Canon VI-T repair

[AlwaysOnAuto]

How much trouble will I get in if I just remove the four screws holding the bottom cover on, on my VI-T?
Reason I ask is, when I flip down the wind lever and cock the shutter, the wind lever doesn't return all the way.
When I look in the 'slot' it 'parks' in I can see a lot of 'crud' on the mechanism. The shutter sounds like it's working OK for the most part, it's just the lever not returning all the way on cocking that's the problem.
Yes, I know the whole camera should be given a thorough CLA, but funds are tight and I'd really like to put some film through this camera.
Thanks for any help you can lend.

 

[Mackinaw]

No trouble at all. Just turn the camera over so it's sitting on it's top plate, remove the screws, and lift off the bottom plate. Just take your time, don't force anything, and look carefully at what you're doing. Once the bottom plate is off, you should see the source of your problem.

Jim B.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks Jim, that is EXACTLY what I was hoping the answer would be.
Guess I'll photo doc all the steps just so I don't have to rely on my often too short memory.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks to Jim I got brave enough to open up the bottom of the camera.😱
Here's what it looks like inside there for those that have never seen one before.
All the dirt on the q-tips was just from the slides on the shutter cocking mechanism.😱
It works well now although I still think the camera needs a full-on CLA in the very near future if I'm going to trust taking pictures that matter.
Thanks again for the help Jim, I appreciate it.

 

[VTHokiEE]

I just purchased a VI-T (basically I wanted the 50mm f 1.8 that was attached to it). The camera has a few quirks that were listed in the ad: slow shutter speeds are sticking and the vertical alignment of the rangefinder is off. I'm contemplating trying to fix these issues myself and see if I like the camera or simply unloading it cheaply and letting someone else either repair it or have it CLA'd. This would be my first repair attempt (well probably the second, I have to clean off a little bit of haze if possible on the 50mm), do these repairs seem doable? If so does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

If you're not all thumbs, I'd say it's doable.
Look around on-line, the service manual is out there. It has good exploded views of the camera body and all associated parts.
If you only wanted the lens and are happy enough with what you paid for the camera to get it, what do you have to lose? If you mess up, well, at least you got a good lens at a fair price, right?
Post a pic of the lens for those of us that have never seen one.

 

[VTHokiEE]

The VI-T arrived yesterday and overall it seems to be in pretty good condition. The viewfinder has some cleaning marks that I don't really know what to do with, but the magnification box needs to be cleaned and the RF needs to be adjusted. I'm not sure I'll mess with the sticking shutter as it seems to only stick at 1/8 or 1/4 and below and I really don't use those speeds. The lens does have some Oil/haze that needs to be cleaned as well. If everything goes to plan, this should clean up nicely though. Now I have to wait for my chinese ebay spanner wrench to arrive... I'll try to get a picture this weekend for everyone.