My Most Modified Reel 2024

Josh Smith reply :

Here are some detailed pics of my slow reel, the 23IPT '60s Ambassadeur 5000. (Modding a modern 5500c3 etc is similar, but just a little less involved.)

I thought some here might enjoy them.

Left side of the reel

Under the cap

The bearing that replaced the bushing; the right side is similar.

Lightened worm gear drive cog

Left side of the stainless frame

Polished worm gear

The removed levelwind assembly showing the polish and the bearings which replace the plastic bushings

Right side plate

Right side, handle and screw removed

Polished drag spring washers; two for increased drag range adjustment

Crank bearing which replaces the stock crank bushing. It cleans up slop and makes things smoother overall.

Fast gears, drag washer and crank bearing stack on the driveshaft

Fast gears, drag washer, crank bearing, driveshaft, disassembled. Carbontex drag clutches.

Fun stuff!

Regards,

Josh

Edited: Thank you, Catch and Grease. Apparently I need to go back to Kindergarten for a bit.

Alonerankin2 reply :

Reel looks immaculate. Upgrades are sweet.

Nice work, what's the age on this reel?

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/2/2014 at 3:42 AM, Alonerankin2 said:

Reel looks immaculate. Upgrades are sweet.

Nice work, what's the age on this reel?

It's from around 1965, I believe. I swapped the frame so I'm not 100% on that. The stock frame's foot number is 332804 and is a four-screw.

It was an eBay special, and it looks like someone used a pliers or something on the thumb screws at one point. See those scratches? They're not honest wear. Honest wear is good; scratches from the wrong tools is not.

Mostly these thing just need cleaned and lubed before modding. Even the worst ones can usually be salvaged, I've found. The worst one I have here was used extensively in salt water, and it doesn't look too bad.

Josh

aavery2 reply :

Nice reel and upgrades, does it have the dual bearing idler gear upgrade?

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/2/2014 at 10:48 AM, aavery2 said:
Nice reel and upgrades, does it have the dual bearing idler gear upgrade?

Whoa! I missed posting that pic.

They usually have no bearings. I put one in:

There's not room enough for two in these reels. I have to thin the idler out to make it fit as is, and one is plenty to support it. Nothing but the bearing touches the post.

I do need to get dual-bearing conversions for the 5500c3 and 5600 Mag, though. Or, I can modify the single bearing idlers I put in there if I can find just the bearings. We'll see come teardown time.

Josh

aavery2 reply :

Nice, check out this link, I think you will be interested.

http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/dual-ball-bearing-idler-gear-p-113638.html

Goose52 reply :

I have a two-bearing 5152 cogwheel in my 1500C - no lightening. The ultimate cogwheel has to be this one - two bearings AND radically lightened: Avail Cogwheel

Catch and Grease reply :

Does your reel have two left sides???

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/2/2014 at 9:32 PM, Catch and Grease said:
Does your reel have two left sides???

You'd think so, heh?

Fixed. Thanks for the catch.

Josh

Jaderose reply :

WOW!!!! Beautiful. Terrific work

aavery2 reply :

On 11/2/2014 at 9:25 PM, Goose52 said:
I have a two-bearing 5152 cogwheel in my 1500C - no lightening. The ultimate cogwheel has to be this one - two bearings AND radically lightened: Avail Cogwheel

I seen those, they are cool, but I think if it were me I would do like you and go with the 5152.

Goose52 reply :

On 11/3/2014 at 10:56 AM, aavery2 said:
I seen those, they are cool, but I think if it were me I would do like you and go with the 5152.

I don't know...that Avail part might give another 2 or 3 feet casting distance...

OkobojiEagle reply :

A number of years ago I attempted to upgrade several versions of my 4601c reels with bearing supported cog gears. Along the timeline Abu changed either the spool gear or worm gear slightly as some of the reels accepted the new cog gear and a couple did not. The cog gears I got (Japanese) were built some with a snap fit, some with a c-clip. The snap fit needed to have the "snap top" ground off and c-clip used to work well.

J Francho reply :

Nice. Needs a cleaning though.

Here's a Wiffle Spool that I upgraded with high speed gears, Carbontex drags, double bearing supported worm gear, ceramic pawl, hybrid bearings, and a Winch handle.

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/4/2014 at 4:35 AM, J Francho said:

Nice. Needs a cleaning though.

Here's a Wiffle Spool that I upgraded with high speed gears, Carbontex drags, double bearing supported worm gear, ceramic pawl, hybrid bearings, and a Winch handle.

Nice! Yep, mind need cleaned badly.

On that ceramic pawl -- do you find it makes a lot of difference in anything? I've been going back and forth with myself on trying one. They weren't out (so far as I know) when I was a teenager messing with these things. Neither were these Carbontex drags, and I love 'em!

In my experience in other fields, I find that ceramics either work really great or fail miserably. My biggest concern is that they're relatively low-priced for reels, and in my limited experience, low-price ceramics that take the place of steel snap easily.

What do you think of that ceramic pawl? Would you recommend it, and if so, why?

Thanks,

Josh

J Francho reply :

Don't bother with it unless both ends if the worm gear are bearing supported. Otherwise, nothing is smoother than a new worm and pawl, after some break in.

J Francho reply :

And I might be wrong about putting hi speed gears in that reel. It's been three years since that build. I think I pulled the gears from that, and put them in a 1500 or 2500? And put slow gears in. My memory is fading. I wish I had a pick with the spool in. The shallow whiffle spool is a work of art.

Josh Smith reply :

Hi Folks,

I was sent some ABEC-5 Boca spool bearings for this reel by someone here.

Simply amazing.

I'm in the middle of a move at this point, but I found time to install them and test cast the reel.

With the Boca ABEC-5 bearings, the cast was much, much further than the 5000c bearings I used. Went past the 40 yard line on the pistol/bow range and into the woods.

Now I'm looking at Boca Ceramic Bearings for my 5500c3 and likely the rest of the reels!

Thank you to this gent for feeding my addiction.

Josh

J Francho reply :

Try the ABEC 7 Ceramic Hybrids from Hawgtech or Smooth Drags. Way more bang for the buck than Boca. Quality is no different.

aavery2 reply :

This thread made me want to modify an old 5000, so I got a nice one from a friend and did some work on it. I did all the normal stuff, bearing cog wheel, dual bearing level wind, replaced the bushings on the spool with bearings, replaced the crankshaft bushing with a bearing and upgraded the drag washers to carbon tex. I also replaced the stock handle with this 100mm carbon fiber job. I polished, oiled and cleaned everthing, took it outside and made a few casts with a 3/8oz weight on 12lb test P-line CX, and it blew my mind how smooth and how far this thing was capable of. The rod I was using is an old St.Croix 6'6" Pro Glass MH/M. Anyway if anyone else is sitting on the fence about these mods, I highly recommend them.

OkobojiEagle reply :

In your opinion... would "super tuning" these reels (polishing friction points) benefit these reels?

aavery2 reply :

On 11/15/2014 at 6:09 AM, OkobojiEagle said:

In your opinion... would "super tuning" these reels (polishing friction points) benefit these reels?

oe

Polishing the inside of the pinion, and the ends of the spool shaft seem to help. There are also some places that you could play with polishing to help with a smoother and more positive engagement. Short answer, Yes.

oldschoolbasser reply :

My most modified reel is a Violet 4500C with every bearing upgrade available, and a lightweight spool,and frame. Mods include a ceramic pawl, a skeletized line guide,Avail dual bearing cog wheel,spool,and star drag wheel. Dual bearing worm gear,bearing supported drive shaft, and drive shaft bearing. Finished off with a Composite Studios swept handle with matching accents. All friction points have been polished for extra smoothness. One of my favorite builds. Can't upload pictures of the frame and drive shaft as I can't get the file small enough to upload. The drive shaft has a bearing on the bottom,while the frame is 39% lighter than a stock frame.

aavery2 reply :

Nice, that's a good looking reel.

J Francho reply :

Quote

a skeletized line guide

I love this, can you provide more detail?

oldschoolbasser reply :

J Franco, all the excess material was removed from the line guide to make it lighter. Less weight makes it moves easier. Same as with the cog wheel. My friend in Australia makes these parts along with the bearing supported drive shafts. He has also manufactured a dual bearing worm gear for the 1500-2500C Series Ambassadeurs. That's why I love using my Ambassadeurs, easily upgradable, indestructible, and just fun to fish with!

oldschoolbasser reply :

I Francho, sorry about the misspell,my mistake! I also have a 2500C with 6:1 gears in it. There are so many new upgraded parts for these reel, it's unbelievable. Abuholics are a community of fisherman trying to keep the brand relevant,and also taking our reels to the extreme. As long as parts are available, we will continue to build reels for our fishing pleasure. Sure, there are newer, smoother, better casting reels out there, but that's not what it's all about. It's about continuing a tradition started over 50 years ago,we're just keeping that tradition alive.

J Francho reply :

I get the low mass deal, what I was wondering was the how, or where the parts came from. Your friend have a business, or resale? Just curious - you can PM me if you'd prefer.

Goose52 reply :

On 11/17/2014 at 11:25 PM, oldschoolbasser said:
J Franco, all the excess material was removed from the line guide to make it lighter. Less weight makes it moves easier. Same as with the cog wheel. My friend in Australia makes these parts along with the bearing supported drive shafts. He has also manufactured a dual bearing worm gear for the 1500-2500C Series Ambassadeurs. That's why I love using my Ambassadeurs, easily upgradable, indestructible, and just fun to fish with!

Nifty reel indeed!

Is the gentleman in Australia in the business of supplying those parts - or is it only a hobby endeavor? I am espescially interested in 1500/2500 stuff...

J Francho reply :

No sweat about the name, lol. It's actually "Franchot", and the T is not silent. Most call me, "Frayn -koh" anyway. I'll have to look up the Abuholics.

oldschoolbasser reply :

His name is Tom Taiton,he's on FB. You can contact him there,or you can PM me for more info. His parts are top shelf, very well made. He builds some insane reels,and is one of the few tuners out there who is always willing to help others out.

oldschoolbasser reply :

The FB group is We Who Loves The Abu Ambassadeur. Guys from all over the world sharing their reels, and passion for all things Ambassadeur. Check it out,you'll be amazed at what you can do with an old Ambassadeur

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/17/2014 at 11:44 PM, oldschoolbasser said:
The FB group is We Who Loves The Abu Ambassadeur. Guys from all over the world sharing their reels, and passion for all things Ambassadeur. Check it out,you'll be amazed at what you can do with an old Ambassadeur

Thanks for posting this! I've been busy and unable to participate as much as I'd have liked this past week or two, and am just now catching up.

Those are beautiful reels (yours, J.F.'s, and aavery's), and I've joined the FB group you recommended to J.F.

Josh

oldschoolbasser reply :

You'll enjoy it Josh as there are some tricked out reels! Plenty of new ideas, and people sharing their reels. From serious collectors to weekend fisherman, everyone is welcomed there.

oldschoolbasser reply :

Goose52, yes he has a business that sells these parts, and you can contact him through FB,or myself. I believe he also makes bearing supported drive shafts,and skeletized line guides for the 1500-2500C Series reels, both standard and IAR.

oldschoolbasser reply :

Just a few more

Goose52 reply :

On 11/18/2014 at 1:33 AM, oldschoolbasser said:
Goose52, yes he has a business that sells these parts, and you can contact him through FB,or myself. I believe he also makes bearing supported drive shafts,and skeletized line guides for the 1500-2500C Series reels, both standard and IAR.

Thanks - I checked out his page on FB, plus the FB group you mentioned, plus the "Ambassadeur Room" page. Lots of neat stuff. I saw some photos of his lightened line guide, the bearing-supported driveshaft, and the lightened cog wheels. I guess he doesn't have a web site with product displayed.

Anyway - I would be interested in availability of parts for 1500/2500 (non-IAR) - the driveshaft, line guide, etc. if you can pass that along. I have a feeling though that the prices might be more than I paid for the entire reel !!

Josh Smith reply :

On 11/18/2014 at 1:49 AM, oldschoolbasser said:
Just a few more

Very pretty. I've never owned smaller than a 5000. What advantages do the smaller reels have?

I do have a 3000, I guess, but it's not in good shape and I'm not sure I like the design. No frame to speak of.

Josh

Goose52 reply :

On 11/18/2014 at 11:56 AM, Josh Smith said:

Very pretty. I've never owned smaller than a 5000. What advantages do the smaller reels have?

I do have a 3000, I guess, but it's not in good shape and I'm not sure I like the design. No frame to speak of.

Josh

The 1500/2500 size reels are easier to palm, a bit lighter, and hold all the line you need for bass fishing up to about 14lb test (on the 2500). Lots of tuning parts available for folks that like to tinker. I have a 5000 but hardly ever use it - perhaps I would if I needed the line capacity with higher lb test lines but I rarely fish that heavier line.

This is a 9 bearing (for now) 1500 - dual-bearing cog wheel, single-bearing on worm shaft, four-bearing Revo S handle, carbontex drag. It holds all the 10 lb line that I can use.

0119 reply :

I enjoy that pic everytime you post it! Great idea, the first gen. Revo S handle.....

Goose52 reply :

On 11/18/2014 at 8:31 PM, 119 said:
I enjoy that pic everytime you post it! Great idea, the first gen. Revo S handle.....

Thanks! I bought the 1500 on eBay and it came with a non-stock, broken handle. To initially fish the reel, I pulled the handle off my Revo S and put it on the 1500 and liked it right away so I ordered another Revo handle for the 1500.

Not the lightest handle...but it's "in the family" and the color matches very well with the 1500 sideplates. AND, an inexpensive addition - a 4-bearing handle for about $20.

2995

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