A project for Nikon F3 and FM2 camera owners...

[DocChris]

1983 F3 HP
Serial 1647xxx
Code N3VK

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Got it. November 1983.

-J

 

[mmerig]

Nikon F3 HP

Serial: 1348XXX

Code: 61VA

 

[John_Nikon_F]

^June 1981. I'm guessing early June.

-J

 

[vsyrek1945]

Just received an FM2 in a ShopGoodwill "Parts/Repair" lot - S/N 7058xxx, Date Code 82KC (August, 1982)

Other than missing paint at the film door edge, the only "defect" it has is a missing rewind crank; a replacement knob assembly with crank is on its way from Pro Camera Repair (Funny thing, the knob assembly costs less than the individual crank and pin. Go figure...)

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Nice score. Probably easier for them to just sell the whole thing, than to slide the pin out, remove the crank handle, then package things separately, so it winds up being cheaper to buy the whole thing.

-J

 

[vsyrek1945]

Just received an FM2 in a ShopGoodwill "Parts/Repair" lot - S/N 7058xxx, Date Code 82KC (August, 1982)

Other than missing paint at the film door edge, the only "defect" it has is a missing rewind crank; a replacement knob assembly with crank is on its way from Pro Camera Repair (Funny thing, the knob assembly costs less than the individual crank and pin. Go figure...)

Nice score. Probably easier for them to just sell the whole thing, than to slide the pin out, remove the crank handle, then package things separately, so it winds up being cheaper to buy the whole thing.

-J

The replacement knob assembly came in today's mail, and I quickly learned why its price was so low: it's a soft plastic molded knockoff with stamped sheet metal crank handle and spring tension plate screwed into bosses on the knob's underside (Checking back on the Pro Camera Repair web page, I took new notice of the word "Manufactured" for the FM2 rewind knob assembly). The tension was strong enough that my first attempt to unfold the crank resulted in my ripping the crank out of the knob! Pressing the deformed plastic back into shape and setting it with a bit of ACC took care of that. But then, I found the knob molding itself isn't a close match for the original, leaving the knob sitting a few thousanths of an inch higher than the original. Removing the washer under the original knob before tightening down the replacement wasn't the answer, either, as then the knob wouldn't sit flush on its seat. Things weren't looking good for this repair.

Then I came across a jammed but complete FE2 body I got in a long ago ShopGoodwill lot and set aside to eBay someday. The "manufactured" knob was a better fit on the FE2 than the FM2, although the FE2's original knob matches the FM2's, but I found that even had I bought the individual rewind crank and pin from Pro Camera Repair, I'd still be lacking the tension spring that holds the crank either folded or extended.

Thus, FM2 7058xxx, built in August, 1982 is now complete and ready for me to expose some film with it - meter testing with fresh 357s and shutter dry-firing across its speed range went well; I also gained a bit nore insight into the vagaries of "Parts/Repair" . . .

 

[anfenglin]

To revive an old thread:
I‘m now adding my F3/T, serial T 8510979, code 38TC, built in March 1988.

 

[flatulent1]

FM2N

serial 7727
code 32BC

I'll let you know about the F3 when I finally get around to finishing that roll of Tri-X that's been languishing in it since last summer.

edit:
Damn, I just saw how old this thread is. Are you still interested in the info?

 

[vsyrek1945]

I know the original project covered FM2 and F3 cameras, but I recently discovered the date code in a late model FE acquired in a summer 2017 Goodwill auction. The serial number began with 4404, and the date code indicated manufacture in 1982 . . .