lmc8

Hi QBers! I've been slowly dismantling my purchased Singer 319 that arrived in filthy condition (dust embedded in dried grease) and could never test if it worked because the foot controller was crudely severed from it's knee mechanism. The machine did turn smoothly by hand, therefore, initially I was just going to refurbish the foot pedal and motor and clean the exterior. Then I found the more piece parts I took off the filthier it got; so I decided to do a complete overhaul. Oh boy, it's been a month endeavor thus far full of joy and disappointment (weekday evenings and Saturday mornings only).

1st, I started with kerosene which released the dust and enough screws to remove about a quarter of the piece parts. 2nd, moved on to transmission fluid, which released screws to another quarter of the piece parts, and it removed the first layer of grime. 3rd, used Mean Green spray which dissolved the grime into liquid that easily soaked up with paper towels leaving nicely cleaned paint and chrome. 4th, applied Kroil oil to still stuck screws and used a punch stick & rubber mallet to release pins, which together worked nicely for all but a handful of parts. 5th, now I'm stuck on how to move forward with releasing the remaining underside parts: feed fork & rock crank connections, feed & hook driving shafts, and grease pot and feed dog mechanisms that function as the driving shaft end caps at the nose end of the machine and which I believe where my main issue is.

I understand the shafts are suppose to slide out towards the hand wheel side of the machine when all screws are removed (which they are, I think). The rock crank and collars slide along the shafts easily and I can slightly shift both shafts through the legs they are threaded through but the shafts won't release from the grease pot and feed dog mechanisms and the two eccentric sprockets won't release from their retaining bushings. At first I didn't realize their where screws sunk deep in the feet which was a delightful "ah ha" moment for me; oh but wait, removing those 3 screws didn't help, "grr".

Q1: Can I leave these underside parts as is; or would the fact that the shafts are stuck in their retaining parts hinder proper functioning once all parts are reinstalled? If so, is their a trick to removing the shafts?

Q2: Is the metal plate behind the hand wheel suppose to fall out? I would think it would for ease of reinstalling the cleated drive belt, but I've not been able to push it loose.

Q3: I am missing the long spring that stretches across the horizontal arm just under the top cover. What is it's purpose? Or is that only a part for the 306 models?

Q4: The motor carbon brushes are exactly 1/4 inch tall, should I replace them with new ones? If so where do you all purchase them from?

Any advice is appreciated!