My Grouper Special

[Rothmar2]

Very nice job Mike, that should crank a few reef dwellers out of their lairs.
Good on you for sharing.

[Alto Mare]

Sal, where did you get that ball to fit on Adam's handle? Is it an old accurate or something else? I want a bunch of Adam's handles but I'm having a hard time finding a good ball grip that will fit properly.
Any info is appreciated!
Thanks
Dom
PS- MHC nice/ inventive job on the spring guard.

Hey Dom, that knob came from Alan C., I asked him if he could find me some round knobs and that's what he came up with. It looks and feels good, but I'm not sure if he would be selling those.
I hear you on the mounting, some of the Eva knobs...as the one on the left of my pic, have the shaft that needs to sit in the arm, the silver knob is flush mount.  It comes with a nice mounting screw, so I'm not worried about it.
I made me a note to ask Adam if he could make some of those handles a little wider by the mounting hole.

Sal

[Sharkin904]

Just cleaned up my new to me 4/0, ordered the 5-149 gear, 13-113h pinion, and an AT SS sleeve...now all I need to do is get a handle and figure out where to buy or peice together this 5+1 drag stack. I love that every reel I pick up, there's a perfect thread on one already lol

[anglingarchitect]

I'm going broke on old penn reels, etc, since I found this site.

Mark

1 is none, sets are nice, but triple redundency like the space shuttle is my thing.

Packing for a Bahamas fishing trip.

[Maxed Out]

Wow Sal, that Steel jigmaster is beyond cool. 

  Ted

[Alto Mare]

Thanks Ted!
It is also the only one that exists...unless someone else could show me one .

[anglingarchitect]

In computer software it would be a Beta tester, Sal is the Reel/part Tester. Those old Penns he redid for me are so smooth now, amazing with the array of upgrades here installed by a master reel tuner.Wow. Is he a good fisherman, as well as a man of many skills displayed on here. People like Sal, Alan, Ted, Dominick, Darren etal are what makes this site so unique.
So many from all over, talented and skillful people that also fish, and as a result, best site. with a good sized community diverse More than civil, more like family.

Thanks for this place Alan

[swill88]

In computer software it would be a Beta tester, Sal is the Reel/part Tester. Those old Penns he redid for me are so smooth now, amazing with the array of upgrades here installed by a master reel tuner.Wow. Is he a good fisherman, as well as a man of many skills displayed on here. People like Sal, Alan, Ted, Dominick, Darren etal are what makes this site so unique.
So many from all over, talented and skillful people that also fish, and as a result, best site. with a good sized community diverse More than civil, more like family.

Thanks for this place Alan

X2

STEVE

[PacRat]

I debated whether to post this on George's original Grouper Special thread or to put it here on Sal's...but since it's wearing Ted's narrow Tank Top, I figured it needed a full Tank treatment and belongs here on Sal's thread. The steel gears are Sal's 149 main and 113h pinion combo and Sal is absolutely correct in that they mesh very nicely.  These smaller gears limit the drag surfaces so I installed Bryan's 5+1 along with a  PRO Challenger 10-tooth gear sleeve and it just wouldn't be a Tank without double dogs. This is where I strayed off the beaten path just a little bit and chose to use Lee's 15-500 dogs. I figured if they are strong enough for a Jigmaster, they should be strong enough for the smaller drag set as well. I also wanted the dogs and springs to be completely captive below the bridge plate. Here's the photos of what I did:


The 15-500 dogs on the left have been modified. The dog on the right is stock for comparison.


Here's the plate. I wanted to keep the dremel work to a bare minimum. I scored some guide lines into the plate with the tip of an xacto knife. You can see these lines in some of the photos.


Here's a close up of the relief cut for the original dog location. I also made a small pocket to help keep the spring in place during assembly.


Here's the dog and spring installed.


...and with the bridge in place.


Here's the relief for the second dog. It also gets a pocket for the spring.


Here's the second dog and spring installed.


...and with the bridge installed.


Both dogs shown with a stock 8-tooth gear sleeve for reference. They synchronize perfectly with the 10-tooth gear sleeve.


With the bridge in place you can see just enough of the AR works peeking out to confirm function.


On the exterior I used Lee's lug blanks and Ted's Tank Top frame.



Thank you Ohana for sharing your imagination, talents, knowledge, skills and superb aftermarket parts.
-Mike

[Maxed Out]

Wow Mike, your adaptation of the 2nd dog is vastly superior to anything I've seen. Thanks for sharing with all the details. You made it look easy, but I know better.

Beautiful tank Mike

  -Ted

[PacRat]

Ted, We all got real spoiled with the double-dog bridges but I decided I wanted to do this one in the classic Sal style...seems to go nice with your frame too. I'll say one thing though...it's a real #### to keep the dogs and springs in place while setting the bridge but if I hold my tongue just right and cross my eyes, it's a snap. I forgot to take a photo of the dogs and springs without the bridge covering them and I swore I wouldn't take it apart so soon but I did anyway. I figured you guys deserve a full set of photos and it was easier the second time around. I need to get some extra dog springs to have on hand next time I open it.
-Mike

[mo65]

I'll say one thing though...it's a real #### to keep the dogs and springs in place while setting the bridge but if I hold my tongue just right and cross my eyes, it's a snap.

   Yes, I broke a sweat assembling my Flathead Special which was double dogged this way, it's not for the timid. Awesome job on this reel Mike...it looks great!

[mhc]

Good looking grouper special Mike, nice work. That was a great idea to use the 500 dogs - they look like they were made for the reel. I like the way you kept the dremel work on the plate to a minimum as well, the enlarged opening for the 5-149 main is very tidy.

Mike   

[Alto Mare]

Excellent work on the dogs Mike, you really know how to get it done with minimal material removed.
Your way is a much better option, thanks for showing it to us.
Yes, assembly could be a pain, I always make sure I use an O-ring on top of my gear sleeve. The last thing you want is for that eared washer to get out of position when you're finally able to set the bridge in.
I also set all four bridge screws in and hold them in place with a piece of tape, this really helps.

Good job!

Sal

[Keta]

Nice!  I should have sent you 15-500S dogs though, they would have saved you a little work.