Patience paid off, finally acquired one of my holy grails

[tincanary]

As some of you know, I'm a big fan of the Ambassadeur.  For me, it meets the happy medium between simplicity, quality, and performance.  One reel that I've longed for is one of the small Ambassadeurs with the thumb bar, namely the 1600C IAR and 2600C IAR, but no way was I going to pay eBay money.  I even discounted my chances of stumbling upon one at a garage sale or estate sale due to rarity, they just aren't seen in the wild as much as their push-button clutch brothers. 

It all began a month ago, scrolling through Facebook Marketplace looking for something to service and flip for a quick buck or add to my parts stash.  I see an Abu 1600C IAR for $100, over in the middle of Indiana corn country.  My first thought was it's a scam, then my second thought was "this lady is selling it and there probably aren't as many reel scammers as there are for other items."  My curiosity got me and I sent her a message.  The reel was still for sale, but the catch was she wouldn't ship.  A little back and forth over the course of the month and I sweetened the deal, I offered her an additional $100 just for her troubles, then she had no issue shipping. 

Here she is, one of 470 made in 1999 (according to the Small Ambassadeur book).  I have yet to open it up, but the brake plate is more like a Morrum than an Ambassadeur according to the schematic.  The clutch operation is about the best I've had the pleasure of using, even better than my new production Japanese Millionaire CT SV and Calcutta Conquest BFS.  This thing has never been opened up as far as I can tell, I can only imagine how it'll feel once I do my thing to it. I have a few trick parts on the way from Japan to make this thing a heck of a trout fishing machine.  The best part is, between the fun parts and the reel itself, I still spent substantially less than I would have buying an eBay reel.

[Wompus Cat]

Well look at you !
Ya did GOOD there .Congrats on that find .

[tincanary]

Well look at you !
Ya did GOOD there .Congrats on that find .

Many thanks!  I still can't get over how nice the clutch feels, it's damn near perfection.  A nice crisp engagement, and when the handle is turned over and the clutch returns, there's a nice and gentle satisfying click.  My parts should be here pretty soon, then I'm going to open her up, give it a good cleaning, make the upgrades, and hit the river.  When I saw the postman on the porch yesterday, it almost felt like Christmas.

[Wompus Cat]

Until you posted this I never knew those existed . Kinda makes me wonder now if I have passed some up looking for other stuff at auctions,garage sales ,etc. Wiser NOW and will keep a lookout for em .
I too get excited around Mail Delivery time
I get a few  gifts almost daily and the wife always says Santa Left you some more stuff little Henry.......... and off I go to the Porch with my big Grin and disinfectant spray .
Problem is ya get something you want then you want  to make it a little better by buying another one with the good parts you want then ya want to fix the one you robbed parts off and so ya buy a deal with 2 or 3 of those needing some work and the whole Ground Hog Day Starts again.

[tincanary]

Until you posted this I never knew those existed . Kinda makes me wonder now if I have passed some up looking for other stuff at auctions,garage sales ,etc. Wiser NOW and will keep a lookout for em .
I too get excited around Mail Delivery time
I get a few  gifts almost daily and the wife always says Santa Left you some more stuff little Henry.......... and off I go to the Porch with my big Grin and disinfectant spray .
Problem is ya get something you want then you want  to make it a little better by buying another one with the good parts you want then ya want to fix the one you robbed parts off and so ya buy a deal with 2 or 3 of those needing some work and the whole Ground Hog Day Starts again.

Outside of eBay, they can be very hard to find.  The 1600C IAR and 2600C IAR were made 3 years, 1998 to 2000.  It was the last hurrah before Pure Fishing took over operations.  Kind of like the Suveran which was made in Sweden during the same timeframe.  I also have a Suveran 1000, it's like a Cardinal on steroids.  That was another I got cheap in much the same way as this 1600C.  The seller also had a lot of extra parts that came with it, 2 more spools, another handle, a spare complete rotor assembly, and an additional drag unit. 

[JasonGotaProblem]

Congrats on the score! Those are cool.

You never find anything if you don't look. That's what I tell myself

[Midway Tommy]

Nice catch! You'll enjoy fishing that one!

[tincanary]

Nice catch! You'll enjoy fishing that one!

Heck yeah I will.  My fun parts should be here Tuesday.  I got an Avail 1520R spool, Avail double bearing worm, Avail pinion bearing, Avail 6.1 gears, double bearing ported idler gear, and a lightweight line guide on the way.  It'll make for one nice trout fishing machine.  One of my buddies says to flip it, another says make it a shelf queen  No way, this thing is going to do what it was made to do, plus I'll probably never have another land in my lap for as cheap as this one did.

[Midway Tommy]

Nice catch! You'll enjoy fishing that one!

Heck yeah I will.  My fun parts should be here Tuesday.  I got an Avail 1520R spool, Avail double bearing worm, Avail pinion bearing, Avail 6.1 gears, double bearing ported idler gear, and a lightweight line guide on the way.  It'll make for one nice trout fishing machine.  One of my buddies says to flip it, another says make it a shelf queen  No way, this thing is going to do what it was made to do, plus I'll probably never have another land in my lap for as cheap as this one did.

Just keep your eyes and ears open, you never know when something will pop up for a decent price! That's how I ended up with 6 American Classic IVs and 8 extra Classic IV aluminum spools. 

[mo65]

   Nice find!

[tincanary]

Now the fun really begins 

[thorhammer]

Bob, this is great stuff! Glad you found it. This is a case of the equipment landing in the hands of the right owner; well-deserved on both fronts. You might say the reel chose the worthy, like Thor's Hammer

Can't wait to see finish product. I'd no idea they existed either.

John

[Donnyboat]

Thanks for showing us, nice find, have fun with it, cheers Don.

[JasonGotaProblem]

I tell ya what it really boggles my mind how a reel like this with like a total of 500 units ever made can have a big ol' pile of aftermarket upgrades, but if I wanna upgrade my very common 5000C I can put a universal fit handle on, and I can do drags. And that's about it. Makes no sense to me.

You're making the right choice to tune and fish it.l though. Unless you're struggling with rent the profit you can make on the flip is irrelevant because you'll never get another chance like this but will have other chances to make money. and unless you already have a museum who needs a shelf piece? Go throw some lures.

[tincanary]

I tell ya what it really boggles my mind how a reel like this with like a total of 500 units ever made can have a big ol' pile of aftermarket upgrades, but if I wanna upgrade my very common 5000C I can put a universal fit handle on, and I can do drags. And that's about it. Makes no sense to me.

You're making the right choice to tune and fish it.l though. Unless you're struggling with rent the profit you can make on the flip is irrelevant because you'll never get another chance like this but will have other chances to make money. and unless you already have a museum who needs a shelf piece? Go throw some lures.

All of the upgrades, with the exception of the gear set also work with the much more common 1500C.  The difference in the gear sets; the pinion gear for the 1600C IAR is a little longer and the crown of the pinion gear is a little more beefy.