Thank you, understood. Also I had not seen it had be already answered before.

Waiting for the following steps of your work on your machine, all is very interesting.

So after nearly 4 months I finally got my chromed bits back! I am juggling some other stuff right now but I'll show you a sneak peak. I will say I am very satisfied. Reassembly will shortly follow along with testing.

So with the chrome bits back I can start reassembly. Frank did a really nice job with getting out all the scratches, and the platers he uses in Providence took special care to not plate the insides where water flows. It was actually hard to fine a good orientation to show the chrome, it just reflects everything! I had to sand out the piston sleeve but it was nothing crazy.






I attached the boiler lid back in July but never posted about it along with the water level elbow fittings. Originally I was going to use brass nuts but I thought I'd try Stainless everything just to see what happens. The latter can be tightened more to about 19 Nm (measured with my new AC Delco torque meter!). One of the bolts is oriented opposite to everyone else due to the thermosyphon pipe blocking me from inserting it the regular way.







The water inlet and drain box were installed with the new chrome bits. I focused on the water sight assembly after. It needs a little adjustment but the key is to have the water sight glass gaskets touch the elbow fittings on each end. The spring is compressed by the chrome fitting to push the gasket against the elbow fitting to make a better seal. In general it's tight enough when the sight glass cover can fit (that one will be replaced or repainted). Keep the two screws for the sight glass frame a little loose when adjusting the pipes connecting to them. Check out my little drain pipe! I hope the vacuum valve can squeeze in or perhaps I can do a T fitting with the tubes.









After checking with the boiler that my pipes fit in the correct spots (mostly) I installed the backsplash. It has new stickers so I tried to get them close to their original spots. I had to drill out the rivet holes ever so slightly from excess powdercoat. I also got the lower group fittings attached.







The valves came together next. Note there are actually tiny teflon rings that can be used for the steam wand tip and hot water dispenser. Be careful with the chromed nuts that compress the two rod gaskets on each valve as they need to be pushed hard for the threads to catch. The manometer got popped on after.





Current state as I am taking a break and I am doing some house cleaning now. The p-stat pipe and water inlet need to be bent a little to fit but everyone else fits nicely. When you can use flare nut wrenches for the pipe nuts. Next steps after will be to pop on the upper group, wiring, and male any needed adjustments I see. I already checked the panels will not be blocked by anything like the p-stat or boiler.

Looks fantastic!

I keep hoping to find an affordable one of these to add a lever to the options I have.

Even with high temp Never Seize applied to the threads stainless nuts on stainless bolts in a hot environment will result in galling/stripped threads if you ever have to remove them. I would definitely recommend using brass nuts.

That is a fair point. The only reason I even considered this is if that does occur I can cut off one end of the bolt/nut and it will come out through the other intact end. Sort of like how I removed the last original bolt to the boiler lid. I think it is something to take note of but is not a devastating event if it does occur (which I believe is a very low chance in the first place).

Or perhaps I'll eat my words way down the line

Stainless on stainless galling is quite common. This is why you always apply a good never seize product on tbe threads.

This is a tour de force restoration. What started out very neglected is going to look like new, except for any parts that are cleaned up less to show the age of this lucky Faema Lambro.

JohnB. wrote:Stainless on stainless galling is quite common. This is why you always apply a good never seize product on tbe threads.

Well, I don't mind being a guinea pig in this case but I am curious to see what will happen if I keep the bolts as is. I will check on the bolts every so often when the Lambro is in use and document what happens. I've been looking around HB about galling in espresso machines and outside of the instance with your Speedster I am not seeing other significant cases.

I'll admit I tried out stainless hex nuts as the torque I was trying to use for my brass nuts were stripping them, they would start wearing out at a little less than 8 Nm.