M2 body removal

[Bassism]

I'm in the process of pulling my M2 apart to take a look at the shutter. The shutter seems to have disconnected itself from the drum, and I wanted to take a look and see if I can fix it. I know that everyone is going to say to stop breaking a nice camera and send it for a CLA, but that's not financially viable right now, so I either fix it, or it sits on the shelf looking pretty.

Now to my problem... I've been following the Factory Tips guide for instruction. I've got the top off and presumably everything to pull the body off. I've tried "manipulation but no pressure" without luck and I know well enough not to force things. The innards will come out a little bit but seem to catch on something on the frameline lever side of the body. I haven't removed the retaining ring for it because the guide doesn't say you have to and I can't get the retaining ring to budge. But is this my problem? Am I missing something else?

Also, I noticed that the serial number under the base plate doesn't match the top plate. I find this curious, but not necessarily cause for alarm.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

seen this thread?, my last message, perhaps the sources mentioned there may help

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69703

 

[Bassism]

Thanks for the link. That's quite a detailed reference, which I'm sure will be useful.

However, it doesn't solve my problem. It also seems to suggest that it should all come apart now, and yet it doesn't.

 

[payasam]

If written guides do not help, perhaps you should let it sit until you can afford an overhaul by a specialist. Too good a camera to break.

 

[Bassism]

I got it figured out. I had to reattach the frameline lever itself and fiddle with it. I think there's something wonky with the framelines, accounting for the sticky 90mm frame.
The fix was simple. The ribbon had slipped off the side of the drum, so I just rewrapped it. I took the opportunity to drop some oil on the places that needed it and clean the VF/RF a bit. On the way back together, I increased the tension on the rollers a bit, which will hopefully keep it from unravelling itself in the future. This also fixed the problem I was having with the second curtain not quite travelling far enough.

It's all back together and working better than before I took it apart, which is all that matters 🙂

 

[payasam]

Well done. Let's hope the fix holds.