I just received an Ansco 5x7 which is worse off than I thought it was when I bought it. It's battleship grey with a built-in extension rail and front tilt, but the non-moveable tripod block. One of the racks (actually the strip of wood it's screwed to) will lift directly off the front rail. All the knobs will need washers to tighten them. It will need a new bellows, as the one it came it is not long enough to use the extension rail and the height of the first pleat prevents the use of the tilt. The rise lock does not work. The strip of metal depressed by a screw to hold the built-in extension in place does not do so. The gears for the front and rear standards slip quite a bit. While I've got it disassembled I figure I may as well strip the paint and either varnish it or repaint it?

Any tips for a guy with only basic shop experience to go about this? I'd rather not spend a ton of money to have someone else fix it when I could have bought one in good working order to begin with (which I thought it was).

- Justin