D-A-M Quick 550N, a look at a BIG spinner

[festus]

Found this one online from Kentucky for $20 plus shipping.  Nice condition on the outside, very little paint loss but a bit of rash on the handle.  Reeling was stiff, the anti-reverse didn't work, bail function was slow, and I heard some scraping inside.  Didn't sound serious, and I had a hunch with a good cleanout inside it would work like new again.  I had another one of these 550N on a 12' surf rod, but gave it to my brother-in-law in Marietta, GA last summer so he'd have some heavy tackle on his trip to Florida. He was telling about some of the swift water tailraces down there in Georgia, this would be a good rig for big cats and stripers. I advised him to keep the switch pin oiled because the N models are prone to have bail release failures if used in salt water or neglected.Also got a partial 550N disassembled in a plastic bag for spare parts.

I know there have been several tutorials for both the N and non-N Finessa series, but sadly, most of the photos have either disappeared or rendered unfocused by the Photobucket tyranny.  


A look at the bottom of spool.


Punching out the roll pin so the handle can be removed.  Came out easily with a 3/32" punch and a rubber hammer.



Removing washer from drive shaft.


Removing handle screw from drive shaft.


Removing cover plate.



First look inside.  Yes, this one has the same old dark brown grease I've seen in every D-A-M Quick I've taken apart.


Removing c-clip from slider.


Removing pin from slider.


Removing slider, note spacer washer was behind c-clip.


Removing axle.


Removing rotor nut so rotor can be separated from the main body. See all that whitish grit?  Not sure if it was sand or salt, but it was the cause of the scraping sounds.  There was quite a bit of grit throughout the reel but no corrosion.



Removing the washer and drive plate.



A look at the drive gear and washer.  All that grease "preserved" this part.


The snap ring in these larger Quicks is much easier to remove than in the smaller reels.  Snap ring pliers make it easier.



Snap ring, washers, pinion and ball bearing slip out with little effort.


Since I wasn't satisfied with the bail function, I took the entire assembly apart for cleaning. Removing the bail nut and washer.



Removing the angle lever, screw, and spring.



Disassembling other side of bail.


Now here's the fun part.  This is the most tedious chore working with an N model D-A-M Quick, getting what Fred calls "The world's smallest c-clip" out of there without losing it.  I used two punches to accomplish the task. A few steps are in order before we get there.


Removing the switch pin spring.


Removing the brake ring.


Yes, the c-clip is in there, but it's barely visible.


Wasn't easy, but all the parts came out.




Getting the switch pin, spring, and c-clip back together was easier than taking it apart.


Reinserting the setting element.



Another c-clip fastens the setting element to the rotor.


Reattaching the switch pin spring.



All the bail parts are back in place, it was grit and grease trapped nside the channel of the bail spring that was partially slowing things down.


Reinserting the cleaned and lubed pinion gear and ball bearing and securing with snap ring. At the beginning of this thread I mentioned the anti-reverse wasn't functioning.  All it needed was a good flush with WD40, rinsed, scrubbed with a Dawn dishwashing solution, rinsed again, blown dry with a hair dryer, a drop of oil, and the a/r was working again.



Reinserting the cleaned and relubed drive gear and shaft.



Reattaching c-clip to secure driveshaft.


Reattaching handle screw.


A rubber hammer from Dollar Tree that cost a buck works well for driving the roll pin back into the handle.


Reinserting the axle.


Reattaching the slide.




Sewing her up.


This one now is maybe the cleanest D-A-M Quick in my collection.  It weighs 19.5 ounces, might be a little lighter than the Super 270 linecounter I made a post about a few weeks ago.  A reel this size seems like overkill for fresh water fishing, but 60 pound striped bass and 90+ pound blue and flathead catfish aren't unheard of here in East Tennessee.  Not even mentioned the introduction of lake sturgeon by TWRA, I know of one 102 pounder that was trapped in some shallow water on an arm of the Emory River and relocated by game biologists. So these setups of a 9' to 12' MH surf rod with 30 lb mono are ideal for fishing below dam tailraces such as Ft. Loudoun and Melton Hill or warm water steam plant discharges during the winter.

[Darin Crofton]

Great job Festus, nice looking reel you have there!

[ClintB]

I love seeing these detailed disassembly pics!

Thanks!

[mo65]

   It takes a pretty big spinning reel to handle 30lb. mono well...so these huge saltwater reels actually work great for catfishing. I've tried putting 30lb. on a few reels designed for 20lb. and didn't fare so well. Great post Chester.

[BocaSnook1]

Fantastic Tutorial!

Planning on starting my 440N and 550N in late January 2020 - now have the perfect road map to complete the project.

[festus]

   It takes a pretty big spinning reel to handle 30lb. mono well...so these huge saltwater reels actually work great for catfishing. I've tried putting 30lb. on a few reels designed for 20lb. and didn't fare so well. Great post Chester.

Right.  I wouldn't want to go any higher than 30 lb. mono on one of these big Quicks.  As for that, I wouldn't want over 30 lb mono on any spinner I've owned.  Got one of those huge Okuma ABF 90 spinners I've run 30 lb mono on and it would cast 60-65 yds, but much better with 17 lb mono.

[foakes]

Excellent tutorial, Sir!

Solid reel & solid resilts.

Best, Fred

[mo65]

  Got one of those huge Okuma ABF 90 spinners I've run 30 lb mono on and it would cast 60-65 yds, but much better with 17 lb mono.

   Exactly...I put 30lb. mono on that big Zebco I got from Wayne...and it only cast about 50-60yds. Changed to 20lb. mono and lost a nice 3 oz. flat sinker to the woods out back! The problem is...20lb. mono is border line trouble for serious catfishing. This is why we've been experimenting with braid...but I have to confess...I'm a mono man.

[happyhooker]

Very interesting post.

Frank

[Midway Tommy]

Nice post, Chester! Thanks for updating with photos that will stick around for awhile!

[duckdog]

Did you repaint the body?

[BocaSnook1]

Followed your tutorial to a "T" - great results and nice functioning 550 reel.

But regarding the medalion on the outside - any tips how to clean and restore it?  I have cleaned with a toothbrush and Dawn Soap but still no luster.

Thanks

[festus]

Followed your tutorial to a "T" - great results and nice functioning 550 reel.

But regarding the medalion on the outside - any tips how to clean and restore it?  I have cleaned with a toothbrush and Dawn Soap but still no luster.

Thanks

That's all I do, Dawn soap and a toothbrush. Coin collectors don't clean their coins because it reduces value.  Fred Oakes can answer that better than me.

And Duckdog asked if I paint the body, no, I never have but might so in the future on other reels, but I'll leave this one as is.

[basenjib123]

Thanks Fred.