Penn 321LH

[Roger]

Picked up this 321LH that the worm gear & pawl were chewed up along with some corrision and rust on the bridge, main gear & sleeve. I'm trying to get the side plate off where I can just get rid of the line guide and leave it off but that side plate is way stuck. I really don't want to beat to hard for fear of cracking the graphite. Any suggestions?

[alantani]

grab an old boy scout knife and something you can use as a light hammer.  flip the reel over, line up with knife with the crease between the side plate and frame, give the back of the knife a light tap and pop it apart.  you will leave a slight mark, but it's better than prying it apart with a screwdriver.  alan

[Roger]

Thanks Alan, I finally got off. I soaked it with some Kroil and was able to get a sharp pick in there and just worked my way around it till it popped off. Big pain just to get a worm gear out.