Recently I bought a Contax 137MA and a 139. Both cameras require the seals replacing throughout as the foam has turned to a sticky goo. I've ordered a light seal foam replacement kit from Interslice to repair them.
On the 139, there is a strip of foam just forward of the ground glass screen that damps the mirror when it flips up out of the way when the shutter is fired. On the 137, there is no foam in this position, it looks like there's a strip of black plastic tape there instead. This doesn't perform any cushioning function, and I'm wondering if this was applies to cover any perished sticky foam residue at some stage in the past.
Does anybody out there have a 137, can they tell me if there is a foam strip on their camera in front of the ground glass screen?