Garcia Mitchell 302 Saltwater reels

fishhead69 · November 12, 2014, 12:24:26 AM

Are there any tutorials available for the Garcia Mitchell 302 spinning reels? It seems like the spools sometimes just screw on and there is no adjustment for the drag setting and other times this is not a problem and the reel works fine with the drag adjustment. Is this a problem with the spool installation or is it the wrong spool for the reel?

foakes · November 12, 2014, 01:05:36 AM

Hi fish head --

Yes, there are a couple of tutorials on this site for the Mitchell 302...

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=9300.msg83975#msg83975

The 302 is a heavy duty salt water spinner with a solid aluminum frame that takes 8 screws for the sideplates.

The drag system operates well -- and does have a safety screw so the drag knob cannot be lost when fighting a fish or in heavy surf.

Good reels -- but like any salt spinner, it must be completely cleaned, all parts cleaned of any issues, all grease removed, and reassembled using marine grade grease such as Yamaha or Penn. Oiled, and all interior surfaces coated with a light coating of the grease.

Also helps to upgrade the drags (not the metal, just the drag disc) with Cal's greased. I usually experiment by switching out a couple of the metal drags for CF greased.

Best,

Fred

fishhead69 · November 12, 2014, 04:15:27 AM

Thanks for the info. I found out that a common problem with the spool on this reel is the spindle gets seized up and stuck to the inside of the spool preventing the drag system from working properly. Just spray it with PB parts buster (it works great) and then with the spool facing up on a flat hard surface hit the end of the spindle with a hammer with the hard plastic caps or a dead blow hammer. Then lightly sand the outer surface of the spindle where it presses into the spool with some 400 grit sandpaper and you are good to go. The Penn HT100 carbon fiber drag washers work really good in between the stock metal washers or use Penn metal drag washers if you wish to upgrade the drag system. With reel repair I am always learning new tricks all the time. This website is a wealth of excellent information for all reel repair people thanks to Alan Tani, the Guru of reel customization and repair. Thanks Alan, you're the man.

Greybadger · January 09, 2015, 06:45:05 PM

Hi,

Apologies for dragging up an old thread but.....I have a couple of 302's and 402's, all have the full bail. I haven't used them, only used them as project reels so far. However, on two of them I have noticed that the bail-arm won't open fully. By this I mean that the arm opens and locks in place, but it doesn't appear to be open enough to avoid fouling the line when casting. I've attached a couple of pics which hopefully illustrate what I mean. The bail springs seem fine, I've stripped and reassembled both reels completely and the same thing happens.

I know that in the US most of these reels were converted to the PUM bail arrangement, but that's quite uncommon over here in the UK. Was this the reason for the conversions? Is the bail snagging the line a design fault of these reels? It's a shame, as I'd quite like to use one of them, but I just can't see how the line would leave the spool without wrapping around the bail.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mark.

handi2 · January 09, 2015, 11:43:11 PM

On the underside of the bail arm shown there are "holes" milled into it for a pin to catch and hold the bail open. You may just need to bend the bail wire open a little more so the line doesn't hit the wire.

handi2 · January 09, 2015, 11:47:11 PM

Quote from: fishhead69 on November 12, 2014, 04:15:27 AM
Thanks for the info. I found out that a common problem with the spool on this reel is the spindle gets seized up and stuck to the inside of the spool preventing the drag system from working properly. Just spray it with PB parts buster (it works great) and then with the spool facing up on a flat hard surface hit the end of the spindle with a hammer with the hard plastic caps or a dead blow hammer. Then lightly sand the outer surface of the spindle where it presses into the spool with some 400 grit sandpaper and you are good to go. The Penn HT100 carbon fiber drag washers work really good in between the stock metal washers or use Penn metal drag washers if you wish to upgrade the drag system. With reel repair I am always learning new tricks all the time. This website is a wealth of excellent information for all reel repair people thanks to Alan Tani, the Guru of reel customization and repair. Thanks Alan, you're the man.

Instead of using that heavy grit sandpaper go back with some 1500 paper wet with oil and get it super smooth. Then put shaft in a drill and use a rag and metal polish to get it slick. Use a light grease when putting the spool back on. It shouldn't stick anymore.

JoePlo · February 16, 2015, 10:13:00 PM

I cannot for the life of me get the bell off. Everything seems unscrewed but nada. I know hex nut is on shaft in picture but I got that off and it still won't come off. Both side plates are off and the small screw on the bottom of the shaft is out. Took some pics of this dirty birdy.

thorhammer · February 26, 2015, 08:19:28 PM

have you figured out how to get the oscillation guide off the shaft so the shaft will pull out of the housing? Please advise..this is assuming you got the rotor off. once rotor is off there is a tiny keywey on underside, dont lose it. there are two set screws holding shaft bearing in place; I currently have one soaking in ballistol to see if I can recover the bearing but not optimistic about getting the screws out

JoePlo · February 26, 2015, 09:37:13 PM

Yes I did get the oscillation guide off. There are tiny little horseshoe wire keepers on the top and bottom. Needed to take a small needle point, find the U and pull them off. Them the oscillation guide comes off. Also I did finally get the rotor off. Pretty sure I broke some stuff in the process. It was VERY seized. Like hard hammer strikes to get it out. Not sure what I plan on doing with the reel as it is in really bad shape. May just put it together as is and keep in in a box somewhere forever.

Johnj67 · May 09, 2017, 12:56:56 PM

Hi Fred
Part number 11 on your Mitchell 302 diagram above, how the heck do I remove it, I need to get the rotor off to sand and drill.
Thanks
John

foakes · May 09, 2017, 01:36:27 PM

Hi John --

The spool spindle #11 unscrews from the spool axle.

There are threads on the top of the axle that mate with threads inside the spindle.

It could be counter-clockwise or clockwise -- depending if you are working on a 302 or 303 -- so be careful if forcing it due to lack of maintenance by previous owners.

These can get salt-fused when not protectively coated with Marine grease to repel salt water.

If stuck, and you are sure of the direction -- a tape or vinyl jaw covered set of pliers or channel locks may be necessary.

Good luck, and show us some pics of your work in progress project.

Best,

Fred

Johnj67 · May 10, 2017, 01:49:42 AM

Thanks Fred!
You are the best! Spent 4 hours sanding the side plates today,. Look pretty good. I will
I will post some pics of them tomorrow.
Did you get the letter I sent.?

foakes · May 10, 2017, 01:51:36 AM

Thanks, John --

Got it...

Best,

Fred

Gfish · July 23, 2017, 02:31:16 PM

A bit off the subject but anyone gotta idea what a unused(in box w/ alla paperwork n' stuff), 303(left-hand), is worth?
Gfish

Whit · August 13, 2017, 02:40:39 AM

On these reels the spool does indeed get frozen on the shaft. IMO The best way to get it off is as follows:

1) Unscrew the screw on the drag knob, and pull the spool and the drag assembly out carefully. Being that you frequent this board you are going to replace the fiber drag assembly washers with HT 100's anyway, so this is a step in that direction as well. Be sure to guard carefully the sequence of the washers. The picture on the yellow sticky from the back base of the spool (from 20 years before country was cool) is interesting, but I never have been able to make sense of it.

2) You now have a metal assembly which is screwed onto the shaft. I like to squirt some CorrosionX in the back of it, stand it upright so it seeps in, and let it sit for a day or two.

3) If you are brave you can now put a crescent wrench to the metal assembly and, with the anti-reverse on wind it counterclockwise. As soon as you break the bead it comes easily.

4) If you are less brave you can remove the shaft, stick it in a vise, and then lay into the metal assembly with the crescent wrench.

5) Once you have it removed, place a Merle Haggard album on, 'cuz it's gonna take a while to clean up the rest of it and get it smooth as a Swiss watch! (a worthy project)

some might call it crude, but I'm declaring it effective....

Whit