I have done the full restoration of the $30 Gaggia Classic found at Value Village. I took apart most of the machine and did a lot of cleaning, and sanded the boiler bottom surface flat. I also added a 3D printed brace to hold the pump better for reducing its vibration. In total I spent around $40 on parts, including all the gaskets and a drain pipe that was missing. BTW, the prices are all CAD.

The machine should be as good as it's original state out of the factory. I will do my thorough research on PID kits for my next tasks on this Gaggia Classic.



by NoRandomIsRandom

4 Comments

  1. Nice, I just did the same thing with a $70 one found at a church garage sale. 🙂

  2. MyCatsNameIsBernie

    Nice job!

    Consider going all-in with GaggiMate or Gaggiuino instead of just a PID 😃

  3. Great job. Brace is a great idea too! There is a whole cottage industry with GCP mods and upgrades.

  4. here’s my “short” notes about gagguino modding and ownership for those who’re handy, like you seem to be:

    I would highly recommend replacing your boiler as well, even if you dont do the brass upgrade. A new boiler top is extremely cheap and regardless of how much you descale, I can guarantee you that the inside of your boiler still looks like shit and is probably starting to corrode. Replacing that will give you something a lot closer to a “brand new” product than simply descaling, if you’re inclined to do so since you got the machine so cheap.

    IMO would also skip the PID entirely as well and go straight for the gagguino especially if you’re planning on using the steam wand. It’s pretty much impossible to have ‘good’ steam consistently without using the gagguino. The gagguino’s logic for running the pump to control pressure also results in better temp stability and significantly quieter operation. If you’re adamant on using a PID then there are tons of cheap kits on amazon that get the job done and fit nicely in a 3D printed enclosure, just make sure the thermocouple is the right thread size. And then you need to program your PID for optimal performance which is important. While a PID is certainly miles ahead of the thermostat it comes with, the gagguino logic is still better since it can dynamically adjust power to the boiler as your shot is brewing much better than a PID can.

    I would personally avoid the preheating coil mod as well unless you’re using Gagguino because you need the slow pump operation in order to prevent the coil from creating an ear-shattering screech from vibrating against the boiler (the preheating coil should never touch the sides of the boiler, only the corners of the boiler). Since you have this version of the gaggia classic, it’s 1000x easier to implement the preheating coil mod since your OPV is essentially a threaded inlet port into the boiler which you’ve probably noticed while taking the machine apart, while the newer OPV’s are connected to the pump and the boiler inlet is barbed rather than threaded.

    also, 3D print yourself a low profile drip tray so you can fit a scale under the portafilter.