oldschoolbasser

The Reel Mechanic has passed away,he was a good friend of mine. As for removing stuck bearings use a jewelers screwdriver and push it out through the opposite side. As for the levelwind, there are 2 prongs located at the top and bottom that pop out using a small screwdriver.They snap back in when you put it back together. When you're ready to put the reel back together sand the outer casings of the bearings so they don't fit so snugly. Also try to keep excess grease off the bearing when you put the pinion gear back in as it will affect the bearings speed. Also check the position of the pinion yoke,the slanted side should be on the bottom facing away from the gear. Any other questions, please feel free to ask. P.S. for some reason the post says plaster of paris! It should be there are 2 prongs at the top and bottom of the worm gear collar that you can pop out with a screw driver

Hedgehog Studios has lightweight spools for all the major manufacturers. Or you can try Avail JP directly.

Collecting,restoring,and customizing Ambassadeur reels.I also enjoy shooting pool,target shooting,and visiting archeological & geological sites in Arizona & New Mexico.Native American History,collecting knives,and of course BASS FISHING!!!!

It's an old Garcia Conolan rod.Probably fiberglass.

I use a dental pick,but you can also use a knitting needle,or any tool with a small hook on the end.

Hey George,your problem might be too much oil on the bearings,or grease on them.You might want to soak the bearings in lighter fluid to get all the dirt out.Let them air dry,or blow them out with compressed air.Add just 1 small drop of oil to each bearing,and see if that makes a difference.I only put grease on the pinion gear,and a small amount on the worm gear.I add a smalldrop of oil on each post holding the pinion gear yoke, a drop on the cog wheel post, a dropon the worm gear collar,and a drop under the spool release arms. Hope this helps.If you have any more questions,email me at jchinsr@gmail.com.Regards,Oldschool

I would be more than happy to help you upgrade your reel.Just tell me what you want to do to it,and we can go from there.You can reach me at jchinsr@gmail.com.Regards Oldschool.

I picked up 4 carbon fiber handles from Mike's Reel Repair on Ebay.They are about an inch longer than the standard Ambassadeur handles,and each knob is supported by 2 bearings.

I just ordered some Ambassadeur parts( suprised huh?) from Purefishing today,and with every order of $50 or more,you get a 20% discount.Even though some of my reels are over 30yrs old,they still have a large selection of parts for my reels,and parts from newer reels are interchangable with the older models.If you can order parts from the manufacturer,I would definitely try that route first.

I've dealt with Mike before,and have always gotten what I've ordered.I usually go through southwestern parts,or Purefishing directly.All these sites have reel schematics,but Purefishing,and Southwestern parts have the largest inventoryof parts.Prices don't vary much from one to the other.I only buy Ambassadeur parts so I don't know about the other manufactures.If you can't find an Ambassadeur part let me know,and I'll try to find it for you.The Purefishing # is (800) 228-4272.

Hey everyone.Sorry I haven't posted any new reels lately,but work's killing me,and I haven't had much free time to spend online.I have finished a few more reels,and as soon as I can get my new camera figured out I'll post new pictures.If anybody needs help with their reels,just send me an email,and I'll get back to you.Tight Lines,Oldschool

It could be that your anti-reverse bushing is worn,and needs replacing.I would replace the part and see if it helps with your problem.

Being a fan of the older Ambassadeur reels,there are a lot of ways to make them smoother,and better casting.Lets start with the 5000.First off this is a bushing reel and not as smooth as a bearing reel.A simple solution to your backlashing problem would be to change the brake blocks on the spool.There are 3 different sizes available.Ambassadeur part #1880(small size) #1881 (large),and #1884(medium).If your brake blocks are too small,you won't get as wide a selection of braking as you would with a larger brake block.Another thing to remember is bushing reels work better with heavier lures,and don't handle light lures as well as a bearing reel.Your reel can be converted to a bearing reel,but a number of parts need to be changed in order to do the conversion.I suggest you try larger brake blocks first to see if this helps with the backlash problem.If this helps,and you still want a better casting reel,I would go with the dual bearing worm gear,and bearing supported cog wheel.As for the 5500C,I would go with ABEC5 bearings for smoothness,and increased casting distance.I'd also go with the worm gear,and cog wheel upgrades.If you need any help email me at jchinsr@gmail.com,or call me @(626)235-5598 and i'll be happy to help you out.There is 1 more conversion that i've done to some reels,and that is converting them to a narrower size reel which makes them a little more comfortable to fish with.

You can't judge the rest California by L.A.It's beautiful once you get out of the city.We have some of the most beautiful coastlines,high deserts,mountains,and forests.I don't know exactly where TJ lives,but i've been to the Central Valley and that's some pretty country up there.The lakes actually have real rivers flowing into them,instead of concrete canals like we have in L.A.!

Bruce,sorry to hear you can't make it.I was looking forward to meeting you in person.As soon as we figure out where we're going to meet,we can start looking for places to stay.I'd like to shoot for sometime in September.I think that the 3 best choices are Havasu,The Delta,and Clear Lake as all 3 offer unique fishing experiences.I'm not close to any of these lakes,but i'm just showing my desire to make this trip a success by traveling 6-10 hours to get there.