180 and 180/155 Frankenreel Project

[thorhammer]

Reel seats on the 180 are light. Swap the spool to your one and see if that works. PC Spools are way too expensive to rub out due to a torqued stand. Clearly that reel was abused, and I/m not sure how you bust a spool in the reel without impact. If it was missing screws when it was dropped or hit, even more likely something is distorted. The fact that the sleeve won't move is also an indicator of out-of-true.

Heat pinion with a torch. Soak in kroil or whatever. Tap down lightly with padded peen hammer. Pry evenly around it with screwdriver; this may further crack spool, but I'd try as nothing to lose.

Main gear: if you get pinion off, lap the main on 200 grit then something higher or steel wool to remove plating. Grease well with new CF washers and should be fine. Lap the brass washers as well. Greased CF on lapped brass is buttery smooth, and nothing you are using that reel for requires SS.

[work2fish]

Hmm... Maybe the spool is not rubbing on the side plates. When I put it in freespool and spin the spool with my finger it spins for 9 seconds or so. I can hear some slight chattering sounds when it is spinning, and they get louder when I tip the reel away from vertical, but it seems to be spinning fairly smoothly.

When I turn the crank I feel slight resistance and feel more gear sound at one point in the reel cycle. If the side plate was a clock face, I feel the resistance and gear sound at the same point on the clock face with every rotation of the crank. If the problem was the spool rubbing it would either be constant, or it would happen multiple times with each turn of the crank. It is a new spool, so I don't think it is a bent spindle. Also, the bridge plate, sleeve, yoke, and jack are from the other 180. It also had a rough spot at one point in the cranking cycle. I thought it was bad gears, and that is why I used the gears from the 155 in the other 180 and am using a new gear set just purchased from Mystic for this 180. Even with the new gears I am feeling the roughness in the gears at one point in the reeling cycle. Maybe there is a problem with the bridge, post, or yoke. Because I feel the slight resistance and gear grind at a constant point in the reeling cycle (and then at a different constant point in the reeling cycle after I put it in freespool and then back into gear) I would assume that the problem is with the bridge post and.or sleeve, because they are what turn with the crank. Does that make sense?

[cbar45]

Have had to straighten the stands on those 180/160/155 reels in order for things to spin true.

Usually just replace them with tougher 49/66/200 stands.

Setting your stand upside down on a flat surface (mirror or glass etc), will show if all four corners are sitting true.

That sound when you tilt it could also be the spool rubbing on the bridge (or clicker) screws? Hard to tell without seeing the reel but hope this helps.

[work2fish]

Reel seats on the 180 are light. Swap the spool to your one and see if that works. PC Spools are way too expensive to rub out due to a torqued stand. Clearly that reel was abused, and I/m not sure how you bust a spool in the reel without impact. If it was missing screws when it was dropped or hit, even more likely something is distorted.

I think I will try a few things to troubleshoot:

Put the side plates on the old 155 foot, bars, and spool. If the spool spins freely but I still have the same tightness and gear grind at a constant point in the cranking cycle, then I will know that the problem is not the spool or frame. Then I can try swapping out the bridge, sleeve, and yoke from another 180 and see if they are the source of the problem.

[work2fish]

I will try a different bridge first. When I take the right side plate off the reel and turn the crank I still feel tightness and more geariness at a point in the reeling cycle. I also noticed that the gear sleeve isn't centered in the opening where it comes through the side plate. Is that normal, or does it indicate a problem with the bridge/bridge post?

[work2fish]

I just took the bridge out of the right side plate and the dog spring is mangled, so it must have fallen out of position as I put the side plate together. That could have been causing some of the issues.

[JasonGotaProblem]

I started to write this before you realized it wasn't a freespool issue, but it's probably good advice so I'm gonna let it rip anyway.

Take the reel apart, and put the frame spool and sideplates and caps together. so no bridge no gears etc. see what kind of freespool you get. That's the best freespool you'll get if there's no gearing issues. Put some sharpie on the spool lip And see if there's any rubs. The spot on the frame with ink on it is the spot where it's rubbing. Maximize your freespool in that configuration before moving on. Square up the frame, fix any rubs, and whatnot. Then add parts one at a time (bridge first, work your way outward) until you lose that freespool time. That's the thing to address. Then keep moving outward.

I didn't come up with this on my own but I thought it was worth sharing for one of these tuning projects. Sorry if it's off topic now.

[work2fish]

Well, I'm going to call the second 180 finished. I took the bridge, sleeve, and dog spring out of another 180 and put them in this one. I put it back together with the plastic spool, and it seems ok now. I get around 7 seconds of freespool (no line; just the spool), and I no longer feel any significant resistance at any point in the cranking cycle. It feels pretty smooth. Since I am new to Penn conventional I don't really know what it is supposed to feel like.

I'm looking forward to trying out the plastic spool. I will either spool it with braid or use a significant amount of braid backing for mono.

[work2fish]

take the reel apart, and put the frame spool and sideplates and caps together. so no bridge no gears etc. see what kind of freespool you get. That's the best freespool you'll get if there's no gearing issues. Put some sharpie on the spool lip And see if there's any rubs. The spot on the frame with ink on it is the spot where it's rubbing. Maximize your freespool in that configuration before moving on. Square up the frame, fix any rubs, and whatnot. Then add parts one at a time (bridge first, work your way outward) until you lose that freespool time. That's the thing to address. Then keep moving outward.

I didn't come up with this on my own but I thought it was worth sharing for one of these tuning projects. Sorry if it's off topic now.

Those are some good ideas, Jason! I will try that approach next time I work on a 180.

I've been working on 180s all afternoon and evening, swapping parts and trying different things. I'm starting to gain a real appreciation for the quick-release right side plates on the Surfmaster, Squidder and Jigmaster!

I thought that two of the 180s I had open today had crushed tension washers on the tops of the drags, but now I think that the older ones just didn't have as obvious of a curve to them.

[work2fish]

The tib frame will fit but do you need it? It's still a small reel. -49 reel seat and a pair of Cortez bars goes a long way and doesn't add weight.

Says the guy with no hot-rodded reels.

By the 49 reel seat do you mean the reel seat from the Penn 49 reel (Penn part number 30-49)? Is it just stronger than the stock one on a 180?

Are you referring to the Cortez crossbars (37A-506, https://www.cortezconversions.com/product-page/stainless-steel-frame-post)? They say on their website that these fit their narrow base (30-49), but they only list the 501, 506HS and Newell 220 as compatible reels. Would these fit on a 180?

[JasonGotaProblem]

The tib frame will fit but do you need it? It's still a small reel. -49 reel seat and a pair of Cortez bars goes a long way and doesn't add weight.

Says the guy with no hot-rodded reels.

By the 49 reel seat do you mean the reel seat from the Penn 49 reel (Penn part number 30-49)? Is it just stronger than the stock one on a 180?

Are you referring to the Cortez crossbars (37A-506, https://www.cortezconversions.com/product-page/stainless-steel-frame-post)? They say on their website that these fit their narrow base (30-49), but they only list the 501, 506HS and Newell 220 as compatible reels. Would these fit on a 180?

There's 2 different width crossbars that fit a reel that takes a 30-49 base. The screw hole spacing is different between a 500/501/970/220 and a surfmaster/squidder/beachmaster. I'm not sure how those compare to a 180, I have a 180 i can dig it out and check, but that's why they don't list all the reels that use a '49 base.

I have a 180 plastic spool and I was gonna offer it to you for free. But last night I discovered it apparently got dropped sometime between when I got it and now, because half a flange is broken off now. So, now it's trash and that doesn't help you. Sorry for the emotional rollercoaster.

[Keta]

The tib frame will fit but do you need it? It's still a small reel. -49 reel seat and a pair of Cortez bars goes a long way and doesn't add weight.

Says the guy with no hot-rodded reels.

By the 49 reel seat do you mean the reel seat from the Penn 49 reel (Penn part number 30-49)? Is it just stronger than the stock one on a 180?

Yes a 49 real seat is stronger.