631 base upgrade

[Newell Nut]

Rich at Tiburon did not get enough orders to satisfy him so he decided to not make frames for the Newell 631. I however wanted to make and improvement so after careful examination of parts I found that a P series aluminum base from a 533 or a 440 would fit my needs. The side benefit for a guy like me that has shorter fingers is the profile is closer to the rod which makes casting easier and  may lessen the rollover effect.




The reel had the long body screws and I replaced them with 5-40 x 1" SS screws in the base only. Normally the reel base goes in before the side plates but with this arrangement I could not use the inner ring bolts to hold the base in place. I installed the spool and side plates and left the screws loose. I then slipped the base into place and installed the 1" side screws and it turned out great.

[Bryan Young]

Oh sweet.  I love your recommendation.

[Newell Nut]

Bryan
My plan was to just beef it a bit but I was thrilled with getting the lower profile on the rod. Notice the sturdy handle by Keta and 3/0 knob from Alan.