Also, should there be washers between the P-83 and the outside of the shell?

See pics:

I've only seen small round,thin flat washers between the strainer and shell on some Ludwig metal drums from the period. Don't usually see them on that era Acrolite across the board though. It is usually done for clearance between the strainer and the hoops. I have had success straightening those arms. Can do it right on the drum. Just put something behind the lower part of the arm and the shell. Just sturdy enough to give you stability while grabbing the arm up a little higher and bending back in place. I use a set of needle nose pliers with a rag to protect the finish on the arm. That one appears to be bent pretty well. Still may look a little funky when done. Just be easy and don't scratch the shell or torque the strainer too much. That aluminum shell will bend if not careful.

That's a great snare drum but one thought.... As Mike points out, the washers were used to increase the clearance between strainer and hoop, so I'm thinking that someone might have bent the arm out of frustration because the throw didn't really work because it rubbed up against the hoop. I had an acro like this.

And as the original poster said, it works well, so I say leave as is.

+1. I also thought that it may have been bent that way for a utility purpose. Previous owner may have played music that required turning the snares on and off quite often.

Thanks for the replies. I had a feeling that I might hear the recommendation of leaving it alone if it functions well. Unfortunately for me I've never been one to leave well enough alone. Although, it's excellent advice.

Had I noticed the bend I wouldn't have bought the drum, certainly not for the price I paid. I had already purchased Ludwig heads and snare cord to bring it back to it's original look. Then it showed up with this wonky throw-off lever. Bummer.

Is it possible to tell if the tension rods and hoops are original?

I would say, take it off, straighten it back to stock, no risk to shell damage by taking it off. it will be a little weaker after two bends? if you chose to leave it in that outword condition, you run the risk of it being snagged and bent into a compound angle, more problems.

Yes, take it off the drum, clamp the inside between two blocks and bend it to where you want it. Wrap flat pliers with a cloth.

As mentioned, that`s soft steel and may fatigue to the breaking point if you play with it while bending.

Yep, I my plan was to take it off the shell. I've also noticed that back when this strainer was available for purchase, they sold most of the pieces separately. Therefore it's possible to take it apart. It looks like the lever is held on by a couple e-clips. I will likely disassemble it so that I can work only the lever and not inadvertently put pressure on the rest of the mechanism.

If you don't want to pay a boat load for an entire strainer, I would recommend going to Nick Hopkin and picking up only the arm. I had one also bent to all get out and I got a replacement arm from Nick. For about $7.00 US + ~ $7 Shipping you get the new arm and they are easy to dismantle and replace. I believe that the P85 and P83 lever arm are interchangeable. I defer to our Guru Mike Layton on that one. In any event, here is a link to Nick's page as he has them in stock.

http://www.nickhopkindrums.com/ludwig-p85-lever.html