A few weeks ago I got my hands on a batch of Mitchell 300s for $3 apiece. I set this one aside to service it, got really attached because it's a 1953 model, same year l was born, SN 50109.
It felt pretty smooth before l tore into it except the bail was pretty weak. After disassembling it l could tell it had been taken care of, still had blue grease in it from being serviced recently with very little grime except inside the rotor.
Can't wait to see it in one piece. With a fish on the end of the line!
Ron
I placed the gears, drive shaft, sliding pieces, washers, shims, and screws plus the pieces inside the rotor and bail assembly in charcoal lighter fluid for about an hour, then scrubbed clean with a toothbrush followed by a good soaking in a Dawn dishwashing detergent solution for a while, then rinsed with hot water and blew them dry with a blow dryer. Cleaned the housing and side plate with carbeuretor cleaner then scrubbed them good too.
The rotor was fairly dirty, the counterweight was frozen, I did my best cleaning it with a toothbrush and just left the counterweight as is.
Here's the housing after reassembly and lube.
Here's the side plate after reassembly. The pinion gear had 4 shims under it, the drive gear had no shims.
After reassembly.
lt has quite a bit of rash, but what can you expect from a 1953 model?
The bail works fine now, the old spring was ok, it just needed some cleaning.
Reel is pretty smooth for 64 years.
Quote from: Ron "Jones on September 28, 2017, 10:18:32 PM
Can't wait to see it in one piece. With a fish on the end of the line!
Ron
l may test it at the tailwaters of a dam about half an hour from here sometime soon. Hopefully l can hook one of those 15 lb stripers on a bucktail jig to see if it can handle it.
I'm sure it will do fine. Lots of love in that thing. Hope you enjoy it.
Ron
Beautiful. Love the classic designs.
Great Reel Festus, Glad You Are Putting It Back In Service. Think The Side Cover Is From A Later Model... The Word Garcia Did Not Appear Until 1958, And The Anti Reverse Lever Is Used On 1968 And Later Reels, The Early Ones Had The "chevron" Or Butterfly Design, So The Side Cover Is 1968 Or Later. Most Reels That Are 60+ Years Old Have Had Worn Out Parts Swapped. Good Luck With Your Reel, Hope You Catch That Striper...... Better add a CF Drag Washer.
Barry ;D
Kinda "neat" that you have a "birthyear" reel, and on top of that, it's one of the good 'uns--a Mitchell 300.
Yeah, that A/R lever looks like the later variety; I see, too, that the A/R dog inside looks like one of the plastic type & maybe that got replaced somewhere along the line, as I was thinking the older 300s mostly had metal dogs.
The 300 should be a good match for that tailwater you're gonna fish. Good work on the rehab!
Frank
lt doesn't surprise that reels this old have parts from more recent reels inside. l have one reel with the old sideplate and an extra sideplate.
This older reel has a C and a 5 stamped on the foot of the reel. lt's possible the housing could be 70 years old.
Glad to see the thread about the "restoration"...I just picked up one very similar at a yard sale, about an hour ago ! The Mitchell, an Airex, and a Wright-McGill spincast, plus two "beer flats" full of assorted tackle....they wanted $10, but took $8....just what I need...more projects ! LOL!
Quote from: Crow on September 29, 2017, 05:18:30 PM
Glad to see the thread about the "restoration"...I just picked up one very similar at a yard sale, about an hour ago ! The Mitchell, an Airex, and a Wright-McGill spincast, plus two "beer flats" full of assorted tackle....they wanted $10, but took $8....just what I need...more projects ! LOL!
That's a great deal.
l'll let everyone in on how l found all my bargains. A guy who dealt in fishing tackle had a houseful of stuff. He would go to Georgia, Alabama, well, all over the southeast and buy new and used tackle in bulk. He set up a roadside flea market and also sold out of his house. He passed away sometime back of heart problems, and his mother is in charge of selling the estate. He had more (and better) tackle than both Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods in town. His mother has a couple of knowledgeable friends who price the tackle. No kidding, every room in the house is full of fishing rods, reels, sinkers, hooks, lures, etc. Plus they have pull behind trailers full of tackle plus a shed full. Used reels are 8 bucks apiece in good condition, rough condition was 3 bucks. Used rods were 4 bucks apiece. New rods are anywhere from $10 to $30. Crankbaits such as Bill Norman or Shad Raps still in box are $1 to $2. l was given several non-funcional reels.
This afternoon l worked on a horse of a different color - - - a Mitchell 300 with no numbers on the foot, it just says MITCHELL TAIWAN. l understand these were made 1990 and later.
This reel was just dirty and had a weak bail, other than that it was smooth. lt was fairly nasty inside, especially the rotor. These later models are a wee bit more difficult to service, especially the bail. Other than that, there was a gasket separating the housing from the side plate. After l got it back together l noticed l had a part left over. lt was a transfer gear spacer. The reel seemed ok without it, but l took it apart and inserted it anyway.
l have 3 more of these Taiwan models to work on in the near future.
Sweet! Love the 300, favorite "go to" reel of all time.