lee pro by matthew sharp

Started by alantani, August 29, 2009, 08:04:39 PM

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alantani

lee-pro with questions    Matthew Sharp <matthewjsharp@earthlink.net>  ViewTo:alantani@yahoo.com

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Ok...i stopped using this last year in favor of a TN40N; thought it was time to get it back in service. Few turns of the handle and i knew something was up....so i started digging.





No obvious corrosion seen. A few problems though:



1. drag washers were not in good shape. I had to pry them out, and two of them were stuck to a washer. I seem to remember getting smoothies in there when i first purchased the reel around 1993-4. They are thick, dimensions on my very rustic calipers are approx 12.5 inner x 30 mm outer x 3 mm thick. I can't find a comparable ht-100 washer. It is a three stack. Is is possible these are the 349h smoothies?



2. Bridge/main gear/shaft: I still dont know if these were custom fabricated or pulled from a penn. No part number can be found stamped on these. Mine is still in decent shape - I never learned why these bridges were prone to failure.





3. I want to put carbontex or ht-100 greased in this reel. the inner diameter of the main gear is 31 mm and the shaft is 12.5 mm. The drag stack i have measures around 12 mm with the three metal washers. Any suggestions.

This reel remains a mystery: a master mariner in wolves' clothing? is is possible its part senator? words of wisdom gladly appreciated. by the way those bearings are 3 x 9 x 4mm




Thanks, matt


this is funny.  last night i just finished working on one of these.  i had to use a #6-875 that was cut down so that it would fit under the main gear.  then i had to use 5 #6-115 drag washers in a "2+2+1" configuration inside the main gear.  it's still a little clunky.  the main gear is soft brass and they shred easily against the hardened stainless steel pinion gear.  also, i have a new stainless steel gear sleeve for the penn 113h that fits perfectly. 



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so i got the reel together, with the 2x2x1 ht-100 drag stack. My local guy didnt have that other washer size to replace the fiber washer.  Im very disappointed at my available drag, though. I didnt scale it, but it feels like about 8 pounds or so - with the star fully cranked down. Im thinking of adding two metal washers to make it a real 5 stack system. Any thoughts?  thanks again,  Matt 



change out the washer under the gear as well.  also, do you have spectra that is slipping on the spool?  or a spool that is slipping on the spool shaft? alan

















send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

Mccaf

#1
Hi, first post here...
I have never rebuilt a reel or even opened one up for that matter.

I have one of these reels. The shaft that the handle attaches is a little loose and the reel probably needs servicing.

So is there anyone who will service it still around? It appears that the bearings, frame, drags are from some other Penn reels? I am under the impression that it is a good reel as the reaction from the tackle guy who spooled it earlier this year.




alantani

i can take a look at it.  send a pm and i will get you my address.  i am still catching up with pm's and e-mail, so it will be a day or two before i get back to you.  thanks!  alan
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

eguinn

#3
Hey Alan, I have a couple of these reels & they are great 40-50lb reels. The 1 thing that people call bridge failure is due to something that would happen to his early reels, that is as you see the bridge sleeve slides over a post, that post is only held by a 6-32 screw, sometimes that screw will come lose & break off. Here's the way to fix that, clean it real good & reassemble it but when you put the screw in use some Red Loctite on the screw, I use a screw that is 1/8" longer. Dawn at Smooth drag use to sell a 5 stack kit for this reel, this reel use Penn 349h drag washers, if she doesn't have these kits anymore get a hold of Lee (Keta) on here & get a set from him. I used 2 113h spacing rings to get the right amount of clearance between the sideplate & star. As far as washers go if you can't find a set of thin washers you can order a set from Dawn of the Saltist 30t or 40t & modifiy them a little, they are bigger on the OD & smaller on the ID so with a little mod they will work.The main gear was a 1 off special the Pete Lee had machined up for this reel, this reel in it's stock form uses a Penn 113h pinion gear giving it a true 4-1 ratio. I figured out that if you ever do wear a set out they can be replaced with a Penn 349h main gear & pinion gear. Here's a little problem though the counterbore for the pinion gear is smaller than the 349h pinion, you would have to have a good machinist open up the counterbore to accept the 349h pinion then you would have a 3.25-1 gear ratio & still have the monster drags. The bridge plate is also a special 1 off that Pete Lee designed & had machined just for this reel, also his spool is super light & is the same size as a Newell or Tib YTS spool,other than these couple of items the reel uses stock Penn parts. I still use mine for Yoyo & heavy bait fishing,works great on the yellows & tuna. Ed

JRD

#4
I hate these posts! After reading this post here of course I had to have a Lee Pro. So I went searching on eBay and found a good specimen for what seemed to be a very reasonable price. The fit and finish is absolutely fantastic and the real feels great in your hands. Now the only problem is the hunt for parts. Everything is there and serviceable, I went ahead and took the bridge post off cleaned it and lock tighted the screw. The main gear is a monster and I sent an email not too long ago to Dawn to see if she had any of the drags available or  could get them for me. That is the only thing the real needs but of course I've got bearings and a new handle on the way,  just can't leave well enough alone. I'm wondering if anyone knows did they make a stainless yoke for the 349?

eguinn

   Yes they did, it's the same yoke that's used in the 113h.