Shakespeare 2068 Sport Wonder

Started by Midway Tommy, December 15, 2019, 07:00:26 AM

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Midway Tommy

In 1962 Shakespeare began manufacture of the charcoal gray 2068 Sport Wonder for introduction into the 1963 market place. Later in 1963 Shakespeare also introduced the maroon 2062, which eventually became the 2068's successor. Both reels are basically the same size. Many vintage reel historians and collectors consider the 2068 Sport Wonder as one of the finest open face spinning reels ever manufactured in the United States, especially in its day. It was short lived so, while not really rare, they are somewhat difficult to find in good condition. Shakespeare ended production of the 2068 in 1967. Here's a look at one, an EG, i.e. 1964.

While in excellent condition it obviously hadn't been cleaned in quite awhile. This is what it looked like when I opened it up.



I took it all apart and did my usual lacquer thinner soak for all the unpainted metal parts. All the painted metal and plastic parts were cleaned with Original White Goop and then washed in warm water with Dawn. Here all the parts are clean and ready to assemble.


As usual, before my hands get greasy, I install the bail and trip lever on the rotor cup. The 2068 has a tungsten carbide line roller that really does roll.


Shakespeare bail springs are a little touchy to get into the correct position. The spring has a double right angle hook on the outer end that has to in the correct position in the notch in the bail arm before installing the bail screw. You have to start the bail screw a thread or two and rotate the bail arm stop over the stop block on the rotor, push the bail arm down against the spring housing and then tighten the bail screw. Usually you have to use something thin like an eXacto knife to position the spring end back into the groove in the bail screw so that the bail screw will tighten correctly. It can get a little tedious at times. Once the bail arm is installed I check the bail to make sure it lines up perfectly. I bend or adjust it if need be, install it and then install the trip lever and spring. Once everything works perfectly I set the rotor aside to install later. BTW, I lubricate all my bail springs with ArmorAll. I never use oil or grease because they collect dirt and gum up the bail spring after awhile.

     
Now, while my hands are still clean, I install the drag washers in the spool and put the handle together. The 2068 has the normal Shakespeare 6 washer drag stack with three leather washers that are to be oiled.


Time to install the spool click dog and spring.


Now I'll install the anti-reverse lever, dog, spring and mechanism into the body. From this point on all lubing is, my favorite, Super Lube grease and synthetic oil. 


Now that the anti-reverse parts are in place it's time to install the steel pinion worm gear. The 2068 has the normal ball bearing configuration that is retained with an internal split ring. The bearing has steel races, and plastic shields that are easy to remove. It was easy to clean and relube the inside of the bearing and reinstall the shields. The pinion is supported at the rear by a bronze oilite bushing.


With the pinion and bearing in place it's time to install the rotor cup.


The main gear goes in next. The anti-reverse ratchet gear is a separate piece and replaceable. There is also a brass shim washer between the ratchet gear and main gear handle bushing. The handle bushing is steel.


The next step is to install the main shaft. The under spool washer is leather. The 2068 has a robust oscillation mechanism. The oscillation block and arm is quite stout and somewhat unique. There is also a small brass transfer gear on the main gear shaft that will operate an oscillation gear that is positioned in the side plate.


There's a oilite bushing in the side plate that supports the end of the main gear shaft. That is an interesting and quality attribute. There is a brass shim washer and small bushing that fit on the stud on the oscillation gear.   


With the oscillation gear in place it's time to install the side plate, making sure the stud is positioned in the slot on the arm/block.


There are two oil ports with screws, one for the main gear/handle shaft and one for the bearing/pinion area. It is time to install them, the spool, drag knob and handle.


All done! A high quality light size Shakespeare spinning reel from the mid '60s, the 2068 Sport Wonder.



And, for you Chester, and anyone else that might be curious or interested. It weighs in at 11.6 oz.
   
   



Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Crow

There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

foakes

Excellently engineered reel --excellent tutorial -- excellent review, Tommy!

Thanks!

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

mo65

   That 2068 looks to be a much more robust reel than the 2065. I'm glad so many folks greased those bails years ago. It makes for a fantastic buy when the bail hardly moves, and the problem is so easy to fix, just as long as you don't allow that spring to put you in "mind control". Thanks for the peek inside Tom. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


festus

Great tutorial, Tommy.  Learn something every day on this site.  That's really my first look at a 2068.  For some reason I thought the 2068 and 2065 were the same reel, not so.

basto

DAM Quick 3001      SHIMANO Spedmaster 3   Jigging Master PE5n

philaroman

beautiful...  if you only had a main like this for your Mepps Transformer ;D

happyhooker

#7
Super look at a super reel.  Just oozes quality and durability.  So much to remind one of the earlier set of bigger Sea Wonders.

Frank

Chuck750ss

Quote from: festus on December 15, 2019, 05:23:30 PM
Great tutorial, Tommy.  Learn something every day on this site.  That's really my first look at a 2068.  For some reason I thought the 2068 and 2065 were the same reel, not so.
Same here.

Chuck750ss

Just finished cleaning and lubing my 2068. Reel was not used much, close to new condition. Original 1960's grease. Amazing how smooth these old Shakespeare's are when cleaned and lubed.

DougK

neat reel, thank you Tommy. I got a little-used 2062 cheap, right out the shipping box it's one of the smoothest reels I own, and beautifully solid.
Didn't even know about the 2068..

Alto Mare

Nice detailed work as usual Tommy!
Thanks for showing us that reel and how it's done getting deep in there.

Sal
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

sandbar

I ran into the bail spring challenge on a Shakespeare Sea Wonder reel.
I struggled so much that I had to put it down and come back to it the next day because I got so aggravated.
I figured it out, but I wish I had seen this post first.   

Paul Roberts

#13
Picked up a 2068 and thought I'd tack onto Tom's thread, seeing that there are a few differences in my particular reel, an EF ('65). I downloaded 2 schematics from ORCA that covered EG, EF, EE models. The three models show very minor differences, although my reel had one unique difference in the bails roller set up not shown in either schematics nor in Tom's excellent tutorial. Once again -and again- thank you Tom for sharing your excellent work.

First, the reel came in in good used condition. The only concern was two of the three body cover screws were missing heads! Price was good for this reel so I figured it was worth tackling. The screws turned out to be no functional issue as they held the tight fitting cover plate like pins. One screw keeps the plate safely affixed. It's an up-close aesthetic issue but not a functional one.

The reel was typically full of dry grease. So dry I had to chip it out of the gear teeth one tooth at a time. I did the requisite scouring, and polishing of important metal to metal contact areas, and proper lubing. The ball-bearing was in fine shape, being quiet on my bearing spinner. A bad bearing can sound like a box of gravel! I then did some creative work to shore some things up —fitting for a reel of this caliber, which I'll describe shortly.

Spinning reels are complicated, compared to the direct drive reels I have spent so much time on in the last couple of years. I used a surprising number of tools to get through this reel!

Here's the roller set up as I found it. I at first thought perhaps the "extra" bushing belonged elsewhere on the reel. It wasn't in the schematics nor Tom's tutorial.

After finishing the work the reel was typically smooth but there was a bit of noise that was not appropriate for such a reel. I had 2062's that felt better. So I went through a tightness protocol, checking for play in the drive train: the handle, gears, rotor, and main shaft. The handle rocked back and forth a bit and was tightened up with the addition of a single shim.

The main shaft moved the oscillating mechanism a bit too much, causing some knocking. So I applied a very thin stick-on felt patch to the oscillation block to act as a soft shim between the oscillation block and the post it rides against. There was just a bit too much space between the two, causing the knocking sound. The felt took up that slack.

This 2068 is now tight, smooth, and quiet. As it should be for this "possibly highest quality American made spinner". Although I'd venture that the 2062, that soon replaced it, is its equal, and a bit easier to service.

I'll also add a graphic from Shakespeare on how to replace the bailspring on these reels (2062, 2068, and presumably others in the line). The trick is to partially screw down the screw before trying to rotate the bracket into place. It is a bit of a trick but once you understand and get a feel for the proper orientation, it's doable. The graphic, plus Tom's image showing proper starting orientation of the bracket and spring, should help make this an easier task.

foakes

The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.