Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Hi all hope you doing fine!   ;D

Hi Alan!

Want to buy a 5501 classic inshore, they come with SS gears and some other great features...

Since they are a bit slow 5.1:1, I want to change the gear ratio to 6.3:1

would a c4 gear set work?  ???

opinions on this reel?

thankyou!!!

For some reason,, I'm thinking the gears from an Inshore aren't compatible with the standard C3 style gears..

Might be something with the pinion bore.. if memory serves..

I don't have one around anymore to determine the issue..but, it did have some nice features,, including the SS gears. small diameter spool arbor, and, I liked the larger double paddle handle!

many of the gears are interchangeable.  even abu garcia does not keep that info available.  you'd have to install a set an see....   :-\

The Classic Inshore has the right side bearing outside of the spool and engages via a pin through the shaft. Therefore the pinion gear is shorter than the  UltraCast versions and will not interchange.

Here in Scandinavia they sell a version of the Inshore classic with 6.3:1 gearing, and thumb bar release. It's called predator.  So yes you can get 6.3:1 gears for the classic inshore. (the c4 pinion will not fit in the Inshore, the gear yes). But both the gears and the spool have been upgraded since the first version 1700, so be carefull that you get the gears from the right revision. If you want I can help, but I need to know the revision of your reel.

I don't think ABU is delivering the latest versions with SS gears anymore, at least I have seen a few new reels lately fitted with brass gears.  

My opinions on this reel are, it is one of the strongest(and cheapest baitcasters) in the shops today, and in the hands of a god caster, it will outcast and outlast many Shimano or Daiwa high tech reel on the market.  

Some of the key features are, Dual anti reverse, Stainless steel bearings from INA, Power handle, weaved carbon drag washers.

thank you all for taking the time to leave some feedback!   :) :) :)


as soon i get the reel(if I bought it), I'll get back to you!
  ;D

If I should mention a week point on the classics, it would the drags. Here the whole construction is clearly coming of age, and even upgraded with Carbontex washers they do not deliver the same performance as more modern designs.

I bought the reel  ;D

here are some pictures from the seller

http://img.inkfrog.com/click_enlarge1.php?image=ABU5501INSHORE.jpg&username=SIMMONS&aid=137417446 (http://img.inkfrog.com/click_enlarge1.php?image=ABU5501INSHORE.jpg&username=SIMMONS&aid=137417446)

Nice reel. Like the fine print, "Made in Sweden."

Congrats, like the powerhandle.

Got the reel!!  ;D ;D ;D

re-greased with blue evinrude johnson, re-lubed with reel x

fished with it yesterday, caught a 7 lbs roosterfish and a 5 lbs mackerel  ;D
no pictures cause i realized i had left the camera in the car when we had walked for about 20 minutes and was NOT going to return!

any way the reel is a BEAST! a bit slow but found it faster than my luna 253, it casts good but a friend of mine that has a right handed version tells me that once used a few times it will cast even better.

the spool design is totally different, the bearings are outside the spool and the spool axle is fixed to the spool.

I will make a tutorial of this reel for you to see   :)

How are the newer models holding up against corrosion?my old C 3's were constantly needing new parts thats the main reason i switched to shimano reels

Quote from: inhotpursuit on December 20, 2011, 07:46:54 AM
How are the newer models holding up against corrosion?my old C 3's were constantly needing new parts thats the main reason i switched to shimano reels

I will tell you in 30 years time.  With prober maintenance and use, you can keep any Ambassaduer in working condition a lifetime. But the Inshore bearings will for sure hold better against corrosion than Shimano's pinion bearings, I guarantee you that. 

But to give you a more precise answer, i need to know what parts you had to change all the time in your c3's?

That's a beauty of a reel.  Good call.

Quote from: Killerbug on December 20, 2011, 08:08:03 AM

Quote from: inhotpursuit on December 20, 2011, 07:46:54 AM
How are the newer models holding up against corrosion?my old C 3's were constantly needing new parts thats the main reason i switched to shimano reels

I will tell you in 30 years time.  With prober maintenance and use, you can keep any Ambassaduer in working condition a lifetime. But the Inshore bearings will for sure hold better against corrosion than Shimano's pinion bearings, I guarantee you that. 

But to give you a more precise answer, i need to know what parts you had to change all the time in your c3's?

It was a long time ago ,almost 20 years  i don't remeber if they were actually C3's they were Ambassadeur 6500's but they were used mainly for light  saltwater jigging,bearings and an anti- reverse dog and a few other bits and pieces, the frames were severly corroded i'm guessing a lot of the problem was electrolysis  corrosion i had left them on my saltwater moored  boat all winter without rinsing, but it was back in the day when all i knew was rinse and oil ,never took them apart, you may be right about inshore bearings  lasting longer than stock  shimano pinion bearing but mine are sealed bearings and they are injected with yamaha grease so i have no worries as for casting well i am certainly no expert but none of my buds abu's can outcast my shimano's

Hi,

I think the Ambassaduers of today are better than they where 20 years ago. The materials are pretty much "the same", but with some improvements. For sure
the Ambassadeur frame is more prone to corrosion if left in the boat, and more so, than the Alu frames of Shimano.  The inshore has a brass frame, it will not rust, but should it corrode, you can polish it clean with some steel wool.

The anti reverse system of the inshore is dual, it has a standard IAR bearing(sensitive to rust) and the classic AR dog.  But with a backup AR, I have no problem of using a NLGI grade 1 grease on the IAR bearing.  Especially not if used in tropical saltwater.  

The Classic Inshore and, lets say the Shimano Calcutta 400B IMO is pretty even performers, l have fished both since they came on the market and think they are worth every penny.  

Thats good to know i was thinking of getting a pair of toro 51's for light trolling (salmon) but the Ambassadeur inshores seem like a better bet,as i have a pair of beefed up curado 301's for light saltwater casting

Is this Classic Inshore the same or similar to the UC series? The reels referenced in Jon Furman's article "the two faces of abu garcia "ultra cast?"

Thanks

CR

Quote from: bassnwhaler on May 08, 2014, 06:02:45 AM
Is this Classic Inshore the same or similar to the UC series? The reels referenced in Jon Furman's article "the two faces of abu garcia "ultra cast?"

Thanks

CR

No, the classic Inshores has a conventional spool axis. But the casting performance is great, some even think it's better than on the Rockets, that uses the Ultra cast spool design.

I know this is a old topic but I finally found a stainless steel set of inshore gears to use on my Abu Beast round reel. The beast comes with brass gears. I found a set of 17.0 gears the first version. They work great but I also had to use the older style yoke that came with the 17.0 version. No big deal they are the same except the newer version has a metal shim the gear rides on. I have tricked out my beast to the max. It casts much better than stock and now the stainless gears make it the ultimate reel. Did all the versions of the inshore come with stainless steel gears. I think the last version were brass but I could be wrong.