Hi,
it might be timely to review what you've done to date and look at some of the causes of the malfunctions these SLRs can suffer from.
A delay between depressing the shutter and the mechanism firing with any model Contaflex—at least those with Compur shutters, I have no experience with the cheaper Prontor shutter models fitted to Pantar lens equipped types such as the Alpha and Prima—can be the result of dirty shutter blades. If these stick, it takes a finite amount of time for the mechanism to overcome the resistance of the blades and fire (if it can at all of course).
As you've previously got the shutter blades nice and clean, we can eliminate this as a cause of the sluggish operation of this example. I suppose it is still possible that there is an issue with the shutter itself (although it seems quite unlikely given the careful stripping and cleaning of the shutter you've done). But having removed the shutter from the body, you will be now able to manually cock and release it to ensure all is well and remedy any faults.
Following on from that then.
The first two models (Ie. the original Contaflex and the Contaflex II) that were fitted with a fixed 45mm Tessar and use front cell focus, are fundamentally different to any later 50mm Tessar model with interchangeable front components (which have their own little nuances, depending on which particular one you're talking about). Rather than featuring a central shaft with a pinion gear (or coupling) like the later types, these early models rely on those largish circular rings behind the shutter to drive it.
Note that it's possible to fire the camera body with the shutter removed: it will not damage it in any way. Before doing this you will, as I previously mentioned, want to make a note of the relative positions of the actuating rings, so that alignment for re-assembly is straightforward, since firing the body with the shutter out will disturb this. However as a fault finding operation it should be carried out to verify that the drive gears in the body, wind mechanism, mirror, rear capping plate, etc. are all functioning correctly and smoothly before introducing the shutter into the equation.
Having ensured that the body mechanisms are all OK, and that the separated shutter is functioning correctly, any delay in the mechanism firing is therefore highly likely to be the actuating mechanism for the shutter, so wind and release the body, paying attention to the shutter ring and the gears that drive this. These gears can be hard to see but are hidden inside a corner of the mirror box, and can *just* be accessed for cleaning and lubrication if you hold your head the right way and the moon is in the right phase. 😉 They're a beautifully machined set of bevel gears. (You either appreciate these little design features or not, I suppose. Having recently persuaded an SRT-101 back into life, which relies heavily on the use of pulleys and bits of string, I'm more fond than ever of the German approach to camera manufacture, as laudable a camera as the Minolta is).
After carrying out these basic checks, and cleaning and carefully lubricating the actuating rings (I use small amounts of superfine clock oil that will not creep into the shutter) and paying particular attention to any surfaces that have to slide as they release etc. your Contaflex should be working as new.
They can be fiddly little things but were beautifully made. Any issue encountered with them are usually only the result of a need for cleaning and lubrication and rarely wear or breakage so keep at it. Hope this info helps and keep me posted.
Cheers
Brett
