[Leica] Help me ressurect my grandfathers Leica

[Garett Sohl <sohl@beet.eng.uci.edu>]

This christmas, my family gave me an old Leica that was
my grandfathers. It had been sitting in the proverbial
closet for quite some time. As an amateur photographer
I'm excited about resurrecting this old beauty and
shooting with it. It is quite different from my 
EOS gear (as you would imagine), and I have some
questions...but first about the camera.

After a bit of research, I've determined that it is
a 1938 Leica IIIb, serial number 265029. It has the
50mm Summar lens. The leatherette cover has been 
completely removed, but otherwise it seems to be
in OK condition. The slow shutter speeds do not
work very well (slower than 1/4 sec are very 
unreliable), but I understand that is a common problem.
The shutter speed dial also fails to seat properly
when the fastest speed (1/1000 sec) is selected. 
The viewfinder is not very bright, but it is OK
and the rangefinder is also OK. The lens has seen
better days, but it's a lens. The curtain seems to
be OK, but I haven't shot any rolls yet...

Other strange items which were found with the camera
include some flash items: a cylindrical object which
I assume took flash bulbs of some kind and a folding
parabolic reflector which connects to it (both made
by leica). There was also a geiss kontakt flash sync
and a beautiful Leica cable release.

Now I have some questions and would appreciate any
help or pointers you could provide.

I'm a bit unclear on the correct way to use the
Geiss Kontakt flash sync...I understand how it
connects to the camera, but what shutter speeds
do I use? Any tips on an economical flash unit
which can be triggered with this device? Am i
correct in assuming that the flash tube and
reflector are not usable since it isn't possible
to find bulbs and batteries?

Any tips on repairing the slow shutter speeds?
Is it really necessary? I guess I'm asking if
the slow speed failures are a sign of a bigger
problem or if I can ignore them for now and
use faster speeds with confidence...
I live in the Los Angeles/Orange County area.

Any hope of replacing the leatherette cover? I
know that it is purely cosmetic and it actually
looks kinda cool without the leather, but I was
just wondering...

Also, could someone give me an estimate of the
value of the camera? I do not plan
to sell it, but I was curious.

Any other tips or pitfalls to avoid for a
amateur photographer who has never used a
rangefinder?

Thanks in advance,

Garett Sohl
sohl@beet.eng.uci.edu