Sadly to say I will have to buy a new tension assembly for this machine. The part where the screw goes in is cracked, probably why the previous owner couldn't get the tension to work correctly. Other than this little problem the machine is in fantastic shape and for $5 the cost of a new assembly won't break the bank. For anyone else having trouble getting the thing back together when it flies apart I found this tutorial.
http://mysewingmachineobsession.blog...sembly_11.html