Heddon 242--a LARGE model

Started by festus, October 01, 2019, 02:46:04 AM

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festus

Here's another one of those Mystery Heddons, a reel nobody seemed to know about other than it being one of their largest.  Yes, it's a biggun, it outweighs any other reel I own, and that includes the biggest D-A-M Quicks, Shakespeare Sea Wonders, and the saltwater Mitchell 302.  

I didn't expect a shelf queen from the pic on ebay, and I didn't pay much, so no disappointment. Quite a bit of pitting on the handle, the body and rotor were scuffed, but it had no effect on the reel's functioning.  Bail worked, so did the anti-reverse, and the drag adjusted ok.  Reeling was a little stiff, but most folks who know nothing about reel repair wouldn't complain.




Popping off the side plate revealed that familiar simple Heddon engineering below all that nasty grease. This one had a brass-like flat head screw attaching the oscillation slide to the axle.






Take my word, there is an oscillating slide you can't see underneath all that grease.  I should have added more lighting or brightened these pics in PhotoPad editing software, didn't want to take the time.




These reels use a 14mm nut with backwards threads to attach the rotor to the pinion/main body.




No bearing here, but a nice strong bushing.


Removing the pinion.




Here's a better look at that bushing.


Typical Heddon anti-reverse dog and spring.


Not too dirty inside the rotor.  Clean enough to leave the bail trip mechanisms alone.


The bail arm is dirty, so that assembly came apart.




The dirty parts.....


......cleaned up well enough with Simple Green and a toothbrush.


Got ahead of myself.  I shouldn't have reassembled the main gear before adding the pinion bushing.


That's better.


Now put the main gear back where it belongs.


Next comes the pinion.


Adding a smidgen of grease to the bail trip stud.


Rotor back in place.


Almost finished.  Next add the oscillation slider back where it belongs.


Innards are finished.


Not much I can do with the cosmetics of this reel, quite a few scuff marks and as I mentioned earlier, the handle is pitted badly, but I've seen worse.  I have no idea of line capacity, but betcha it'll hold at least a couple hundred yards of 20 lb. mono or more.  The diameter of the spool is just a tiny bit more narrow than the Mitchell 302 and D-A-M Quick 270, 1/16" at most. Weighs 25.2 oz with an empty spool on my scales.  Retrieve ratio is approximately 1:3.8. This reel would do fine fishing saltwater because it can be disassembled, cleaned, and back together in a few minutes.






Got one more Heddon on the way, the 260-R which should be here on a couple 2 or 3 days.


Crow

Another great write-up ! Thanks for posting.
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

mo65

   That one appears to have the no-frills, rock solid build style of the 248, except for the lack of a pinion ball bearing. Thanks for the detailed look inside Chester...and don't throw your back out packin' that behemoth! 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Ron Jones

I like the reel for salt because on no bearings. No worries if it goes for a swim.
The Man
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

festus

Quote from: mo65 on October 01, 2019, 03:21:05 PM
   That one appears to have the no-frills, rock solid build style of the 248, except for the lack of a pinion ball bearing. Thanks for the detailed look inside Chester...and don't throw your back out packin' that behemoth! 8)
Here's a side to side comparison with the 248 and the 277.  The 277 is a big reel but the 242 is huge.

mo65

   Good grief...that thing is a heavyweight! I never thought abut what Ron said, but he's right, for surf dunking that big bushing is the way to go. Thanks for posting the side by sides Chester, I wonder though, is that ol' girl bigger than the 295? 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


happyhooker