[Hallicrafters] S-76 --S Meter time constant problem?

[W3HKK at aol.com]

My  1950's vintage S-76 is being resurrected ...slowly.  One serious problem 
noted is the S-Meter will tend to get stuck on the left peg. After 
substantial banging, it returns to zero.  It happens this way: While tuning 
across the band quickly, large variations in signal strength  cause the meter 
to swing  wildly and  bounce against the left peg, where it quickly becomes 
stuck, even tho it is properly zeroed and calibrated.

My favorite  therory is that the time constant of the s-meter circuit has 
changed over time and now  the needly action is too fast.  Any suggestions on 
 which components to replace to test out this theory?  Has anyone come across 
this problem before?

Bob