500 to 501 Questions first....

Recoil Rob · March 21, 2018, 07:40:55 AM

New guy here. Seems fairly straightforward to convert a 500 to 501 but I want to upgrade the performance. Right now my entire handle assembly (handle and star) moves in and out of the sideplate about 1/32" and is a bit wobbly. Will this be taken care of by one of Alan's new SS gear sleeves? I have a coarse thread star , do the gear sleeves come coarse or fine or will I need a new start also?

thanks,

Rob

Gfish · March 21, 2018, 08:54:18 AM

Possibly not, or, maybe so... I'd definitely get the ss gear sleeve. The movement issue may have to be taken care of by a shim washer placed on the bridge plate stud and under the gear sleeve. I've had to do this on a couple of vintage penns and a couple of penns with hot-rodded guts(bridge plate and gear sleeves).
You can get both coarse or fine tooth ss gear sleeves.

mo65 · March 21, 2018, 01:12:28 PM

Nice profile pic Rob! Like Gfish said...more than likely your handle movement is gear sleeve/bridge post tolerance. It can be anywhere from just right to sloppy as hell...only natural for a reel and parts manufactured over so many years. A simple shim or two will cure the problem easily. Welcome aboard.

Keta · March 21, 2018, 01:31:01 PM

Quote from: mo65 on March 21, 2018, 01:12:28 PM
A simple shim or two will cure the problem easily. Welcome aboard.

In a few weeks I will have access to a CNC router that can possibly cut Delrin for shims and washers, and will cut CF drag washers. I plan on cutting shim washers that will go between the post and gear, not the bridge and gear ratchet, that should eliminate some of the gearsleeve thrust caused by the way Penn holds the gearsleeve to the shaft. I am not sure if the router can cut Delrin shim washers that small though.

Alto Mare · March 21, 2018, 03:09:55 PM

Quote from: Recoil Rob on March 21, 2018, 07:40:55 AM
New guy here. Seems fairly straightforward to convert a 500 to 501 but I want to upgrade the performance. Right now my entire handle assembly (handle and star) moves in and out of the sideplate about 1/32" and is a bit wobbly. Will this be taken care of by one of Alan's new SS gear sleeves? I have a coarse thread star , do the gear sleeves come coarse or fine or will I need a new start also?

thanks,

Rob

Rob, I had some to do with the fitting of the custom sleeve and I believe I got pretty close with this one...no need for shims.
https://squareup.com/store/pro-challenger-llc/item/jigmaster-gear-sleeve
They come with 2 holes giving you a better chance in case the post is really off.
Most of the Jigmaster bridge I've tested are spot on with this sleeve...I tested many.
At times, you might run into an issue if the bridge post is thinner, but haven't seen any on the Jigmaster bridge.

Welcome aboard, by the way.

Sal
One pin hole on the Jigmaster sleeve, 2 on the 113H sleeve. Sorry for the confusion, I have a couple with 2 holes from testing, that's why I got mixed up.

Keta · March 21, 2018, 03:16:18 PM

Over the many years of production Penn tolerances have been all over the place. Pro Challenger tolerances are far tighter than Penn tolerances, sometimes causing minor fit issues with SOME Penn bridges.

Recoil Rob · March 21, 2018, 04:38:25 PM

Thanks for the help gentleman. What is the OD of the bridge post, or the ID of the new SS gear sleeve? With those dimensions I can see if I have excessive wear on my bridge post before I replace the gears leave.

Recoil Rob · March 22, 2018, 02:01:29 AM

One more question, is there anything to do about pitted chrome side rings on a 500 other then replace them with more of the same? Anyone making SS or aluminum replacements? If my only option is to replace them with OEM which will pit again I'll save the money and leave them be.

thanks,

Rob