IMHO, it will be next to impossible to find anything that will fit that footprint. Most cooktops are either 30" or 36" wide.

How is your cabinetry constructed? Is it individual cabinets or is it stick-framed with no sides (gables) except for the end of a run? Stick-framed cabinetry was an old way of building cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, etc.. Rather than individual cabinets put together to form a run, carpenters would simply make a face frame front that the doors would hing off and the shelves and bottom would be affixed to the face frame at the front and the wall at the back and ends. The cabinetry inside would be one continuous piece. If it is stick-framed, you may be able to fit a new 30" in it's spot by cutting the coutertop opening larger. If that old cooktop is located within the confines of a small cabinet with it's own gables, it would require quite the retrofitting to accept a wider cooktop.

Can you provide us with more pics of the cabinetry it's going into?

And yes, I have taken the time to write to both Home Depot and Lowes and recommended a better way for them to allow users to search for appliances on their websites. I volunteered to do it for free. But in neither case are they taking me up on it and it's just a pain to use their websites...

An option is a 24" Miele cooktop . There are a few more options in 24" from other manufacturers. You could then cover the front where the knobs are with a wooden panel.

Another option is a 24" Bluestar rangetop which will come over the front and the current control locations would be retained. This will require a hood which is not mentioned in your current post.

Simcoe, thanks for the cabinet details to check. Not there to get photos, but I believe it may be a combination of what you described. The front face is continuous, but the interior is partitioned.

Thanks practigal, I see that AJ Madison lists size and cutout detail, too, which seems quite helpful.

homepro01, thanks. I had noted a couple of 24" models online, but couldn't figure out how they'd compare to the smaller external measurements I took. Or how to tell if they'd drop in to whatever cutout is there, etc.
The rangetop's are beautiful, but are far out of budget. (The Summit 24" models are a tenth of those prices :) Looks are unimportant, and, realistic or not, the homeowner so far still has late-1950s prices in mind…

jy20,

The Miele matches your measurements and it is a drop in unit. You will remove the existing units and drop the unit into the cut out.

Thanks for the clarification homepro01 - guess for some reason I'd mistakenly presumed a square geometry - that 24" meant 24"x24".

Also, have you looked into just having the existing unit repaired?

I would guess it is cheaper to have repaired than replace. But once you are there note where the gas valve is as well.

These items were built to be serviceable, here's a website with instructions:

http://www.appliancerepair.net/oven-repair-5.html

Wow you've given us a lot to think about. Thanks.

Hadn't considered repair as a possibility before. Didn't think replacement parts etc. would be available. (And in general it has seemed that service people who know what they are doing - especially with older tech - and who have the skill to repair and not replace can be really hard to find.)

iroll, that diagram and info is great. (Never knew the function of those pinholes!) Although my grandmother has said she cleans it well, before proceeding further, I'm going to try "detailing" it next time I'm there.

If i recall correctly when the cover is lifted there is corrosion visible in places - but only in what looks like structural support (metal straps have broken off) - whereas gas-related things somehow are still stable.

Yes, finding someone who can do this in your area may be a challenge. But vintage stoves are still in fashion so you should be able to find a repair person.

Did you replace that stove top? Do you still have it? I'm looking to buy one exactly like that

I’m looking for drip pans for the same stove top anyone know were i can find 4??