abu garcia record no. 60 rebuild

[alantani]

pull up the schematic and follow along with me....

http://mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/schematic.php?url=Ambassadeur,%20Cardinal/Ambassadeur%20Record%2060%2015%2000.pdf


every once in a while i get something new. that was the case here. this box arrived from alaska. hmmmm, carbon matrix drags? i wonder what this is all about?

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0608.JPG

i pulled it out of the box and the first thing i noticed was the weight. it's heavy! much heavier that a normal ambassaduer. i ran into the house and grabbed my camera. i've done an ambassaduer post already, but i knew this one would be different.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0609.JPG

this one had a very nice live bait handle. the levelwind assembly is basically the same as all the other ambassaduers. i fix alot of penn levewind assemblies, but not many abu's.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0610.JPG

the spool design was interesting as well. i'm not quite sure why it would be beveled like this.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0611.JPG

the left side plate should not be removed. just back out one left side plate screw (key #199) at a time, grease the hole, zip the screw back in, and move on to the next one.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0613.JPG

back out the three right side plate screws (no key #), remove the right side plate assembly and the spool.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0614.JPG

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0615.JPG

add a little corrosion x to the left side plate bearing (key #5230), the idler gear (key #1117079), the worm gear (key #5205), and the click plate assembly (key #12642).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0616.JPG

now for the spool. remove the spool shaft (key #1117122).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0617.JPG

lube the right spool bearing.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0618.JPG

pull the white nylon sprocket gear (key #23403) and lube the left spool bearing (key #19843).... HEY, WHAT'S THIS!!!!!! SOME CHEAPSKATE PUT A BRASS BUSHING INSIDE INSTEAD OF A BEARING!!!!!! WHAT A BUNCH OF CROOKS!!!!! well, i guess i shouldn't say that because i don't really know for sure. it could have been an honest mistake, or they could have intended it to be that way, it which case, it might still be an honest mistake (right?).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0619.JPG

i have whole box full of extra bearings, so i'll just switch it out and lube this bearing with corrosion x as well.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0620.JPG

and back into the frame it goes.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0621.JPG

now for the right side plate. remove the set screw (key #14868) and retaining collar (key #20944).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0622.JPG

remove the handle nut (key #5327).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0623.JPG

remove the c - clip.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0624.JPG

remove the handle (key #1117097), the spring (key #5115), the star (key #1117091) and both spring washers (key #5131) and line everything up.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0626.JPG

remove both bridge screws (key #13369).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0627.JPG

separate the right side plate cover (key #1117131) from the baseplate assembly.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0628.JPG

line up all the components of the gear cluster. interesting, it looks like ambassaduer has switched over to dry carbon fiber drag washers (key #1116906) inside the gear and a hard fiber washer (key #13169) underneath the gear.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0629.JPG

i'm going to substitute a penn ht-100 drag washer for the hard fiber washer (key #13169).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0630.JPG

this penn washer is a penn ht-100 #6-965. this washer has been cut down from 24mm down to 15-17mm. it fits nicely under the gears of the ambassaduers and the smaller shimano bait casters.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0631.JPG

because this penn washer is thicker than the stock ambassaduer fiber washer, it is necessary to remove the small brass thrust washer (key #5189) underneath the gear sleeve (key #22079). i am quite certain that these carbon fiber drag washers will have the same high failure rate as penn ht-100's following water or oil intrusion. i highly recommend a thick coat of shimano drag grease and then rebuild the drag stack.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0632.JPG

pull the anti-reverse roller bearing sleeve (key #22001).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0633.JPG

install it on the gear sleeve with a little grease (they get stuck easily).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0634.JPG

grease the bridge screw holes.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0635.JPG

grease the side plate screws (no key #).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0636.JPG

lube the right side plate bearing (key #5230) with corrosion x.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0637.JPG

slide the right side plate cover (key #1117131) straight down on top of the base plate assembly and install the two bridge screws (key #13369).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0638.JPG

hold the thumb bar in the "up" position and the right side plate assembly should match up perfectly with the frame.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0639.JPG

zip down the frame screws until they seat, then cinch then down a little extra until they are snug. use good mechanical judgement and don't snap off any heads.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0640.JPG

install the spring washers (key #5131) in the "()" position.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0641.JPG

install the star (key #1117091) and the spring (key #5115) with a little grease.

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0642.JPG

install the handle (key #1117097) and c-clip (key#4490).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0643.JPG

add a little grease and install the handle nut (key #20944).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0644.JPG

install the handle nut collar (key #20944) and set screw (key #14868).

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0645.JPG

clean off the excess grease and you're done!

http://www.yourfishpictures.com/data/500/medium/102_0646.JPG

[jet]

awesome post. How about the report? compared to other Abu reels how does this new one stack up?

Jet~~~

[alantani]

hard to say. the other abu's are dirt cheap. this reel is $140, but it's got alot more heft to it. the carbon fiber drags are an improvement, but i think that these new carbon drag washers are now available in ALL the new abu's being sold now. WHERE WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THAT?????? otherwise, the side plate guts are the same, and the level wind assembly is the same. oh, and it has more bearings. well, NOW it has more bearings.

the deal is this. i really like the old ambassaduers. yes, i change out all the drags to carbon fiber and i grease them, but i really like the older reels. this new one is nice as well. and i personally don't mind the price increase. it's just that i don't see the need to go to this heavier reel when the lighter one will do the job.

[reelmeister]

Nice job as always Alan, but there are a couple of things worth mentioning:

1. The bushing on the spool is correct, in this reel is specifies just the one bearing so yours was not out of spec;

2. It is worth taking apart the palm side plate. The clicker mechanism should be serviced, as well as the (2) bearings. One resides under the idler gear, and it should be popped off to service that bearing.

Interestingly, this line of reels incorporate common modifications done by individuals and shops such as ours, specifically the new bearing under the idler gear and the carbon drags. Fortunately there is still room for improvement as you can kit these reels out with additional levelwind bearings should the desire for all out performance be there. A nice set up from one of our favorite companies.

Al

[alantani]

thanks for the info, al. i can find schematics but i can't find a parts list anywhere. and during the write up, i saw the idler gear bearing in the schematic. this was well after i had shipped the reel back to it's owner.

i had figured that a bushing belonged in the left side of the spool, but i could not figure out why they would not put a bearing in. other that saving money, do you know of a particular reason? i hope you can understand my surprise. i really thought it was pretty cheesey!

lastly, i always have to remember my own limitations. i'm a boat guy. if i want to drop a bait down in a particular spot, i drive over to it. the only time i cast is on my long range trips. long distance beach casting would be the perfect application for this reel. but with all those bearings, it would be tough to maintain!

thanks! alan

[tracker]

Impressive write up! Good photography! I just bought one of those for catching bass and such. Have yet to get it wet though. Looking for the weather to get better!