How do you adjust the focus track height on 8x10 Kodak 2D Rails?

[Jay Decker]

Purchased a new rail set my camera and the geared focus tracks are deeper than the old tracks. So, the gears on the front and rear standards don't engage. Anyone know how to adjust this?

Thanks,

Jay

[Jim C.]

You'll have to put plastic or cardboard shims underneath the focus racks to bring the low ones even with the
ones that do engage properly.

[Jay Decker]

You'll have to put plastic or cardboard shims underneath the focus racks to bring the low ones even with the
ones that do engage properly.

Great. How do you get the old tracks out?

[Jim C.]

The racks are nailed into the grooves of the rails, I recall there are three brads per side, the wire brad heads are sunk below
the gear teeth so there's no way to access the brad head, what I did was use a jewelers slot screw driver and a
small long flat tool, and pry carefully on both ends of the rack with the jewelers screw driver, a little at a time, then push the racks back in,
the brads should be accessible with a needle nose plier to pull out, age is to your benefit since the brads don't hold nearly
as well as they did years ago, the center brad use the long thin flat tool, same deal pry it up and push in down till you
can grab the brad head, if you can get the tool close to the center brad you can pry it up in one shot with no risk of bending the
the rack. You don't want to bend the rack ! :)
Save the brads if they're in good shape, it's impossible to find similar ones nowadays.

For shims you can use a combo of card stock and sheet styrene from hobby stores to build up thickness
the sheet styrene comes really thin and it's easy to cut strips with an hobby knife.