pictures of it when I got home . Both P/F are missing the handle. Actually one still had a plastic handles but it broke off before we even made it home!

The body panels were loosely installed but overall the external panels are in very good shape. A few scratches but no major dings and bumps. The painted panel shows a little rust and will require repainting but that is no big deal.
Some of the panels were held with make shift pins and fasteners.

The amount of accumulated dirt inside the machine is impressive. My guess is that they left the machine uncovered while doing major renovations!
Strangely enough the boiler and components are not covered by the same crud?
The Boiler heating element was already loose when I pick up the machine.

The element has 2 loops. The large one has burst and the internal element was cut. No resistance to be measured. The smaller loop has a resistance and looks like it was not even connected. It seems that the previous owner was limiting the power by only using the long loop. Maybe because of a limited current circuit?

Boiler hardware is all stainless steel so there is no rust. But there is a lot of silicone residue around the bolts so I think that there may have been some leakage around the bolts. Good thing that the fasteners are stainless!
The drip tray catcher is full of unidentifiable stuff!!!

There are some rust spots here and there on the frame. Mostly on the forward section. But it is all minor really, absolutely no impact on the structural integrity of the frame.

Gross! Cooked grease! I do not think that it was food safe lubricant. Even if this does not contact the coffee, it certainly is not appealing!

The rubber back stop is held on by grease! Actually there is a lot of damage to the lever under. Indicating that the rubber was not always there.

The "drop" was like dried varnish. The heat from the group must have transformed the grease that was being applied. I assume that this drop was formed by a similar phenomenon as the stalactites. Seriously I will never eat anything in that restaurant. Imagine what there kitchen must have looked like!!!

The manometer is somewhat corroded and I have little hope of being able to use it.

I guess that I will replace some of the dried up wires. The protective jacket is very brittle from the heat in some section.

The auto-refill electronic looks in good shape. It is a 220Vac Unit. Since I will convert the machine to 120Vac usage, I wonder if this will work with 120 Vac. If not, I'll have to research if the cost of a new controller is lower than a little step-up transformer.

Half naked in the process of deconstruction.

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