Hey guys so I worked on an ambassadeur 7000c3 tonight and it's been a nightmare! I need a new Star drag which I did find through pure fishing but I also need a right side cover and it seems that it's no longer available and near impossible to find anywhere. So looking into ambassadeurs reel parts and seeing how many are NLA I wonder if maybe I should just not work on them anymore? Thoughts?
West
Quote from: RamseyReelRepair on August 23, 2018, 02:00:33 AM
Hey guys so I worked on an ambassadeur 7000c3 tonight and it's been a nightmare! I need a new Star drag which I did find through pure fishing but I also need a right side cover and it seems that it's no longer available and near impossible to find anywhere. So looking into ambassadeurs reel parts and seeing how many are NLA I wonder if maybe I should just not work on them anymore? Thoughts?
West
West: As you already know part accessibility is very important. You can ask guys here about hard to get Ambassador parts on there posts. I personally haven't worked on one, so I can not help with and advice. But someone will chime in that knows what he is talking about.
Joe
Thanks Joe. The problem I'm facing is that this guy has 20 ambassadeurs he wants me to do but they are much more complicated then the Penn conventionals and the parts that you can find are pricey. I'm worried about undertaking something like that. He is a collector and is supposed to be bringing me a bunch on Friday but I feel like maybe I should call him and tell him that I'm not going to be able to work on them anymore.
West
West
Like most older reels, ABU parts can be tough to find. There are always some on the 'Bay but specific part availability varies. Here's a good place to check if you can't find what you need anywhere else: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/abu-garcia-parts-c-187196.html?osCsid=af3017jdruuarkc6gd87t5vqo0 but they can be a little pricey. Your 7000 C3 star drag is available but not cheap.
Just be honest with him, let him know where you're at with those reels and see if he's ok with you doing them. With all the abu's on the planet you're likely to see quite a few,might be good practice. As reels go they're not that complex.
See what I told you West. ;) There plenty of help here just be patient and tell the customer he will have to patient also for the parts if needed, he has got to know if he is a collector that parts are hard to find and sometimes not available. Just hang in there bud.
Joe
I think ABU parts are easier to find than some others... Shimano for example. There are ABU specialty sites with parts and plenty of experts around. Many of the parts are used in various models over long periods of time.
I agree with the others. Just be up front with the guy. If he is a serious collector he will understand that you may have to occasionally buy a donor reel to get parts. There are ten to twenty vintage Ambassadeurs added to ebay listings every day. The cosmetically rough ones are not expensive.
-steve
Try Jerry at http://www.hookless.com/, He's a good guy to deal with, give him a call , he likes to talk about reels and fishing
Marc..
Quote from: RamseyReelRepair on August 23, 2018, 02:48:53 AM
Thanks Joe. The problem I'm facing is that this guy has 20 ambassadeurs he wants me to do but they are much more complicated then the Penn conventionals and the parts that you can find are pricey.
I've never worked on a 7000 series Abu but have done the 4600, 5000, 5500, 6000, and 6500 models. Looking at the 7000C3 schematic there isn't much difference. Here's a good youtube video that may help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10OQfs8nKc&t=1799s
Actually I had more problems learning the Penn conventional repair than the Abus. The brake plate assemblies on the Abus are a little tricky to get back together if you disassemble them completely. If you take pictures there shouldn't be a problem. As Sheridan (Swami) said, they aren't that complex. When I joined this site a year ago, I was having problems with simple tasks such as changing a bail spring. Plenty of good members on here that will help if you get stuck.
I have my Penn hat on during that video :D I noticed that he didn't put cal's grease on those drag washers? ::) Any reason for that?
Joe
I noticed he didn't service the spool bearing on the head plate side, either. You seldom see any YouTube videos that do as thorough job as we're taught.
Quote from: RamseyReelRepair on August 23, 2018, 02:48:53 AM
Thanks Joe. The problem I'm facing is that this guy has 20 ambassadeurs he wants me to do but they are much more complicated then the Penn conventionals ...
West
I think its a nice idea to look all 20 abu reels he want to fix, so you can check them all and order all the parts from the same place if possible and save on shipping, maybe you can reach free shipping or a discount buying a bunch of parts.
on some of those reels you might be on a position to tell him are not worth to fix them so, you can even take some parts from those to complete other models if the parts fit and only buy missing parts, if he want them best shape possible then you must buy every part new.
PS: if working on abu ambassadeurs seems like a complicated reel wait until someone brought you a shimano calcutta 400TE, a spinning reel with baitfeeder, two speed talica reel, etc.
Thanks for the help guys. Is really not complicated I just disassembled my buddy's 7000 tonight and I think I just let me pysch myself out because I'd never done one and the schematics showed a lot of parts I wasn't familiar with. It's actually a really cool reel and seems to be built pretty well.
West
ABU doesn't want us messing around with the clutch so everything is exposed for cleaning, but riveted in place. It makes them quick and easy to service. But, when they get some wear there is no easy fix if the clutch starts to inadvertently engage during a cast . Either get a new side plate, or do brain surgery with the rivets, or perform the Ambassadeur hack where the button is notched to lock it into place when in free spool. Don't get me wrong... I love the things.
-steve
The 7000 C3s were a great classic reel and there are still a few kicking around here in Australia.
I have a draw full of wrecks and many parts are still available here last time I looked.
Second hand parts are plentiful in England (Google) and "Dads Ole Tackle" has some inventory closer to home.
They are made from exceptional material quality and are easy to work on. However I almost always upgrade the drags to carbontex as this makes a big difference in performance.
Don't forget, you also have the option of making one good reel from two complementary ones.
With twenty reels to work on, sounds like you already have a potential bonanza of spare parts at your fingertips.
~
Quote from: RamseyReelRepair on August 24, 2018, 12:56:16 AM
.................I just let me pysch myself out because I'd never done one and.................I wasn't familiar with.
careful when you are servicing a reel that you have never done before, specially the expesive ones like talicas, accurates, etc.
a small mistake can be an expesive one.
Good point! I go very slow so as to understand each part and how it interacts with the others before I move on.
West
Quote from: steelfish on August 31, 2018, 07:45:36 PM
Quote from: RamseyReelRepair on August 24, 2018, 12:56:16 AM
.................I just let me pysch myself out because I'd never done one and.................I wasn't familiar with.
careful when you are servicing a reel that you have never done before, specially the expesive ones like talicas, accurates, etc.
a small mistake can be an expesive one.
Good advice compadre ;)
I have easily over $20,000 in parts, could be more I didn't count, and would still be hesitant working on a reel I've never worked on before.
If one of the part goes boing, you will need to replace it...if you happen to know which part it was and if it is still available.
I do not like to hang onto other people's reels, I like to get them out as quickly as I can.
I don't feel comfortable having a bunch of reels at one time, but I only do this on the side and do it as a hobby.
Sal
Thanks for the advice I've been trying to research reels before I accept them for work so I know the availability of parts and cost in case something goes wrong.
West