Ready the Back

The two thin metal ridges that run along the top and bottom of the camera prevent the film back from sitting flush. You have a few choices. You can grind one of the ridges off or file the edge of the film back to fit.

I chose to grind the top ridge off. Because eventually the original left back door will be replaced, you need to figure out how far back you should cut.

With an empty film pack still inside, open the film door so that it is flush with the film plane. Measure this width.

This happens to be 1.75 inches.

Measure from the left edge of the film plane to where you will end your ridge cut.

Grind or cut off the ridge to this newly measured point. While you are at it, the 160 has some extra metal sticking up around the film plane, grind those flat as well. Try not to grind off the 8 rivets.

Now you may place the film back onto the camera body. With a film mask still in, line up the camera body film gate with the film mask's edges.

Remove the film mask from the back, and notice that on the right side there is a gap typically covered by the film mask. You need to get this light tight.

I chose to use Bondo to fill in this edge. This extended the edge to cover that gap.

Another choice is to cover and seal this edge with a piece of metal plate.

Check the angle of the cut and your Bondo by opening the clasp and making sure it doesn't hit anywhere

continue >>

If you get lost at anytime, you can always click the link at the bottom of the page to come back here.

Information …

The Models

These are the models I have personal experience with and are used within this site.