Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

    Hello everyone, I am about to start a  restorattion project which is a very very rare Gaggia MonteCarlo. It is based on the Gaggia America internals though it has a large fibreglass body. It is a big machine almost the size of a 2 group. It is an absolute stunning looking machine which I am very excited to get up and running.


  • #2
    Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

    Picture 2

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

      Picture 3

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

        The working side of the machine is huge, also the customer side of the machine has a light behind the panel.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

          where did you find that.....

          it looks good now what will the resto make it look like.

          be sure to give us some pics of inside please.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

            Very nice machine.  I know of one in NZ (South Island), yours (and possibly another) in Melbourne, mine in Sydney and one in Adelaide.  It was suggested to me that a total of about 1000 of them were made.  I wonder how many more are still lurking around.

            Interesting porthole style sight glass.  Mine (which is in MUCH worse condition than yours) has the oval style.  

            Is the power switch original (well, in the original location)?  What is the hole below it with the black grommet?

            The perspex is in unusually good condition.  Usually it develops stress fractures over time.  Is someone making them?  Daniel had a NOS one for sale for a time - it seems to me that there is a probably a market for reproduction perspex tops.  


            Greg

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

              Hi Greg
              The switch is original though it will be disconnected. Just below the switch is an "on lamp indicator" which is blown.
              I had a look at another MonteCarlo in Coffee Mios show room and it had a couple of differences to mine, which were the location of the steam and filler taps.
              As with most of the coffee machines produced in the 50s they had small differences from each other which probably gives them there charactor.
              I am going to match up the Monte with a 1950s Mazzer Super B grinder I have.
              What is the colour of your machine?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

                Mine is a rather nasty gray hammered finish paint over most of the body with the bulbous bits in red.  Im missing the fill tap (which someone in a moment of inspired dadaism replaced with an Irwell laundry tap).  Sometime in the next few months I am going to start working on the Monte.  Could you take a pic of the fill valve on yours?  Id love to see what it looks like side-on.

                I love the grinder.  I have fantasies about an LM Vulcanos or Faema Urania Grinder, but you hardly ever see either of them.  

                I know what you mean about old coffee machines, there are very few pictures of Montecarlos around, but looking at Uranias it looks like the workmen in the factory would arrive at work and begin the day by going "hmmm... where have we not put the fill lever lately?"

                Ive attached some pictures.  

                Greg



                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

                  Another Gaggia Montecarlo.... found sitting in a barn for some years in the far north of New Zealand. Surprisingly good order considering! I got it running just for fun and other than the head seals not really working it all went.I am so pleased to see other machines like this as i have found basically nothing on them on the net.Any assistance with seals or the dome piece would be so appreciated
                  thanks!
                  Chris Elliott in Auckland

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

                    Originally posted by 6A2727276C090 link=1269865732/8#8 date=1285221112
                    Another  Gaggia Montecarlo.... found sitting in a barn for some years in the far north of New Zealand. Surprisingly good order considering! I got it running just for fun and other than the head seals not really working it all went.I am so pleased to see other machines like this as i have found basically nothing on them on the net.Any assistance with seals or the dome piece would be so appreciated
                    thanks!
                    Chris Elliott in Auckland
                    Chris,
                    Is that the original paint?  Im starting to think that these things are not as rare as people make out.  It seems like there are more Montecarlos around than there are Uranias in this part of the world.  

                    Greg

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

                      In my youth being a Aussie lad I wasnt into espresso which was more a Italian thing, we of course were tea drinkers, but back to the point, I remember looking at cafe espresso machines and it is these Monte Carlos that I remember. They are probably not that rare in these parts being assembled locally, probably to due to local content laws of the time, I have heard the moulds still exist.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Gaggia MonteCarlo Restoration

                        It was initially a speckly gold, rather cool love to find a dome thing for it!

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X