Daiwa 50H rebuild thread begins here.

[dbarnett66]

Since you already have the stock drag washers, I would probably go ahead and use them. The next time you need drag washers, I would definetly switch to greased carbontex. They will last forever. BTW, don't grease the stock washers.

I just spoke with Dawn today and I ordered the Carbontex. It turns out that she has only 500 sets left from the last of the material that she could get her hands on. I ordered a set for each reel. I will keep the stock drag washers as backups. I have this feeling I should purchase 2 more sets of Carbontex if I hold on to these reels over the next 20 years...lol. I also got some Cal's drag grease and a universal wrench to take the handles off my 30H's and 50H's. These reels should perform better than new when they are done.

[Keta]

I was trying to figure out how to release the right side chrome plate too -- no idea -- looks like there is a square swaged shoulder on the thumb screw shafts.  Maybe if you held on to that square with a small wrench and twisted the thumbscrews with a screwdriver  it would come apart (like a standoff shoulder screw).  I ended up just cleaning what i could access, then jamming a brush under the chrome to get it greased.  My daiwa 50H is just missing a name badge - where did you get yours?  Could I have one of your old ones if you're going to toss them?

I looked at this but it wasn't my reel so I didn't try to take them off.  It looks like you can grab the sleeve with a pair of needle nose pliers and screw it off with a screw driver.

[dbarnett66]

I got everything I need to tear down the 50h's now. No excuses! I ordered the second star drag that was missing and the clutch lever too from Daiwa. I got my order from Smoooth Drag for the Carbontex drag washers too. I will install them and use the Daiwa originals later, as backups if needed. I also ordered a much needed universal reel wrench and some Cal's drag grease. I have the Daiwa blue lube stuff and the Daiwa bearing oil light, (fluid) stuff for the bearings. I know that I only use the Cal's on the Cabontex washers.

On a nice note, I realize that I forgot to order the rubber O-rings from Daiwa on my last order. They go around the case metal to keep the salt water out. The technician looked at my previous orders and sent 4 of them to me for free. He even paid for postage. Very impressed with Daiwa customer service.

Here is a photo of the last of the parts below. I hope to tear into the first reel tomorrow and Monday. I really want to have the first reel finished and ready to go in the next couple of days.

[dbarnett66]

Took the badges off the 50h with multiple coats of WD40 and Simple Green. Did I mention multiple? I managed to nick the anodized surface when prying off the stiff foil badges. It will look nice with all the other nicks and imperfections. I actually thought for a brief minute that I could send these reels out to be re-anodized. Then reality set in and I thought that new chrome would satisfy me just plenty.That glue was a bear to get off. I guess I will apply Acetone to the badge areas to remove oils and residue before I apply the new badges. The reel looks wet from the WD-40. It was dried off after the photos.

[day0ne]

I actually thought for a brief minute that I could send these reels out to be re-anodized. Then reality set in and I thought that new chrome would satisfy me just plenty

The frames on these reels are cast aluminum and don't anodise very well. Been there, done that! You can get them power coated but that brings up a whole new set of problems. I power coated a 600H and spent a week scraping power coat off in places so the reel would fit back together

[dbarnett66]

I actually thought for a brief minute that I could send these reels out to be re-anodized. Then reality set in and I thought that new chrome would satisfy me just plenty

The frames on these reels are cast aluminum and don't anodise very well. Been there, done that! You can get them power coated but that brings up a whole new set of problems. I power coated a 600H and spent a week scraping power coat off in places so the reel would fit back together

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about powder coat tolerances. Did your reel look good after all of the effort?

[dbarnett66]

I tried making a metal hook to remove this bearing from the old case metal. I was hoping to stick the old bearing in the new case metal that I purchased. The thought was that I could clean up the bearing and repack by hand an use it in my new shiny case metal part. Any ideas how to get the bearing out of there?

[day0ne]

I actually thought for a brief minute that I could send these reels out to be re-anodized. Then reality set in and I thought that new chrome would satisfy me just plenty

The frames on these reels are cast aluminum and don't anodise very well. Been there, done that! You can get them power coated but that brings up a whole new set of problems. I power coated a 600H and spent a week scraping power coat off in places so the reel would fit back together

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about powder coat tolerances. Did your reel look good after all of the effort?

It looks pretty good. See for your self

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=4783.msg39763#msg39763

[dbarnett66]

I tried making a metal hook to remove this bearing from the old case metal. I was hoping to stick the old bearing in the new case metal that I purchased. The thought was that I could clean up the bearing and repack by hand an use it in my new shiny case metal part. Any ideas how to get the bearing out of there?

Do I have to treat these bearing delicately when removing them or can I dig them out. I would hate to order new bearings. I spent way too much on parts already.

[Bryan Young]

Frankly speaking, those Daiwa bearings last a very long time.  This is because when I opened them up, I discovered that they are well packed with grease.  If you want to pack even more grease in those bearings, no cleaning is necessary, just put grease in the cup with the grease needle like in Alan's kit so it overflows, and push the grease in with your fingers over the opening and repeat.  You will see the normal bearing grease exit between the inner race and the shield.

[dbarnett66]

Frankly speaking, those Daiwa bearings last a very long time.  This is because when I opened them up, I discovered that they are well packed with grease.  If you want to pack even more grease in those bearings, no cleaning is necessary, just put grease in the cup with the grease needle like in Alan's kit so it overflows, and push the grease in with your fingers over the opening and repeat.  You will see the normal bearing grease exit between the inner race and the shield.

Thanks Bryan! That is good to know. I still want to remove the bearings from the case metal because I bought new case metal parts to add some bling to the outside part of the reel. I will certainly pack the bearings once they are in the new case metal with the method you describe. I am just not sure how to remove the bearings without damaging them. Thanks in advance.

[dbarnett66]

I am going to give up on removing the bearing and get a new one. It is wedged way too tight. Prying with multiple tools, WD-40 and other stuff doesn't seem to work. I guess I will be calling Daiwa corporate in the morning. I know that I could leave it in and repack, but I bought new case metal parts to make the reels look new again. I was hoping the bearings would cooperate.

[dbarnett66]

I called Daiwa corporate and could not figure why the bearing was not listed on the diagram. Turns out the case metal has the bearing already built in. I had ordered two of them and you can plainly see them in a photo earlier in the thread. I can't believe that I wasted an hour trying to remove a bearing that I did not need to remove. Live and learn....  

I did order two new bearings for the handle side of the reel. These reels are not going to be cheap when they are done, but they would work better than new with the Carbontex washer upgrades and new parts. We are looking at $100 per reel with new bling and internal components. I have to keep telling myself that my investment is better than some of the newer cheaper reels. Lol

[Bryan Young]

I'm sorry for not answering your question about bearing removal.  I though you were referring to only packing the bearings.

the bearing cups have little tabs pressed out to keep the bearing in place.  I've dremeling the tabs off like on Penn's GTI series reels and replaced bearings and learned that based on parts (replacement bearing) and the labor involved in removing the bearing, it's cheaper to just replace the bearing and cup together.  If you are looking for free spool, you can only open one side of the bearing, and clean it out with force air and solvent.  As most of my customers do not use these reels for casting, I just pack the bearings as I had described with grease for added protection.  But as I had also said earlier, these bearing are packed with grease better than any bearin that I have seen and have lasted the longest over time/usage than any other reel that I have serviced in the past.

[dbarnett66]

I'm sorry for not answering your question about bearing removal.  I though you were referring to only packing the bearings.

the bearing cups have little tabs pressed out to keep the bearing in place.  I've dremeling the tabs off like on Penn's GTI series reels and replaced bearings and learned that based on parts (replacement bearing) and the labor involved in removing the bearing, it's cheaper to just replace the bearing and cup together.  If you are looking for free spool, you can only open one side of the bearing, and clean it out with force air and solvent.  As most of my customers do not use these reels for casting, I just pack the bearings as I had described with grease for added protection.  But as I had also said earlier, these bearing are packed with grease better than any bearin that I have seen and have lasted the longest over time/usage than any other reel that I have serviced in the past.

No problems Bryan. This site has been so helpful. I appreciate all of the replies from you and the others. There is a learning curve that has to be mastered. Just waiting on the bearings and this reel should be cleaned and ready to go in the next couple of days.