Yes, but since I decided to keep the machine 220V I will be using a Mater pstat rather than a Sirai. The current drawn at 1300W is no more than 6 Amps, which will allow the Mater to last a long time. It will be connected to the rear boiler fitting where the safety valve normally goes via a cross fitting (which will also have my vacuum valve and safety valve).


It took some fiddling but I managed to find a method to install the piston seals using two picks as leverage around the piston and slip the seals into their grooves.




With the seals installed I assembled the upper group/spring. I had to compress the outer spring about an inch so I could begin threading on the piston. The inner, smaller spring I left as is since it does not need a lot of force to compress. I had to install the lever fork and rod first with their pin. I did not need much force for the pin, and the arbor press was only to make sure I was installing it straight.

I have an M20 and really struggle with getting the seals on the piston every time they need replacing, about once every 18 months.

Just had a seal failure on my M20, on the autofill float. I used a standard fiber gasket on my rebuild and about a week ago, noticed a subtle hissing sound. Took the side panel off and it was pretty clear that there was a steam leak there. Yesterday I got the autofill off, scraped off the old gasket (sure enough, it was severely compromised), and replaced it was one of the round PTFE ones (same one that the heating element uses, this one: https://www.espressoparts.com/products/ ... ent-gasket).

All set now, but lesson learned, go with silicone and PTFE wherever possible for gaskets and seals.

I got the courage to assemble the machine. I first cleaned up the boiler exterior with some polishing just because it made me feel better.


I only lightly cleaned the frame as there was hardly any rust, and will thus remain original. I did decide to replace the boiler bolts and nuts with stainless A2 and brass respectively. However if you look closely there are some thin jam nuts that are original that secure the bolts before mounting the lid. The aluminum ring was in excellent condition too. I fashioned a pstat bracket for a 20A Sirai, which is complete overkill for 220V 1300W but it will last forever as a result. Also not the cross fitting in the rear for the vacuum valve, safety valve, and pstat pipe.




Focusing on the lid, it's quite busy with all the pipes, element, and group attaching there. I started with the water level, where brass ferrules squish a gasket on each end of the glass tube (which is new). I did not insert the plastic level ball since the new glass has an etched red line. The gasket for the tube going into the boiler is actually the Astoria CMA inlet gasket, as I thought the Eevad purchase would fit but doing testing showed it was too small of an OD to work. The depth of the tube is the same as the little three ears that stick out of the boiler. Perhaps that is how they did it at the factory!

The steam pipe was simple and uses the same Astoria CMA inlet gasket for the lid sealing. I will use an oring for the valve side. The hot water pipe is different with its extra pipe that draws the hot water up into the valve. I used two orings to make the seal. Note that it is all the same size, 10 x 2.5mm.





The boiler gasket and heating element gaskets were installed with loxeal 18 to aid with sealing the surfaces. I got the majority of gunk off but I don't want any issues to arise and have a seal from the start. The M15 gasket I got from TSE actually did not fit because the ID was too small for the lid. The one procured from Eevad has a larger ID and fits the lid well. I do not understand why there is a difference between the gaskets. Installing the boiler gasket took some adjusting but eventually I got the gasket to sit in its lid flange properly and tightened everything down. Also note the manometer pipe facing upwards that is on the right side when looking inside the boiler.




The group was installed with its new M10 studs and gasket. The three nuts securing the group take a small teflon gasket (the same one used on old San Marco heating elements, 10 x 14.5mm). The dipper tube was attached before placing the group on the lid.




This is where I'm at now. I will next be fashioning a pipe for the pstat and install the wiring with the front frame.

Continuing forward, the group was fully united. The group casting actually has a bevel on the top that allows the piston seal to slide into the bore pretty easily. I did have a Cimbali tool to aid with installation but it was not needed. The portafilter gasket is held by the lower chromed casting that is attached by the conical bolts to the main casting. The gasket is also conical.







The machine is pretty top heavy at this point, and it nearly wants to fall over. Overnight I left some support just in case




This morning I installed the front frame with its 4 M6 bolts. I did not install the backsplash so I can access the lid during testing, and since it is not very thick of a material it should be fine to not use spacers in place of the about 0.5mm thick metal sheet. I tried the eevad gaskets for the two valves.





Wiring was the last step necessary before I can begin a test. I used 18 AWG TGGT wiring this time, and I managed to sneak a cord grip where the gas line would have gone if my Eleva had one. The switch has a cover for the switch terminals. The pstat pipe was made yesterday evening.








Once the loxeal cures for another day I just need to add water for testing. I decided to cap off the water inlet for now until I am satisfied the rest of the machine is good.

I tackled the chassis today too. It is in good enough condition that I will keep it all original with its patina. It is secured by 8 M5 machine screws and some smaller regular screws. It's quite sturdy actually. When taking apart the chassis there are two screws on the bottom that thread into two little bracket pieces. Anything that is not using a machine screw uses a speed nut. I kept all screws and speed nuts original since they were in decent shape.









I brought up all the panels and drip tray for a soapy wash followed by a wet rag then a microfiber cloth for drying. It cleaned up nicely and the off-red does not look to bad in the sunlight! The little decorative rail on top is coated in some sort of clear coat, and I will leave it on for now.








Soon I will begin testing.

I started testing this morning with a heat and cool cycle, where I turn on the machine until it reaches boiling temperature without pressurizing and wait until it cooled to room temp, then tightening the boiler and group bolts. I found only two leaks, the little nut on the group neck and the capped off water inlet fitting. I tightened both off which resolved those issues, and I let it run at 1.3-1.4 bar for a few hours before prepping my first shot. The steam and hot water valves are simply held on by the pipes and the gasket on each pipe, yet they still seal fine.








The original spring is quite strong, and even with that knowledge beforehand the first shot was pulled quick and squirted around a bit with the open beak portafilter (yes I realize a screw is missing). It was not too bad in taste, but future ones will definitely be better! The shot was pulled with 15g of Saka Espresso Bar. Now I get to play the game of seeing what sort of issues may pop up over multiple heat/cool cycles in the coming week. I can already see the manometer is sluggish, similar to my President when I brought it up in January from storage. I'll see if it gets better or if I need to pick at the insides a bit.