# 1975 la pavoni find



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

So the Challenge was this!

Find a mid 70s lapavoni, with three position switch and removable group ( like the white rebuild ) then package it up and send it to @jimbojohn55.

Why?

That particular la pavoni is the last of the europiccolas for Jim to do a strip down and rebuild.

Result!

Having been looking for a while i finally found a suitable donor machine and having parted with my money I duly went and picked the lovely little machine up. This particular one is a 1975 one and these machines are quite rare to get hold of as they were only made for a few years before another design change. In my opinion this is probably the best of the la pavonis as it still has the exceptional build quality of the original ones, with t he quality brass parts and tighter tolerances, added to the fact that this is the first la pavoni which you can remove the group from the main body and thus makes servicing a whole lot easier.

PROBLEM !!!!!

having got the machine home I sent Jim some photos and he was keen to get started, however this was the best condition old la pavoni (43 years young) that I have ever come across, it seemed that the previous owners had used it as an ornament, or left it in a cupboard, or only made coffee on it once per month!

The problem with the condition was that it presented absolutely zero challenge for Jim (so the search goes on) so instead I decided to strip it down myself, service the lovely machine and show you all the photos.









ok this first photo is it actually finished however as i said i have not done a lot to the outside of this machine, a little polishing and a small amount of cleaning and hey presto.

What i did do, is strip it down and take care of the servicing stuff and some jimbo style polishing. So first thing was get the group off and start cleaning, however there really was not a lot of grime in there (as per my usage suspicions) so a cafizza dip and some polishing and here we go


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## ricca509 (Sep 25, 2017)

Beautiful piece of machinery!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

I also cleaned and polished the pipe and pipe end of the group.

















once complete the piston was polished (but was pretty clean anyway) seals fitted, shower screen in cafizza, then re assembled ready to fit.

















next job was to attack the boiler, so a quick descale (as there really was not a lot in there just some blackening, and hey ho one clean boiler. also cleaned out the exit port.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Next was to check out the base electrics and condition. No surprises here just neat wiring, in good original condition, clean element and everything as it should be, so a clean up and on we go

























it really is remarkable how good the paintwork is on this machine, I always like to keep machines in the original colour as that it what restoration is all about and this paint is a lot harder to get a match for than the earlier ones, so being able to keep it original really adds to the attraction of these machines.









Last but not least before completing the reassembly and testing the seals and electrics, was to clean the bakelite and the portafilter, again a short soak in caffizza and it looks like new.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Final task was to polish all the chrome, clean the rubber base, which is in amazing condition for its age, then reassemble the machine. First power up and everything works exactly like it should, twin element heats it up quick to the first hissing from over pressure valve then switch to 200 watt element and she purrs away ready for an espresso.

so here are the glamour shots


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## sumatra (Oct 3, 2018)

Nice work! You are quite lucky to find one in such a good condition.

What did you use to polish the inside of the group and the piston?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

sumatra said:


> Nice work! You are quite lucky to find one in such a good condition.
> 
> What did you use to polish the inside of the group and the piston?


autosol, dremmel and polishing rag, but then another dip to remove all residue followed by a dry wipe


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Wow that's a beauty Dave! Must be a million to one chance of finding one from that model issue in such good nick! Cleaned up a treat too.

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## dev (Jul 28, 2017)

Excelent find and lovely job cleaning it. Mind me asking how much did the Pav set you back?


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## sumatra (Oct 3, 2018)

coffeechap said:


> autosol, drummer and polishing rag, but then another dip to remove all residue followed by a dry wipe


Noted. Will try it when it's time to clean mine.

Cheers


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

dev said:


> Excelent find and lovely job cleaning it. Mind me asking how much did the Pav set you back?


that would be telling and as it it will be up for sale soon i would rather not say, especially as it is a partner for @Hasi older one


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

hotmetal said:


> Wow that's a beauty Dave! Must be a million to one chance of finding one from that model issue in such good nick! Cleaned up a treat too.
> 
> ___
> 
> Eat, drink and be merry


indeed, very difficult to find and due to the difficulty paint matching, it is exceptionally rare to get one with an intact base


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

coffeechap said:


> that would be telling and as it it will be up for sale soon i would rather not say, especially as it is a partner for @Hasi older one




wait, you teasin' me?!


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

Mighty surprised nobody's asked the most important question yet so here goes......

...How does the shot taste? 

A loverly caring 'restoration'. Which museum did you get it from?


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Other than that - I'm wowed, plain and simple!

Great find you lucky lad


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

I have to say that has to be the best condition 70's pav ive seen - Haha I'm glad the paintwork is mint as I was struggling to find a hammered finish that would look as good









In fact I wonder if Pavoni would want it for their museum - no joke they wont find another that original and mint


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

jimbojohn55 said:


> I have to say that has to be the best condition 70's pav ive seen - Haha I'm glad the paintwork is mint as I was struggling to find a hammered finish that would look as good
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Start a bidding war with the London Film Museum for their Bond exibit maybe?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Hasi said:


> wait, you teasin' me?!


who me!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

ashcroc said:


> Mighty surprised nobody's asked the most important question yet so here goes......
> 
> ...How does the shot taste?
> 
> A loverly caring 'restoration'. Which museum did you get it from?


it was average, but the next one was excellent as the group was slightly hotter, oh the joy of the la pavoni. Got it from someone who did not really understand what they had


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

ashcroc said:


> Start a bidding war with the London Film Museum for their Bond exibit maybe?


wrong colour for the Bond version, however I have that one as well!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

jimbojohn55 said:


> I have to say that has to be the best condition 70's pav ive seen - Haha I'm glad the paintwork is mint as I was struggling to find a hammered finish that would look as good
> 
> 
> 
> ...


perhaps i will ask them, could command top dollar, or perhaps they would just swap it for a new one ha ha


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

coffeechap said:


> wrong colour for the Bond version, however I have that one as well!


Bond version also needs to be slightly older, film came out in 1973 if I'm not mistaken.


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## Nopapercup (Nov 6, 2016)

What a nice looking Pav!

I had all my pieces on the floor ready to rebuild the other day but then realised they needed a good polish.

@coffeechap and @jimbojohn55 is cafizza any different to pulycaf, how do you restore the black handles and knobs, do I need a dremel?

I really want one of these 75 Pavoni's but buying a 5th Pav might cause a few issues with the misses.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

pull cafe is perfect, you soak the main parts in it and it restores the chrome finish nicely. i use metal polish to polish the bakelite handle, brings them up a treat. Buying a dremel is a good idea and getting a polishing set as it allows you to get into all the nooks and crannies.


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## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

Nice work old bean


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Wait till you see the next one


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

It might need a dip in something strong


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

coffeechap said:


> It might need a dip in something strong


... like in my arms?


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## ThinkJunket (Oct 16, 2018)

Can't wait to see you selling the refurbished ones


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

I suspect this thread has had a few more views over the last couple of days

I've always fancied one of these and was thinking of buying new as I'm not good at DIY, but reading this thread makes me want a birth year one. I was born in 74, would a model from that year be essentially the same as the 75? Are there any big advantages or disadvantages with buying one so old over a new one? Restored examples seem to go for only slightly less than new ones.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

cold war kid said:


> I suspect this thread has had a few more views over the last couple of days
> 
> I've always fancied one of these and was thinking of buying new as I'm not good at DIY, but reading this thread makes me want a birth year one. I was born in 74, would a model from that year be essentially the same as the 75? Are there any big advantages or disadvantages with buying one so old over a new one? Restored examples seem to go for only slightly less than new ones.


Nothing wrong with a decent example of the olden days!

Just very few things to be aware of:

It took them many years to figure out how practical a built in power switch would be. From 74 onwards they finally used three position switches. On older models prepared to plug in and out, use a switchable socket/plug or retrofit a cord switch.

Removing shower screen is not as straight forward as on modern ones (maybe @jimbojohn55 will repeat what he said somewhere before about when exactly they changed it).

Steaming milk requires either a good sense of humour, a degree in James Bond impersonation or infinite patience to maybe eventually finally really get the hang of it. I didn't so far, says the happy owner of a perfect '73 model...


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

Hasi said:


> Nothing wrong with a decent example of the olden days!
> 
> Just very few things to be aware of:
> 
> ...


There are so many changes over the years some were improvements and some were to do with cost as the components of the early machines 62-73/74 were more expensive to produce, you need some special tools to dismantle them particularly the 62-73 group.

I prefer the cast alloy base of the early ones and the group, they are also I believe but haven't tried to prove it more thermally stable as they just tick over on a 200w element once upto temp.

the 74 on is easier to work on and the 77 onward easier still.

fixing up any of them is quite fun, each have their challenges but ultimately you cant go too wrong


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