Just wanted to pass along an issue and a resolution that I discovered in upgrading one of my PG 545s. I installed a SS 4:1 main gear and pinion and an AT SS gear sleeve (I also swapped in a SS yoke and eccentric jack that Ken C had installed in another 545, and installed a 5+1 carbontex drag stack). To accommodate the AT SS gear sleeve, which does not quite fit on the original Pro Gear bridge, I also replaced the bridge with a Penn 113H bridge. Okay, I'm really excited about these upgrades, put the reel together, and lo and behold the spool is binding on the handle side. What gives? At first I thought it might be the pinion, the internal piece of which was not quite flush with the outer ring, but that did not make sense as the binding occurred both with the pinion engaged and unengaged. Finally, I realized that the original Pro Gear bridge is tapered at the edge, no doubt to fit the 4/0-sized internals into a 3/0-sized reel, and the Penn bridge is not tapered. After buffing down the edge of the Penn bridge a bit using a Dremel rotary tool, it "spins like a top" as they say. Happy 4th of July everyone!
Thanks for the Tip GMan.