We’ll done and good to see another M will survive. You can tell before disassembling if the old plastic welds are an issue as the sounds and feel of the keys differ. I also used small self tapping screws for the bottom row to avoid case interferences. Only difference with my hardware was the inclusion of flat washers on the nut side. Barrel plate cracking is another common issue and many people buy new ones. With my Square Badge from ‘86, I successfully repaired it with multiple solder iron melts all along the crack. It’s still performing well.
We’ll done and good to see another M will survive. You can tell before disassembling if the old plastic welds are an issue as the sounds and feel of the keys differ. I also used small self tapping screws for the bottom row to avoid case interferences. Only difference with my hardware was the inclusion of flat washers on the nut side. Barrel plate cracking is another common issue and many people buy new ones. With my Square Badge from ‘86, I successfully repaired it with multiple solder iron melts all along the crack. It’s still performing well.
Washers are not a bad idea, I think you'd have to go with 10mm screws at that point?
I feel washers even out the torque and reduce stress on the barrel plate. Washers I used (2.2 mm ID, .3mm D) worked well with the M8 8mm cap screws.
It's really strengthened the board but still not as ridgid as a Model F. :)