ABU 5500C Overhaul.

[Barkoff]

Good day.  I have what I'm pretty sure is a 70's vintage Abu 5500C that belonged to my grandfather.  My project is to overhaul it before next steelhead season.  I'm looking to do everything I can to make this reel a go to steelhead reel.

  It has plastic gears, do they make replaceable brass gears?

  Should I go with ceramic bearings?

  If this were your reel, what would you do to cherry it out and make it a great casting reel?  I'm sure replacing the old drag with carbon washers is a must, but what advice do any of you have for me?

  Thank you.

[Barkoff]

Can I find a spare spool for this reel?

[wallacewt]

strip everything and clean.replace any faulty parts
cf drag ,oil the bearings,it may have bushes,they are just as good
put the correct size line on.
fish it within its limits. dont lock up the drag
i dont know steelhead.
gd luck

[day0ne]

The plastic gears are there for a reason. Get your finger caught in the levelwind and you will be glad they are meant to self destruct.

Ceramic bearings probably aren't neccessary (I never use them) but carbon fiber drag washers are. There are a bunch of other mods you can make such as a ball bearing levelwind, a ceramic pawl in the levelwind (good mod) or conversion to a CT type of reel (no levelwind). One change I like to make if the reel has an IAR bearing in the right side plate is to change out the brake plate assembly to one with an anti reverse dog so it backs up the IAR.

Yes, spare spools are available

[Barkoff]

Thank you for the replies.  Can you recommend a good site for buying some new bearings and the kit for the levelwind?  Why is a ceramic paw in the levelwind good, in what way does that make the reel better?

 

This is a mystery to me, can you detail?  Thank you.

"One change I like to make if the reel has an IAR bearing in the right side plate is to change out the brake plate assembly to one with an anti reverse dog so it backs up the IAR."

[day0ne]

Just Google "Ambassadeur upgrades" and you will find a lot of info, such as here.

http://www.castawaytackleshop.com/Reel-Upgrades-s/1893.htm

Ebay has a lot of stuff also.

The ceramic pawl lasts a lot longer and is smoother.

I can't tell by looking at the picture but your reel doesn't appear to be a C3, making it the older fixed spool shaft reel, so you probably already have an antireverse dog. Later model Ambassadeur's had an IAR (Instant Antireverse Bearing) pressed into the right side plate. IAR's are good that they remove any backplay in the handle but bad that they are somewhat weak and can slip. By mixing and matching parts, you can have both,the best of both worlds.