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Replying to myself. Turns out the camera is fine, only I don't know it well enough! The f-stop scale shifts vertically based on the FD lens that is mounted on the camera. With FL lenses, there is no linkage to move that scale and it stays with f/4 just near the bottom red mark. I tried with FD lenses 50mm f/1.4, 28mm f/2.8 and 35-105mm f/3.5, and the scale adjusted to the minimum lens f-number at the bottom of the scale. With FL lenses, the scale stays at its lowest position, with 4 at the bottom. Incidentally, I got back my second EF body back from a CLA with the meter adjusted to use 1.5V and was able to compare both side by side. TIL!

I have a Canon EF SLR that I bought off ebay several years ago. I have shot a few rolls of film through it in the past and took it out today to shoot another one. However, I noticed that the aperture number scale on the right hand side of the view finder has apparently shifted down! The lowest number I see is 4 (just near the red strip at the bottom of the vertical scale). However, as shown in its instructions manual it should be 1.2. Anybody else experience similar thing? Other than that, the winder is creamy smooth and the camera seems to be working fine.

That is good to know. I wasn't aware of this nomenclature of stating time while describing speed. This was helpful. Thanks.

Thank you for explaining this! Learned a lot from your message. Currently I am doing a ball park check. 1 sec with a clock. 1/1000 by comparing the brightness I perceive, by pointing the camera with no lens to a bright light source or the sky, to the one I perceive using my FT that works reasonably well (based on films I shot with it). The 1 sec was easy to guess that it is fairly good, but the 1/1000 showed no light at all and a partial blink sometimes. So I knew it was wrong. From your message I understand that once the FTb passes the above two approximate tests, I will eventually need a way to verify the shutter curtain travels more accurately. Also, I opened the camera again and cleaned the shutter spindles again but that didn't help. What eventually helped was adjusting the curtain spring tensions. The 1/1000 is markedly improved! I still see brightness shading from start of travel to end of travel of curtains (looks like either first is faster, or the second is slower), so now the challenge is to set the tension to be equal in both the curtains.

Did you mean travel time instead of speed? With 36 mm being traveled in 14 ms, it gives the faster end of the curtain travel speed as 2.57 m/s. Did I interpret that correctly? Thanks.

Thank you. This is wonderful information to me.

Does somebody know how fast do the curtains travel in Canon FTb and in the A-1? Note that is not regarding the shutter speed for the camera, it is regarding the speed of each curtain as it moves from one side to another. Can't find this from the basic google search I did. Thanks.

John, Where do you get the black sticky felt from? And what specific one do you use? I have read about this in many online resources and would like to try it out. Does the felt have good spring action to function as a damper for the mirror slap? Thanks.

I have done what others have suggested above (but used Naphtha, not alcohol). For light seals, I use black wool yarn, both in the channels and also along the door hinge. Never had a light leak. Good luck.

Here is the photo I was referring to in my original post. The magenta arrow points to the location at the bottom of the slow speed link (?) and whether it needs some bushing to be present? I guess maybe not, since slow speeds seem to work fine.

The stop arm and the aperture needle sticking problem is solved. Opened up the mirror box and noticed the linkages on this side needed cleaning and oil. Now I am left with the 1/1000 shutter showing extreme capping, or the shutter are stuck together.

TL;DR: Cleaned slow speed governor, shutter spindles, speed linkages with naphtha, put extra tiny droplets on SSG, on ends of shutter spindles, but get severe capping at 1/1000. 1/500 seems fine. Did I not oil enough? Where do I apply lube, oil or grease, or what adjustment should I make to get 1/1000 working on my FTb? Long version: I have an FTb that I bought off ebay for cheap a while ago. Someone seems to have struggled with the speed selector pin screw and also with the winding crank. Having opened the top and bottom of Canon old SLRs in the past, I decided to take a look inside. Using various online helpful posts and resources, I ended up removing the meter rack assembly, shutter speed plate (not really needed to be removed, could have just disconnected the speed display string), the prism assembly, the CdS cell behind the focusing screen and under the eye piece, the leatherette, the stop down arm, unsoldered the green wires near the galvanometer and finally got the mirror box out. I used some naphtha for the slow speed governor assembly at the bottom, on shutter speed links, on curtain spindles, on the timer mechanism and also around the sides of the mirror box. I was very very sparing while applying oil on the slow speed governor and on the shutter speed links. Used a needle on a syringe dipped in oil. I could barely even see the droplet on the needle tip, it was that sparing. Anyhow, so far so good. Couple of things I noticed: 1. There apparently was no ND filter in front of the CdS cell. Is there supposed to be one? 2. The slow speed link (which I could post the photo I took here!!), was resting on the base at the bottom, no special bushing or housing or anything. Slow speeds work fine, 1 second is almost dead on, 1/2 as well, can't tell with 1/4 and 1/8. Is this correct that the link will just rest at the bottom without any busing to support it? 3. The following needle link seems to be not fully responsive to the stop down arm (?) on the side of the box. Put everything back together. All went well. The speed dial string was a bit fiddly and tricky. Good things: The timer that was sluggish to begin with is prompt and responsive. 1 sec speed is good. So is 1/2. However, some issues and questions: The 1/1000 shows severe capping: the curtains travel, but I do not see any light when viewing from behind with no lens attached. Maybe a blink once or twice, but usually nothing. How do I fix the capping? Do I need to apply more oil after the naphtha cleaning? The following needle needs "coaxing" to follow the stop down arm. Almost like it is getting some friction or the spring lacks tension. How do fix this? Lacking grease on the side of the mirror box? Thanks!