Thanks Dom, there are two long and three short in my machine. The America valve holders are a different size again. Even more confusing is the slightly differing sizes of the valve body chambers, eg some gasket holders will go in one but not the other but all threaded components are interchangeable. In other words, some threads are slightly bigger than others stopping the gasket holder from going in.

This is like restoring an old Alfa Romeo.

The CMA can be modified to fit, I do them all the time. You need to turn both the OD of the main part and the ID of the locking ring. Has to be done on a lathe.

Thanks Paul, I'll give that a shot.

Thanks Sebastian, 1954 or later it is then. No boiler stamp suggested to me it was never completed and tested but its Spanish made then. Hopefully when it is eventually fired up all will be well :-/

Big thank you to Yoombe and Paul Pratt for advice and supplying enough unobtainium valve components for me to kick start my slightly stalled Gaggia resto. Hopefully I shall get the heater working in the shed soon and start some serious assembly.

I'm back at it. After a hiatus of sorts, brought on by a testy old Jag that didn't want a 383 stroker jammed down it's gullet and having to get the Spagna back panel, trays and valve bodies re-chromed. A bit of a disaster but it's done now.

Probably when the machine was new someone decided it was a good idea to spray the entire machine with a lacquer. Over the decades it had become as hard as nails and the only way to remove it was to painstakingly hand strip with the most corrosive product I could find. Ironically, a Selleys product labelled 'user friendly' from the local hardware store.

After getting the coating off (I haven't done the heads yet grrr) I'd had enough and sent the panel, some trim and valves to a professional polisher for a tidy up. Unfortunately most of the original chrome was damaged in the process so I had to get the ruined bits re-chromed.

No longer completely original but It's come up a treat. Now to start assembling the valves whilst I await a new end plate to be cast and new elements to be fabricated.

How perfect it shows the chrome finish... Fantastic Even the red automobile looks good.

I have started the dummy assembly of the valves and need some advice. When I did the initial pull-down every union had that horrid wind-on rope gasket which was presumably how they did it back then.

Just wondering how others do the business these days as in what gaskets have been successfully used to stop leaks in these early Gaggias. I have some Astoria gaskets which might do the trick but they are a bit fat. Also, as can be seen in the pic there are two types of end caps, one with a bevel, the other flat.

Next! The inlet valve originally also had that rope gunk.

I lost the pics that show the orientation of the two springs and am up against the same dilemma of what contemporary gaskets to successfully stop leaks.

As there are plenty of early restored Gaggias with same or similar inlet valves there must someone out there with a breakdown of what bits go where. Thanks!