[ithacaartist]

Marty,

Sometimes the takedown bolt is difficult to reinstall, as it needs to compress the little spring to remain lined up with the hole on the right side of the frame. If the spring and lever came out without your efforts, then I suspect the little spring is broken, It should be "L" shaped, with a bow along the longer leg. The short leg goes into the little vertical hole in the frame, below it, and the longer leg should snuggle down into the slot in which it belongs. Ordinarily, these parts remain in place for field stripping, there's no need to take them out unless you're doing a detailed cleaning beneath. Search the site for a pic of the spring and further discussion about its installation, which should turn up in previous threads.