Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Ambassadeur Tutorials and Questions => Topic started by: T Rad on November 19, 2013, 04:21:45 PM

Title: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: T Rad on November 19, 2013, 04:21:45 PM
Guys, a friend wants me to clean up and an old ambassadeur that I can't ID. Beveled side plates. Checkered foot. # 730801. Three screw, male checkering. High Speed sticker under handle. Old style dial adjustment on off side. Might have been black or green at one time, hard to say. ABU in hollow outline letters, Ambassadeur, in tall narrow font, and SWEDEN in small fort on bottom of off side. I would like to find a schematic but don't know what to look for.

Interesting side note: The man's name is Gary Bush. His mother was Val Bush of "Bassin Gals" fame. She was killed at a tournament in one of the last of the old "shotgun start" tournaments. Apparently was hit by an incoming boat in bad visibility.  He brought me all of her old equipment to restore if possible. It includes a nice 2500C, a 4500C, An old Shakespeare President baitcaster, one of the old Shimano 100's. Early Lew's rods, several "Skyline" graphite rods, a brand I don't know about. The Shimano 100 was on an early very nice Shimano graphite rod.

Any help with the old ABU ID? Thanks. Tom
Title: Re: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: Ken_D on November 19, 2013, 09:54:10 PM
http://www.nutterrodandreel.com/ProductData.cfm?id=Abu Garcia  
http://tinyurl.com/4juru6w

Scroll down to "old".   Take transmission sideplate off, and begin comparing to the schematics you open. Stay away from any reel using the 900 seies of numbers... 975XXX, etc. If you need to, open one, but compare the numbers to conventional Abu 5 digit numbers.

For part names visit e-replacement's site. Which see:  
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/abu-garcia-7000-ambassadeur-parts-c-187196_187197_187635.html


Note part names underneath their set of drawings.
Title: Re: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: Ken_D on November 19, 2013, 10:05:55 PM
What size reel is your project? Remember: transmissions for a 45,55,65, 46,56,66 are nearly all the same back then.

Frame, spool, and related are sized different. spools will change for the C models, versus the plain bronze bushed types.  You will not get replacement bevelled plates any more either.... either one side, or the other, or both are no longer available.

You can use today's 'cloned' rippled plates, if you want to pay for them... they run about 50.00 and up per pair.
By the by: what colour are the plates on this project? Common bevels of the day were red, black, teal, brown, silver. If faded badly, look on the inner surface where the sun never shone.
Title: Re: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: T Rad on November 20, 2013, 01:10:19 PM
Thanks, guys. I will follow those suggestions. He made me a present of the 2500 just for messing with them. Ask me if I am not a happy camper! I am, I am! Going to see if I can make a good 1/4 oz caster out of it.
Title: Re: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: T Rad on December 02, 2013, 01:17:55 PM
Gentlemen, thanks for the input. It turns out to be a 5500C, circa 73 model or so. Some sort of gunmetal grey, perhaps silver but doesn't really look like it. I had another 5500c to compare spool width with. Duhh!!! Why didn't I think of that. Nice reel.
Title: Re: Abu Ambassadeur 3 screw , No Model Number-ID?
Post by: Ken_D on December 02, 2013, 06:41:09 PM
Hi. Sounds like one of these then.  If you are going to "get into" the old stuff, then I suggest you buy Simon's Abu books from his website.

http://www.mrambassadeur.com/

http://www.nutterrodandreel.com/pdf/Abu%20Garcia/old/5500c%20790804.PDF

http://www.nutterrodandreel.com/pdf/Abu%20Garcia/old/5000%20770105.PDF

http://www.nutterrodandreel.com/pdf/Abu%20Garcia/old/5000c%20760204.PDF